Director of Real Estate

Description

The Director Real Estate will be responsible for overseeing the execution of real estate projects to support the growth of Celebree School across franchise and corporate locations. This role focuses on managing the end-to-end process of real estate site development—from initial site evaluation through lease execution and project handoff to Construction. Acting as a key liaison between internal teams, franchisees, brokers, and external partners, the Director of Real Estate ensures that all real estate milestones are met on time and within Celebree guidelines.

This individual will coordinate activities with internal teams such as Construction, Design, Licensing, and Franchise Development, while keeping franchisees aligned and informed throughout the real estate process.

This position is on site at the Huffman Family Brands Office in White Marsh, Maryland

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the main point of contact for franchisees throughout the real estate process.
• Project manage the real estate journey: site selection, letter of intent negotiations, lease negotiation, and handoff to Construction.
• Maintain and manage detailed timelines, action plans, and deliverables to ensure timely execution of real estate deals.
• Work with brokers (master and local) to manage search areas and keep deal momentum on track.
• Coordinate due diligence efforts including demographics analysis, zoning, permitting, and feasibility.
• Hold all parties accountable to the Celebree Real Estate Journey and  bi-weekly calls with team to ensure project progress.
• Track and report progress on all active deals, providing regular updates to senior leadership and stakeholders.
• Prepare site pre-approval packages and present opportunities for internal approval.
• Ensure proper documentation and data entry into internal systems.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Construction, Architectural Design and Civil Engineering to ensure site readiness for build-out.
• Resolve roadblocks and troubleshoot issues to keep projects moving forward.
• Presenting sites for final approval and sign off with Sr. management.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree.
• 3–5 years of experience in commercial real estate, project management or site. development, preferably in franchising; retail, or multi-unit environments.
• Working knowledge of lease terms, LOIs, and real estate legal language.
• Experience in managing projects with detailed steps, resources and expected results.

Skills

• Strong project management skills with the ability to handle multiple projects in different stages simultaneously.
• Excellent communicator and collaborator with the ability to align multiple stakeholders.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, with strong follow-through.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Problem-solver who takes initiative and owns outcomes.
• Able to travel up to 25% for site visits, meetings, or conferences.

Salary : $80,000 - $100,000