Regional Real Estate Dir

Five Guys•Alexandria, VA

8d•$165,000 - $180,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Regional Real Estate Director leads franchise real estate activity within an assigned territory to support Five Guys' domestic development strategy. The role partners with franchisees to build and advance a sustainable pipeline of high-quality restaurant sites, evaluates proposed locations, and guides site approvals in alignment with brand standards, market strategy, development commitments, and long term performance objectives.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Real Estate, Business, Finance, or a related field preferred; an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience may be considered.
At least eight to ten years of commercial real estate experience, preferably in restaurant, retail, or multi-unit development.
Demonstrated experience evaluating restaurant or retail sites, reviewing letters of intent and lease business terms, and presenting transactions for approval.
Working knowledge of restaurant or retail development, site due diligence, permitting, construction coordination, and lease administration.
Excellent written, verbal, presentation, interpersonal, and relationship-management skills are required, including the ability to provide timely and practical guidance, present site recommendations, and communicate clearly with franchisees, brokers, landlords, developers, internal teams, and other market participants.
Strong financial acumen and quantitative reasoning, including the ability to review lease economics, sales forecasts, demographic reports, financial models, and other real estate analyses used to evaluate potential restaurant sites.
Strong problem-solving, influencing, business judgment, organization, and follow through, with the ability to interpret leases, site plans, demographic reports, financial models, and other complex real estate documents.
Ability to work independently, collaborate effectively across functions and with external partners, manage multiple priorities across markets, and support annual development goals.
Proficiency with Microsoft 365 and contemporary real estate, mapping, demographic, and project-tracking platforms is required.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute territory-level real estate strategies that support franchise growth plans, market priorities, relocations, renewals, and other portfolio needs.
Partner with franchisees to establish market plans, prioritize trade areas, develop site pipelines, and maintain momentum toward required openings.
Monitor franchisee development pipelines, milestone progress, and market coverage; identify delays or gaps and escalate risks with recommended actions.
Provide timely, practical guidance to franchisees and their brokers on site criteria, trade-area strategy, submission requirements, and potential issues that could affect approval or development.
Review and evaluate franchise-proposed restaurant sites using field review, demographic and competitive analysis, sales forecasting, financial considerations, site plans, access and visibility, and other relevant decision tools.
Review key deal terms for alignment with operational and development needs, including lease economics, term, exclusivity, co-tenancy, signage, access, parking, delivery conditions, and construction-related provisions; identify material risks for the franchisee and internal stakeholders.
Coordinate closely with Franchise Development, Market Planning, Construction, Design, Operations, and other internal teams throughout the franchise site review and development process.
Prepare clear, decision-ready site packages and present proposed franchise locations for internal approval.
Recommend approval, revision, or rejection of franchise site submissions based on brand criteria, market strategy, supporting analysis, and long-term performance potential.
Manage multiple franchise transactions and priorities simultaneously while supporting annual development goals and maintaining sound business judgment.
Maintain accurate and timely records in the company's real estate pipeline and project-tracking systems; provide routine forecasts, approval updates, and territory-level reporting.
Build productive relationships with franchisees, brokers, landlords, developers, and other market participants to support franchise development objectives.
Perform other related duties and special projects as assigned.