Leasing Manager

HOUCHENS FOOD GROUP INC • Bowling Green, KY

7d

About The Position

The Leasing Manager supports Houchens Food Group growth by negotiating leases for new store locations, coordinating lease renewals, managing broker relationships, and supporting acquisitions, purchases, and development opportunities. This position helps move real estate opportunities from site identification through letter of intent, legal documentation, due diligence, and execution while partnering with operations, finance, construction, legal counsel, landlords, developers, sellers, and brokerage firms. Any other team related tasks as assigned by supervisor.

Requirements

• Ability to accept responsibility and account for actions, timelines, communications, and transaction follow-through.
• Ability to advocate for favorable business terms while maintaining professional relationships.
• Ability to evaluate real estate opportunities, lease economics, risk, and long-term operational impact.
• Ability to communicate clearly and professionally with leadership, brokers, landlords, developers, legal counsel, and internal teams.
• Ability to review lease terms, letters of intent, due diligence materials, deadlines, and transaction documentation thoroughly.
• Ability to build effective working relationships with brokers, landlords, sellers, developers, municipalities, attorneys, and internal stakeholders.
• Ability to identify real estate issues and work collaboratively toward practical solutions.
• Ability to manage multiple transactions, active deadlines, approvals, and follow-up items at the same time.
• Ability to handle confidential transaction information and represent the company in a professional manner.
• Ability to coordinate effectively with operations, finance, construction, facilities, legal counsel, and leadership.
• Ability to read and interpret leases, lease amendments, letters of intent, site plans, surveys, title materials, due diligence documents, and purchase-related documents.
• Working knowledge of lease economics, occupancy costs, rent structures, renewal options, use clauses, exclusives, assignment rights, maintenance obligations, landlord delivery requirements, and tenant improvement allowances.
• Ability to engage with legal counsel and coordinate document review from business-term approval through execution.
• Ability to use MS Outlook, MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, and real estate or deal tracking tools.
• Ability to travel for site reviews, market tours, broker meetings, due diligence, and development meetings as needed.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor's degree in real estate, business, finance, construction management, law, or related field preferred; equivalent professional experience may be considered.
• Experience in commercial real estate, retail leasing, brokerage, store development, acquisitions, property management, or related field preferred.
• Grocery, convenience store, restaurant, retail, or multi-unit real estate development experience preferred.
• Exposure to acquisitions, purchase agreements, sale-leaseback transactions, or portfolio transactions preferred.

Responsibilities

• Negotiate leases for new store locations including rent, term, options, exclusives, uses rights, delivery obligations, tenant improvement allowances, assignment rights, maintenance obligations, and landlord work.
• Evaluate site opportunities with attention to visibility, access, traffic, competition, demographics, operational fit, development constraints, and store economics
• Prepare deal summaries and present key terms, risks, timelines, and recommendations to leadership.
• Draft, review, and negotiate letters of intent for new leases, lease renewals, acquisitions, and purchase opportunities.
• Coordinate with legal counsel to translate approved business terms into leases, amendments, purchase agreements, and related documents.
• Review legal comments and document revisions to confirm business objectives and negotiated terms are accurately reflected.
• Negotiate lease renewals, extensions, amendments, relocations, expansions, terminations, and other lease-related matters as assigned.
• Track and communicate critical dates, option deadlines, notice periods, rent commencement dates, landlord delivery obligations, and renewal requirements.
• Work with operations and leadership to evaluate performance, occupancy costs, market rent, and long-term store needs when considering renewals.
• Support real estate portions of acquisitions, store purchases, property purchases, and portfolio growth opportunities.
• Review or coordinate lease abstracts, due diligence materials, surveys, title matters, zoning information, environmental reports, estoppels, and other transaction documents.
• Identify and communicate real estate risks, deal requirements, deadlines, and opportunities to internal stakeholders.
• Manage relationships with brokerage firms, developers, landlords, property owners, sellers, and other real estate partners.
• Communicate site criteria, market priorities, transaction expectations, and deal requirements to external partners.
• Review broker-submitted opportunities and provide timely, clear feedback on fit, next steps, and open questions.
• Coordinate with construction, design, facilities, operations, finance, and other teams to understand project timing, turnover conditions, utilities, permitting, site work, landlord work, and tenant build-out requirements.
• Maintain working knowledge of construction and new store development practices that affect deal structure, lease obligations, purchase timing, and store opening schedules.
• Support internal approvals, project tracking, market tours, site visits, and other real estate development activities.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level