Real Estate Project Manager

CooperVision, a division of CooperCompanies (NASDAQ:COO), is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of soft contact lenses. The Company produces a full array of daily disposable, two-week and monthly contact lenses, all featuring advanced materials and optics. CooperVision has a strong heritage of solving the toughest vision challenges such as astigmatism, presbyopia and childhood myopia; and offers the most complete collection of spherical, toric and multifocal products available. Through a combination of innovative products and focused practitioner support, the company brings a refreshing perspective to the marketplace, creating real advantages for customers and wearers. For more information, visit www.coopervision.com.

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Director of Global Real Estate, this is a key role in the organization to assist with the management of projects relating to corporate real estate, ensuring real estate policies and procedures are complete and in compliance, and to drive a strong lease management program.  You will be required to work with internal and external teams to ensure project completion within desired timelines and to effectively communicate project scope and deliverables. 

Real Estate Portfolio Management:

• Manage the corporate Real Estate strategy, including site selections, lease negotiations, renewals, and amendments. Ensure that all decisions align with the company’s financial goals and long-term objects.
• Negotiate new leases, amendments, Letters of Intent (LOI’s), and construction related documentation, ensuring terms reflect business needs, including rental rates, lease durations and key operational factors.
• Oversee all aspects of Lease Administration, including ensuring compliance, accurate documentation, and controlling costs such as rent, utilities, insurance and maintenance fees.
• Implement cost saving strategies through favorable Lease terms, such as shared services or utilities.
• Serve as the primary contact for Tenant relations, managing day-to-day interactions with Landlords, Property managers, and other third-party stakeholders.  Address escalations and disputes, ensuring adherence to Lease terms.
• Evaluate the utilization of Real Estate assets continuously, collaborating with business units to recommend optimal solutions such as consolidations, relocations, or expansions into new markets.
• Ensure the company’s Lease Administration platform is updated and remains the central source of accurate, up-to-date Lease data (“source of truth”), preparing abstracts, summaries, and executive-level reports.
• Collaborate with various internal departments, such as IT, HR, Finance, Risk Management/Insurance and Legal to ensure cohesive delivery of Real Estate projects and facilities services.
• Maintain corporate standards and regulatory requirements for operating facilities, ensuring a safe and productive work environment.

Lease and Contract Negotiations:

• Work with the Global Real Estate partner on the negotiation of new Leases, amendments, Letters of Intent (LOI’s), and construction-related documentation with contractors, architects, vendors and Landlords.
• Ensure all Lease amendments or renewals reflect changes in business requirements, such as adjusted space needs or regulatory conditions.  This includes negotiating rental rates, Lease durations, and maintenance responsibilities to ensure operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
• Redline/blackline and exchange comments/edits on documents, working closely with the Legal department to ensure compliance with corporate policies.
• Collaborate with the Insurance and Risk Management team to ensure Leases/Contracts comply with project and regulatory requirements.

Capital Planning and Project Management:

• Support large-scale Real Estate projects with the Global Real Estate partner, including site relocations, renovations and new office buildouts, from planning through completion and continued operations.
• Work on ROI analytics, metrics, KPI’s and tracking systems to monitor programs performance including space utilization.
• Ensure CEA’s (Capital Expenditure Authorizations) are approved and in place before project commencement, coordinating and creating the process/alignment with key business partners.
• Participate in the budget development cycle (ex. OPEX, CAPEX).
• Drive quality control and ensure projects align with Lease agreements and Construction standards, including reviewing work letters and budgeting from Landlords and Third-Party Vendors.
• Confirm all necessary permits and approvals are obtained through collaboration with local brokers, project managers, and government entities.
• Identify, design, and implement comprehensive space planni