Retail Leasing Manager - Underground Atlanta

Lalani Ventures is seeking a highly motivated, creative, and relationship-driven retail leasing professional to lead leasing efforts at Underground Atlanta. This is not a traditional retail leasing assignment. Underground Atlanta is an iconic property in the heart of a rapidly re-emerging downtown, with an opportunity to become one of the city’s most distinctive destinations for food, culture, entertainment, art, and community. We are looking for someone who understands that successful leasing is about more than filling available space—it is about thoughtfully curating the right mix of operators, experiences, and programming to create a place people want to visit repeatedly. The ideal candidate will be energized by the opportunity to discover and recruit emerging concepts, independent operators, experiential businesses, creative retailers, food and beverage destinations, artists, and cultural organizations. This person will play a central role in continuing to bring energy, activity, and community to Underground Atlanta. Position Overview The Retail Leasing Manager will lead tenant identification, relationship development, prospecting, tours, negotiations, and lease execution for Underground Atlanta. The position will work closely with Lalani Ventures’ development, property management, construction, marketing, and activation teams to ensure that leasing decisions support the broader placemaking vision for the property. The role requires a combination of strategic thinking, creative prospecting, strong interpersonal skills, market knowledge, and disciplined transaction execution. The successful candidate will be equally comfortable developing relationships with nationally recognized operators, discovering promising independent concepts, negotiating detailed lease terms, and collaborating with internal teams to prepare spaces for successful tenant openings. Key Responsibilities Placemaking and Leasing Strategy Develop a thorough understanding of the mission, vision, positioning, and placemaking objectives for Underground Atlanta. Translate the property’s broader vision into a focused and actionable retail leasing strategy. Understand the demographic and psychographic audience segments that Underground seeks to attract as a destination for all of Atlanta, including the types of tenants, experiences, events, and amenities that motivate those audiences to visit. Help develop and continuously refine target tenant profiles, merchandising plans, prospect lists, and leasing priorities. Evaluate prospective tenants based not only on financial qualifications, but also on concept quality, operational experience, cultural relevance, audience appeal, and alignment with the vision for Underground. Tenant Identification and Relationship Development Identify and recruit prospective food and beverage operators, creative and offbeat retailers, experiential concepts, entertainment venues, and other destination-oriented tenants. Build and maintain relationships with creative, innovative, and successful operators throughout Atlanta and across the United States whose concepts may be a fit for Underground. Develop a strong network of restaurateurs, retailers, entrepreneurs, artists, producers, brokers, consultants, and industry professionals who can generate qualified leasing opportunities. Proactively source emerging concepts and independent operators that may not be represented through traditional brokerage channels. Maintain an organized and current leasing pipeline, including prospect status, contact history, space requirements, financial qualifications, next steps, and probability of execution. Leasing and Transaction Management Lead the leasing process from initial prospect identification through lease execution. Prepare proposals and negotiate letters of intent and business terms on behalf of the landlord. Coordinate with ownership, legal counsel, development, property management, and other internal stakeholders throughout lease negotiations. Maintain momentum and accountability throughout the transaction process, ensuring that prospects, internal team members, attorneys, and consultants are aligned on outstanding issues and next steps. Provide regular leasing reports, pipeline updates, market feedback, and recommendations to senior leadership. Tenant Improvements and Space Planning Work closely with the property management, development, construction, and design teams to evaluate tenant space requirements. Assist in developing work letters, landlord-delivered improvement scopes, tenant improvement packages, and related lease exhibits. Help assess the feasibility, cost, schedule, and operational implications of prospective tenant buildouts. Coordinate with internal teams to ensure that negotiated landlord obligations are clearly defined and appropriately reflected in lease documentation. Leasing Tours and Property Presentation Lead all leasing tours and prospect visits at Underground Atlanta. Coordinate closely with the onsite property management team to ensure that the property, common areas, access routes, and available spaces are clean, safe, accessible, well-lit, and appropriately presented before each tour. Develop compelling tour narratives that communicate the history, vision, future plans, available opportunities, and unique positioning of Underground Atlanta. Gather feedback following tours and use prospect responses to improve space presentation, leasing materials, and merchandising strategy. Artist’s Row and Creative Uses Work with the Underground Atlanta team to establish and grow a new Artist’s Row community within the property. Identify artists, arts organizations, galleries, performers, makers, cultural groups, and creative entrepreneurs capable of developing engaging studios, exhibition spaces, galleries, performance venues, and participatory arts experiences. Develop relationships with Atlanta’s arts and cultural communities, as well as regional and national organizations that may contribute to the initiative. Help structure occupancy arrangements that balance accessibility for creative operators with the operational and financial objectives of the property. Collaborate with marketing, events, and property management teams to integrate Artist’s Row tenants into the broader programming and identity of Underground Atlanta. Qualifications Demonstrated experience in retail leasing, commercial real estate, tenant representation, landlord representation, retail development, hospitality, restaurant development, or a related field. Strong understanding of retail and food and beverage leasing fundamentals, including letters of intent, lease economics, tenant improvement allowances, work letters, delivery conditions, percentage rent, operating expenses, and lease documentation. Proven ability to identify prospects, initiate relationships, develop trust, and convert opportunities into executed transactions. Strong negotiation, communication, presentation, and organizational skills. Ability to understand and communicate a broader placemaking vision rather than approaching leasing solely as a space-filling exercise. Genuine interest in restaurants, hospitality, independent retail, entertainment, art, culture, experiential concepts, and emerging consumer trends. Ability to evaluate both established operators and entrepreneurial concepts that may require creative deal structures or additional guidance through the leasing process. Comfortable working in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment with multiple stakeholders and evolving priorities. Knowledge of Atlanta’s retail, restaurant, arts, cultural, and entertainment communities is strongly preferred. Ideal Candidate Profile The ideal candidate is a connector, curator, dealmaker, and enthusiastic advocate for the future of Underground Atlanta. This individual sees potential where others may see complexity and is excited by the opportunity to help build a new destination from the ground up. The successful candidate will combine the discipline required to negotiate and close leases with the creativity needed to discover unconventional operators and assemble a tenant mix that feels authentic, surprising, inclusive, and uniquely Atlanta. Compensation and Benefits Compensation will be commensurate with experience and will include: Performance-based leasing incentives Opportunity to play a meaningful role in the revitalization of one of Atlanta’s most recognizable and historically significant properties About Lalani Ventures Lalani Ventures is leading the effort to revitalize Underground Atlanta as a dynamic destination for dining, retail, entertainment, art, culture, and community. The company is seeking team members who are entrepreneurial, collaborative, creative, and motivated by the opportunity to contribute to the continued resurgence of downtown Atlanta. This position offers the opportunity to help shape the future of an iconic property and create a place that reflects the energy, diversity, creativity, and cultural identity of Atlanta. #J-18808-Ljbffr Lalani Ventures