Director of Real Estate

Leads the Company’s branch real estate and facilities function across more than 1,100 branch locations in sixteen (16) states and the Branch Service Center. Oversees the real estate and facilities functions, bringing site strategy, lease negotiation, build-out, maintenance, and branch closures together into a single, coordinated lifecycle. Owns the strategy and occupancy cost of the lease portfolio, and partners with Operations leadership, Legal, Finance, and Accounting to support branch growth, relocations, consolidations, and acquisitions while controlling cost and risk.
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Essential duties and responsibilities:

·        Set Strategy for the Branch Real Estate Portfolio

- Develop and execute a multi-year real estate strategy aligned with the Company’s growth, relocation, consolidation, and acquisition objectives.
- Own the lease portfolio pipeline, including expirations, renewals, relocations, and closures, so that decisions are made well ahead of critical dates.
- Partner with Operations leadership (Regional Vice Presidents and District Managers) and Analytics to use branch performance and market data in open, relocate, merge, and close decisions.
- Establish and maintain Company standards for site selection (co-tenancy, visibility, ingress/egress, exclusive use), branch layout, and branch appearance.

·        Oversee Lease Negotiation and Portfolio Management

- Oversee site selection, letters of intent, and lease negotiations for de novo, relocation, and renewal branches, and personally lead high-value or complex transactions.
- Set negotiation parameters and approval thresholds, and ensure all required corporate approvals are obtained before lease execution.
- Partner with the Legal department to define standard lease terms, acceptable risk positions, and template language.
- Direct early lease buyouts and the disposition of excess or vacated property to minimize remaining lease liability.
- Ensure accurate handoff of executed leases to lease administration and the integrity of lease data and critical dates, and partner with Accounting on lease accounting requirements (ASC 842).

·        Direct Facilities and Branch Build-Out

- Oversee signage, furniture, flooring, and build-out for new, relocated, remodeled, converted, and acquired branches, delivering projects on schedule, within budget, and to brand standards.
- Own vendor strategy, including selection, contracts, pricing, quarterly business reviews, and performance management.
- Ensure permits, code requirements, and landlord approvals are secured for all branch projects.
- Oversee branch repair and maintenance, enforcement of landlord maintenance obligations, the national document-shredding program, and Branch Service Center facilities and mailroom operations.
- Partner with Marketing and Operations on rebranding and branch modifications so the branch network presents a consistent look.

·        Manage Budget, Cost Control, and Reporting

- Develop and manage the occupancy, facilities, and capital budgets, and track actual spend against budget.
- Report portfolio metrics to senior leadership, including occupancy cost per branch, upcoming lease expirations, project status, vendor spend, and realized savings.
- Review and approve invoices and lease-related payments within delegated authority.
- Identify and pursue opportunities to reduce occupancy and facilities costs across the portfolio.

·        Lead and Develop the Team

- Lead, coach, and develop the real estate and facilities teams.
- Set goals for the function and define clear roles and handoffs among the real estate, facilities, and locations teams.
- Drive continuous improvement in processes, systems, and tools used across the function.

·        Lead and assist with ad hoc projects as needed.

Qualifications:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required:

- Proven ability to set strategy and lead managers in a multi-site, deadline-driven environment
- Strong commercial lease negotiation skills and command of lease economics
- Financial acumen, including budgeting, cost analysis, and evaluating real estate decisions against branch performance
- Experience managing third-party vendors, contracts, and large volumes of concurrent projects
- Ability to use data to drive decisions and communicate findings clearly to executive leadership
- Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence at all levels of the organization and with landlords, brokers, and vendors
- Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and accuracy
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office 365; experience with CoStar and lease administration systems preferred
- High degree of integrity and discretion in handling confidential information

Education and/or Experience:

- 8–10 years of experience in corporate real estate, leasing, or facilities management, preferably in a multi-site retail, branch, or financial services environment
- 3–5 years of experience leading managers or teams
- Real estate license or professional designation (e.g., CCIM, CPM, FMP) preferred
- Working knowledge of lease accounting requirements (ASC 842) preferred

Physical Demands:

- Must be able to constantly remain in a stationary position.
- The person in this position needs to occasionally move about inside the office to access file cabinets, office machinery, etc.
- Constantly operates a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, copy machine, and computer printer.
- Occasionally may require light lifting up to 25 pounds.

Work Environment:

- Office environment.
- Occasional travel to branch markets and properties required, including overnight stays.

This job description reflects management’s assignment of essential functions; and nothing in this herein restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

It is the policy of World Acceptance Corporation to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. The duties listed are the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made unless they create an undue hardship to the Company. Physical and environmental requirements are representative of those needed to successfully perform the job.