Director Real Estate

Come work at a place where we take pride in creating a workplace environment that values hard work, commitment, and growth.

Report to and under the direction of the Vice President of Real Estate, the Real Estate Director will assist in developing and implementing Academy’s new store expansion program and managing the existing store portfolio in an assigned territory. The Real Estate Director will utilize internal and external resources in assisting with the fulfillment of Academy’s real estate strategy, which will include locating and acquiring approximately 15 + new stores annually, as well as working on lease renewals, distribution center and non-retail assets and other special projects. Present prospective new locations to the Real Estate Committee.

Job Description:

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Real Estate, or relevant study
• MBA, JD, or graduate degree preferred

Work Experiences:

• Minimum 10 years experience in securing retail real estate locations (big box and/or ground-up development preferred)
• Ability to creatively structure and complete financially compelling lease transactions (build to suit, reverse build to suit, ground lease)
• Proven ability to conduct successful negotiations of both business terms of Letters of Intent (LOI) and legal matters of big box leases.
• Previous experience in big box-related real estate and/or ground-up development is highly preferred
• Previous management experience required

Skills:

• Ability to analyze large volumes of data and identify trends/patterns
• Strong ability to analyze financial and demographic data 
• In-depth understanding of site development, design and construction processes, practices, costs, and timelines as it relates to big box retail development (ground up or takeover second generation space)
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to clearly explain site-selection decisions to Academy executive leadership
• Strong relationships with national, regional, and local developers, landlords, and retailers
• Strong relationships with local brokers in select markets
• Solid knowledge of retail real estate industry regulations and practices
• Superior Big Box lease or land development contract negotiating skills
• Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills to interface effectively with individuals at various levels including the presentation of sites to executives.
• Ability to remain organized, pay attention to detail and meet critical deadlines
• Ability to work well independently, as well as effectively collaborate with and contribute to a team environment
• Ability to lead a project team of lease legal staff, store designers and construction project managers on a project level basis from approval to store opening.
• Analytical with strong problem-solving abilities and creative solution skills
• Ability to work well under pressure while consistently meeting time-sensitive deadlines
• Acceptable level of hearing and vision to perform job duties

Responsibilities:

Site Selection

• Become thoroughly familiar with assigned markets and company’s strategic geographic plan
• Work with Vice President of Real Estate, Real Estate Strategy team and local brokers in creating the real estate strategy for each assigned market
• Thoroughly analyze all relevant data (including financial, traffic patterns, retail growth, competition, and demographic data) on all prospective locations in assigned markets
• Work with local brokers, landlords, and developers to identify strong prospective locations
• Travel to new and existing markets to gain intimate knowledge regarding local markets and retail
• Attend various national and regional ICSC shows at the direction of Vice President of Real Estate

Site Procurement / Acquisition / Leasing

• Fully responsible for meeting assigned goals for new store counts in assigned territories
• Conduct (LOI) negotiation of business terms for new stores within the Academy’s budgetary and scheduling targets, guidelines, and requirements
• Coordinate with Design and Construction regarding the layout of prospective locations, cost estimates for new store construction (and civil / site work-related costs, when applicable), and the physical condition of new stores at turnover insuring accuracy in all lease and construction documentation
• Coordinate with Finance and Market Research and Strategy teams in the preparation of fin