Real Estate Manager

The Company

Our client is a prestigious international retail player with a strong presence across Europe, operating both online and through over 1,800 physical stores. With an annual turnover of 4.1 billion and a team of approximately 18,000 employees, the company stands out for its extensive product range, combining exclusive premium brands with its own proprietary label. The company is a European leader in exclusive brands and maintains a strategic focus on premium positioning with quality offerings at fair prices.

The Role

The Real Estate Manager is responsible for the strategic and operational management of the companys property portfolio, aiming to optimize costs, maximize asset value, and support business growth through new store openings, lease renewals, relocations, and portfolio rationalization.

Key Responsibilities

• Portfolio Management: Oversee lease agreements, renewals, expirations, terminations, and negotiations with landlords.
• Development and New Openings: Identify new retail opportunities aligned with the companys expansion strategy; perform market and location analyses, assessing visibility, accessibility, and commercial potential.
• Contract Negotiation: Lead financial and legal negotiations for leases, subleases, and closures to secure the most advantageous terms for the company.
• Budgeting and Reporting: Prepare and monitor the annual real estate budget, ensuring alignment with company targets and profitability goals.
• Cross-Functional Coordination: Work closely with Construction, Finance, Legal, Retail, and Operations teams to plan and deliver openings, refurbishments, or closures efficiently.
• Optimization and Analysis: Propose portfolio optimization initiatives (e.g. space reduction, relocations, renegotiations, or exit strategies).
• External Relations: Build and maintain strong relationships with landlords, real estate agencies, developers, shopping center management, and public authorities.
• Compliance and Sustainability: Ensure full legal compliance for all real estate activities and integrate ESG principles into property management and development decisions.

Qualifications & Experience

• University degree in Economics, Business Administration, Engineering, Architecture, or a related field.
• Minimum 7/9 years of experience in a similar position within retail, real estate, hospitality, or large-scale distribution. Candidates with experience in Portugal market too will be preferred.
• Strong knowledge of the local real estate market and retail location strategies.
• Proven experience in negotiation, financial analysis, and contract management.
• Fluent in Spanish and English; knowledge of an additional European language is an advantage.
• Advanced computer literacy (Excel, Power BI, GIS or asset management tools).

Soft Skills

• Strong business acumen and cost-awareness.
• Excellent negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
• Strategic thinking combined with analytical rigor.
• Strong interpersonal and communication abilities.
• Flexibility, adaptability, and proactive problem-solving.
• Awareness of sustainability and energy efficiency in property decisions.

Key Performance Indicators

• Reduction in average lease cost.
• Improvement in portfolio profitability.
• On-time, on-budget delivery of store openings and closures.
• Quality and brand consistency of new locations.

Place of work: Madrid