Director of Real Estate

Texas HR Team Executive Search Texas HR Team is conducting an executive search on behalf of an innovative and rapidly expanding franchise brand seeking a highly driven Director of Real Estate to lead and scale its real estate development strategy. We are looking for a strategic real estate leader with franchise development experience who has successfully navigated growth, opened new markets, and understands what it takes to support expansion across the United States and internationally. The ideal candidate is energized by creating structure, accelerating deal flow, building broker relationships, and helping a franchise system achieve ambitious development goals. If you are passionate about commercial real estate, franchise growth, market analytics, and expanding a brand's footprint on a global scale, we want to hear from you. Position Summary: The Director of Real Estate will own the franchise real estate pipeline from franchise agreement execution through lease execution, ensuring the company consistently delivers high-quality sites that support aggressive development objectives. This leader will drive deal velocity, oversee market planning and site selection strategies, manage critical development timelines, and build strong partnerships with franchisees, area developers, brokers, landlords, and internal stakeholders. The role combines strategic leadership, commercial real estate expertise, market intelligence, and operational execution to help scale a growing franchise platform throughout North America and beyond. Key Responsibilities: Own and manage all real estate activities through lease execution. Lead real estate pipeline reporting, forecasting, dashboards, and executive review processes. Develop systems and processes that improve development efficiency and support rapid franchise growth. Monitor key development milestones and continuously improve speed to opening. Partner with franchisees and area developers to guide site identification, LOI negotiations, and lease execution. Drive accountability for development schedules and milestone achievement. Support territory validation, market research, and development planning efforts. Assist franchise development teams with market analyses that support franchise sales efforts. Site Selection & Market Analytics: Build and maintain market development plans using demographic, behavioral, competitive, and trade area analytics. Utilize geospatial and location intelligence platforms, including Placer, Buxton, VisionMap, VisionTrack, Plotr, or similar tools. Analyze competitor locations, consumer trends, and market opportunities to strengthen site selection decisions. Evaluate portfolio opportunities with landlords and multi-property ownership groups. Broker & Landlord Relationship Management: Establish and cultivate a best-in‑class broker network across domestic and international markets. Identify emerging growth markets and attractive development opportunities. Build strategic relationships with landlords, developers, and real estate partners that support long‑term expansion objectives. Lead and develop the Real Estate Coordinator. Provide coaching, performance management, professional development, and ongoing mentorship. Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement. What We're Looking For: Required Qualifications: 10+ years of commercial real estate lease negotiation experience within a franchise, retail, restaurant, fitness, or multi‑unit development environment. Minimum 3 years of people leadership experience. Demonstrated franchise development experience supporting rapid unit growth. Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, Business, Real Estate, Engineering, Statistics, Geography, Analytics, Mathematics, or a related field. Advanced proficiency in Excel and Google Sheets, including financial modeling and reporting. Strong analytical, financial, and market planning capabilities. Experience leveraging demographic and location intelligence platforms such as Buxton, Placer, VisionMap, VisionTrack, Plotr, or similar solutions. Experience with project management platforms such as ClickUp or comparable tools. Preferred Qualifications: Experience supporting international expansion efforts outside North America. Experience creating market entry strategies for new countries and regions. Background supporting high‑growth and emerging franchise concepts. Strong understanding of retail, fitness, consumer services, or experiential brands. Who You Are: A growth‑minded leader who thrives in fast-paced environments. A builder who enjoys creating scalable systems and processes. Comfortable balancing strategy with execution. Highly analytical and data-driven. Skilled at influencing stakeholders across multiple functions. Passionate about helping franchisees succeed. Motivated by ambitious growth targets and measurable results. Excited by the challenge of expanding a brand's presence both domestically and internationally. Quarterly performance incentives Annual company bonus opportunity Hybrid work environment High visibility with executive leadership Opportunity to shape the growth trajectory of a rapidly expanding franchise organization Why This Opportunity? This is an opportunity to make a lasting impact on a growing franchise brand with significant runway ahead. The Director of Real Estate will play a central role in driving market expansion, supporting franchise success, and helping the organization scale its footprint globally. #J-18808-Ljbffr Texas HR Team