Lease Administration Manager: U.S. Retail Portfolio (Remote)

United Smart Tech

2d•Remote

About The Position

The Lease Administration Manager owns lease administration for a multi-brand restaurant franchisee’s U.S. retail portfolio of more than 180 locations, with about 25 new leases added each year. The role covers the lease lifecycle from execution through rent payments, audits, and renewals. It begins as an individual-contributor position with direct access to senior asset management leadership, with a planned Associate hire whom the Manager will help define, train, and supervise. The role focuses on accurate administration and deadlines rather than negotiating real estate deals. The Manager abstracts leases and amendments into the lease database; manages critical dates; reviews landlord billing before payment; and coordinates CAM and tax recovery efforts with an outside audit firm. The position also handles insurance certificates and compliance records, rent setup and tenant-improvement allowance packages for new stores, landlord and property-manager relations, recurring portfolio reporting, and standard operating procedures. The first 30 days focus on learning the portfolio and systems, taking over certificate-of-insurance issuance, and shadowing the monthly rent run. During days 31–60, the Manager takes ownership of monthly rent validation, clears the abstraction backlog, and establishes a critical-date report. During days 61–90, the Manager takes over the audit-firm relationship, runs a reconciliation cycle, and proposes the scope for the Associate role. The position requires availability for Central Time overlap, reliable high-speed internet, and a quiet workspace.

Requirements

At least 4 years of experience in U.S. retail or commercial lease administration, lease accounting, or property accounting.
Ability to read U.S. shopping-center leases and accurately abstract CAM caps, exclusions, tax and insurance pass-throughs, options, and notice provisions.
Ability to review landlord year-end reconciliations against lease terms, identify improper charges, and hold a position with landlords or an audit firm.
Experience managing certificates of insurance against lease-specific requirements.
Advanced Excel skills.
Strong written and spoken English for direct correspondence with U.S. landlords and property managers.
Exceptional accuracy and comfort owning a deadline calendar.
Reliable high-speed internet, a quiet workspace, and availability for Central Time overlap.

Nice To Haves

Experience with multi-site, restaurant, or franchise portfolios.
A degree in Accounting, Finance, Real Estate, Business, or Law.
Experience with a lease administration platform such as Yardi, MRI, Visual Lease, or Lucernex, or a similar platform.
Experience with e-signature tools, project-tracking tools, and an ERP/AP system.
Experience with new openings and tenant-improvement collection.
Experience working with a U.S. team from offshore.

Responsibilities

Abstract new leases and amendments into the lease database, including rent and escalations, CAM/tax/insurance terms and caps, options, notice windows, exclusives, and co-tenancy provisions.
Maintain the calendar of options, renewals, kick-outs, tenant-improvement deadlines, insurance renewals, and estoppels.
Review base rent, CAM, taxes, insurance, and percentage rent against lease terms before payment; prepare the monthly payment file for Accounting and resolve billing exceptions with landlords.
Work with the outside audit firm to review CAM and tax findings against lease language, select claims to pursue, negotiate with landlords, and track approved claims through to credits or refunds.
Screen year-end reconciliations and identify potential tax-protest candidates.
Issue certificates of insurance according to each lease’s requirements and keep W-9s and landlord records current, verifying controls for banking changes.
Set up rent at commencement for new stores, submit tenant-improvement allowance draw packages, and enforce landlord obligations.
Serve as the day-to-day contact for property managers.
Maintain the lease database as the team’s source of truth and produce recurring critical-date, rent-roll, occupancy-cost, audit-savings, and insurance-compliance reports.
Write standard operating procedures.
Help define, train, and supervise a planned Associate role.
Learn the portfolio and systems, take over certificate-of-insurance issuance, and shadow the monthly rent run during the first 30 days.
Own monthly rent validation, clear the abstraction backlog, and establish a clean critical-date report during days 31–60.
Take over the audit-firm relationship, run a full reconciliation cycle, and propose the Associate role’s scope during days 61–90.