Real Estate & New Store Development, Director - NAM

Salomon•New York, NY

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director, Real Estate & New Store development plays a critical role in defining where and how the brand shows up physically. By targeting epicenter markets and ensuring disciplined execution, this leader enables profitable, visible, and scalable retail growth while delivering compelling, on-brand store experiences. This senior leader is responsible for shaping and executing the company’s retail expansion strategy, with a focused mandate to identify and pursue new locations in strategic epicenter markets that drive brand visibility, growth, and long-term performance. This role supports the internal real estate and new store development LTSP, serving as the strategic partner to VP Retail, and external real estate brokers while leading cross-functional execution from site strategy through store opening.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in retail real estate, store development, project planning, or related fields
Proven leadership driving multi-store expansion strategies in specialty or premium retail
Demonstrated success identifying and securing locations in high-impact, brand-driving markets
Extensive experience partnering with external real estate brokers and landlords
Strong understanding of lease structures, construction processes, and store-level economics
Strategic market vision with the ability to think holistically about portfolio growth
Strong executive presence with the ability to influence senior stakeholders
Financial acumen with experience evaluating investment risk and return
Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams without direct authority
Experience leading change in high-growth environment

Responsibilities

Own execution of the retail real estate strategy with emphasis on identifying and securing locations in strategic epicenter markets (high-impact cities, neighborhoods, and retail corridors that accelerate brand awareness and growth)
Identify, evaluate, and prioritize new market opportunities in partnership with external real estate brokers
Lead broker relationships, market planning, and site selection strategy across all store formats
Develop clear point-of-view on market entry, adjacency strategy, and portfolio sequencing
Evaluate site opportunities and business cases, balancing brand presence, financial returns, and market potential
Provide recommendations on LOIs, lease terms, and deal structures in partnership with Senior Leadership, Legal, and Finance
Support development of the Epicenter portion of the North America LTSP
Oversee the full lifecycle of new store development from lease execution through opening
Establish and manage NSO project plans governing timelines, budgets, and performance standards for all new store projects
Lead cross-functional alignment across Retail Operations, Construction, Design, IT, Merchandising, HR, and Marketing
Ensure operational readiness and consistent brand execution at store opening
Anticipate and resolve complex risks across multiple concurrent projects
Provide strategic oversight of construction and build-out execution
Own capital planning, forecasting, and approval processes for new store investments
Ensure adherence to tenant improvement agreements, landlord obligations, and delivery milestones
Drive cost control, value engineering, and schedule optimization
Ensure permits and city code requirements are met
Oversee final punch-list completion and resolution of outstanding deliverables
Partner with Finance to develop business cases for new store investments
Deliver new store openings on time and on budget
Support long-range planning and multi-year expansion roadmaps
Build, lead, and develop a high-performing real estate and new store development team
Establish scalable processes, playbooks, standards, and governance for store openings
Continuously improve processes to increase speed-to-open while reducing cost and complexity
Capture post-opening insights to refine epicenter market and site strategies