Director of Real Estate Development

Tierra Encantada HQ • Minneapolis, MN

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

Tierra Encantada is the fastest-growing Spanish immersion early education® company in the U.S., providing high-quality care and education to children ages 6 weeks to 6 years. Our model blends language immersion, strong operational standards, and a focus on whole-child development to deliver a differentiated experience for families and educators alike. Backed by a $30M investment from a premier minority investor, we are scaling nationally and on track to double in size every 18-24 months over the next five years. Our growth and performance have been recognized by the Financial Times (The Americas' Fastest Growing Companies), Inc. Magazine (10 Hottest Franchise Businesses in America), and Entrepreneur Magazine (Top 50 Franchise Companies Championing Diversity). We are building a company where operational excellence and accountability are non-negotiable. As we scale rapidly, ensuring consistent performance and strong leadership across centers is critical, making this role a key driver of our continued success. This is an opportunity for a leader who thrives on solving problems, driving measurable results, and building high-performing teams in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
At Tierra Encantada, our values fuel everything we do. We are passionate about nurturing children's growth and creating intentional learning environments that inspire curiosity and development. We celebrate the richness of diversity, embracing the unique perspectives it brings to our community. Guided by optimism, we are driven by a shared vision for a brighter future for every child, family, and team member we serve. Join us and be part of a mission-driven team that is committed to making a lasting impact-one child, one family, and one community at a time.

The Director of Real Estate Development will own the full front-end development process-from market strategy and site selection through lease execution, entitlements, permitting, and preconstruction coordination. This individual will serve as the primary real estate partner to franchisees and internal stakeholders, ensuring projects move efficiently from market approval to opening. This is a highly autonomous role ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, high-growth environment and can build structure, drive accountability, and make informed decisions with limited internal real estate infrastructure.

Requirements

• 7+ years of experience in commercial real estate, land development, retail/QSR/childcare development, or multi-site growth environments.
• Proven experience leading site selection, LOI and lease negotiation, due diligence, entitlements, and preconstruction processes.
• Strong understanding of commercial lease structures and ability to review, redline, and negotiate real estate agreements with a clear understanding of legal and business risk.
• Experience working with or managing external legal counsel on real estate transactions.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects across different markets and municipalities.
• Experience supporting franchisees or multi-unit operators strongly preferred.
• Strong financial and analytical skills, including evaluating deal economics and site feasibility.
• Experience using development tracking and site selection tools (e.g., SmartSheet, SiteZeus, FranConnect, or similar).
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to operate independently with a high level of ownership.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills across internal teams, franchisees, brokers, landlords, and municipalities.
• Hands-on, roll-up-your-sleeves style with a focus on accountability, speed, and results.
• Ability to travel as needed (approximately 1–3 days per month or as required by projects).

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor's degree in Real Estate, Business, Construction Management, Urban Planning, Architecture, or related field.
• Experience building or improving real estate development processes in a high-growth organization.
• Familiarity with childcare, education, retail, or franchise development environments.

Responsibilities

• Own and drive the identification, sourcing, and evaluation of potential sites for corporate locations.
• Build and manage broker relationships and external real estate networks to generate high-quality site opportunities.
• Define and refine site selection criteria, trade areas, and market priorities aligned with company growth goals.
• Conduct site feasibility analysis, including demographics, competition, access, zoning, and overall viability.
• Present site recommendations and key risks to leadership and/or the Real Estate Committee.
• Support franchisees in site selection by advising on trade areas, location quality, project risk, and speed to opening.
• Lead negotiation of LOIs, leases, renewals, relocations, and other real estate agreements.
• Structure deals to balance speed, flexibility, risk, and financial performance.
• Negotiate key business terms including rent, abatements, TI allowances, contingencies, delivery conditions, and use protections.
• Serve as the primary internal reviewer of leases and real estate agreements, identifying risks and ensuring alignment with company standards.
• Manage and coordinate external legal counsel as needed.
• Advise franchisees on LOIs, lease terms, landlord negotiations, and risk considerations to improve deal quality and reduce avoidable delays.
• Escalate stalled negotiations quickly and drive issues to resolution.
• Own the development process from site control through permit release.
• Develop and execute entitlement and permitting strategies, including zoning analysis, variances, and municipal approvals.
• Coordinate architects, engineers, consultants, and other third-party partners during due diligence and preconstruction.
• Represent Tierra Encantada in meetings with municipalities, landlords, developers, consultants, and other external stakeholders as needed.
• Build and manage project schedules with clear milestones, owners, dependencies, and escalation paths.
• Proactively identify risks and remove roadblocks to accelerate timelines.
• Partner cross-functionally to ensure alignment on scope, budget, schedule, and open readiness.
• Support handoff into construction once permit release is achieved, while maintaining continuity on unresolved municipal or landlord obligations.
• Serve as the primary real estate advisor to franchisees, guiding them through site selection, deal negotiation, zoning, and development processes.
• Coach franchisees to improve speed, decision-making, and overall deal quality.
• Balance brand standards, speed to opening, and franchisee economics in all real estate decisions.
• Improve visibility into franchise development status, risks, and next steps across the pipeline.
• Own and manage the real estate development pipeline from site identification through permit release, with accurate, current status reporting for leadership.
• Build and maintain development trackers, dashboards, and reporting systems
• Establish a weekly execution cadence with clear milestones, owners, and accountability.
• Provide visibility into pipeline health, risks, timelines, and progress to leadership.
• Drive process improvements to reduce delays and improve development outcomes.
• Utilize and optimize tools such as Smartsheet, SiteZeus, FranConnect, or similar platforms to manage site selection and development tracking.
• Build scalable systems, templates, and SOPs to improve speed, consistency, and visibility across the development function.

Benefits

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• 12 paid holidays
• PTO accrual of 160 hours
• 401(k) with 3% employer match
• Discounted childcare and waitlist priority for enrollment
• Company paid professional development
• Corporate office amenities (gym, wellness/nursing room, onsite company cafe with coffee, espresso bar, beverages, and snacks available to employees at no cost, onsite free parking), casual work environment, and employee-focused events.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees