Director, Real Estate & New Store Development - North America

Company Description

Amer Sports is a sporting goods company with internationally recognized brands including Salomon, Arc’teryx, Peak Performance, Atomic and Wilson.

“The Mountain Sport Company”, Salomon was born in 1947 in the heart of the French Alps and the birthplace of modern alpinism. Salomon’s commitment to innovative design and passion for mountain sports created a vast range of revolutionary new concepts in bindings, boots, skis and apparel for both Alpine and Nordic skiing and brought innovative solutions to footwear, apparel and equipment for snowboarding, adventure racing, mountaineering, hiking, trail running, and many other sports.

Through performance driven design, Salomon delivers innovation and progression to mountain sports; converting new ideas into action and expanding the limits of possibility. Salomon’s heritage, culture, and commitment are tied together by one simple concept: the world’s leading mountain people creating the world’s leading mountain products. Salomon is responsibly committed towards the outdoor through its sustainability program. Diversity is one of Salomon’s five values, therefore we are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all.

Salomon is headquartered in Annecy, France with offices in Ogden, UT and New York City.

Job Description

The Director, Real Estate & New Store Development plays a critical role in defining where and how the brand shows up physically. By targeting epicenter markets and ensuring disciplined execution, this leader enables profitable, visible, and scalable retail growth while delivering compelling, on-brand store experiences. 

This senior leader is responsible for shaping and executing the company’s retail expansion strategy, with a focused mandate to identify and pursue new locations in strategic epicenter markets that drive brand visibility, growth, and long-term performance. This role supports the internal real estate and new store development LTSP, serving as the strategic partner to VP Retail, and external real estate brokers while leading cross-functional execution from site strategy through store opening. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty and responsibility satisfactorily:

Real Estate Strategy, Epicenter Markets & Broker Leadership  

• Own execution of the retail real estate strategy with emphasis on identifying and securing locations in strategic epicenter markets (high-impact cities, neighborhoods, and retail corridors that accelerate brand awareness and growth)
• Identify, evaluate, and prioritize new market opportunities in partnership with external real estate brokers
• Lead broker relationships, market planning, and site selection strategy across all store formats
• Develop clear point-of-view on market entry, adjacency strategy, and portfolio sequencing
• Evaluate site opportunities and business cases, balancing brand presence, financial returns, and market potential
• Provide recommendations on LOIs, lease terms, and deal structures in partnership with Senior Leadership, Legal, and Finance
• Support development of the Epicenter portion of the North America LTSP

New Store Development Leadership  

• Oversee the full lifecycle of new store development from lease execution through opening
• Establish and manage NSO project plans governing timelines, budgets, and performance standards for all new store projects
• Lead cross-functional alignment across Retail Operations, Construction, Design, IT, Merchandising, HR, and Marketing
• Ensure operational readiness and consistent brand execution at store opening
• Anticipate and resolve complex risks across multiple concurrent project

Construction & Investment Oversight 

• Provide strategic oversight of construction and build-out execution
• Own capital planning, forecasting, and approval processes for new store investments
• Ensure adherence to tenant improvement agreements, landlord obligations, and delivery milestones
• Drive cost control, value engineering, and schedule optimization
• Ensure permits and city code requirements are met
• Oversee final punch-list completion and resolution of outstanding deliverables

Financial, Reporting & Executive Communication 

• Partner with Finance to develop business cases for new store investments
• Deliver new store openings on time and on budget
• Support long-range planning and multi-year expansion roadmaps 

Team & Process Leadership 

• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing real estate and new store development team
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