Real Estate Manager

About the role

The Real Estate Manager is responsible for identifying and acquiring retail and occasionally industrial sites to support the company's growth strategy. This role involves extensive travel to various markets, working with real estate brokers, and maintaining strong relationships with property owners and developers.

Primary Responsibilities

• Road warrior role with frequent travel to various markets to work with real estate brokers and gather up-to-date market knowledge.
• Identify prospective retail (and occasional industrial) sites in support of the Real Estate team.
• Investigate practical strategies for achieving future new store growth and optimizing the existing store network within current markets.
• Foster and maintain relationships with brokers and developers to identify sites for development, including attending local ICSC events as required.
• Gather market research for site submittals, including demographic analysis, competition summaries, property records, traffic counts, planned road improvements, and other relevant data.
• Track competitors' real estate strategies and provide recommendations accordingly.
• Negotiate retail real estate purchase contracts and leases, from LOI to final document form.
• Work with property owners to negotiate mutually acceptable/reasonable terms for the purchase of real estate and occasional lease/lease renewal of property.
• Support efforts to lease or sell surplus properties to mitigate excess occupancy costs and drive profitability.
• Document and track all owned and leased properties in the Company portfolio.
• Coordinate development efforts with Real Estate, Construction, Design, Legal, and third-party engineers and environmental consultants for new store units, relocations, expansions, and lease renewals.
• Attend local zoning meetings and hearings as necessary to represent the company in new & expansion projects, ensuring efficient site plan approvals and project completion.
• Maintain the team Pipeline Report.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in real estate or related field, preferably.
• 3-5 years of proven experience in the Southeast region of the US in site analysis and real estate acquisition.
• Development experience preferred, but willingness and ability to learn the process of new real estate development is critical for future promotion.
• Strong leadership and self-supervisory skills.
• Strong reputation in the commercial real estate community.
• Comfortable with cold calling owners and brokers.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work as a team player.
• Effective oral and written communication skills, with a collaborative team focus.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and spend time in the field on a consistent basis.