VP, Strategy, Commercial Real Estate

Verano•Chicago, IL

22d

About The Position

The VP, Strategy, Commercial Real Estate is a senior leader assisting in driving Verano’s national growth strategy by identifying, evaluating, and negotiating commercial real estate opportunities across current and emerging markets. This role combines market intelligence, real estate expertise, and negotiation of commercial terms to inform strategic acquisition and expansion decisions for Verano’s cultivation, manufacturing, and retail operations nationwide. The VP, Strategy, Commercial Real Estate will bring deep experience sourcing, evaluating, and negotiating real estate opportunities within a highly-regulated industry and a proven ability to advance transactions at a national level. The ideal candidate demonstrates strong commercial market judgment, negotiation capability, and the ability to deliver clear, data-driven recommendations to senior leadership while managing multiple complex initiatives in a fast-paced environment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required, with preference for Real Estate, Finance, Business, Economics, Urban Planning, or a related field.
Advanced credentials preferred, including:
MBA or other graduate-level real estate or business degree;
Professional designations such as CCIM, SIOR, or RICS; and/or
Active real estate broker license(s) in priority markets.
7-12+ years of progressive commercial real estate experience, with demonstrated responsibility for opportunity sourcing, evaluation, negotiation, and transactional execution at a national level.

Nice To Haves

Proven ability to assess and negotiate commercial real estate opportunities, incorporating market dynamics, financial considerations, and regulatory risks into clear strategic recommendations to senior leadership.
Strong negotiation skills and experience structuring commercial business terms that balance growth objectives with operational and regulatory requirements.
Exceptional executive communication and presentation skills, with a track record of delivering clear, actionable strategic recommendations to senior leadership.
Strong working knowledge of zoning, land-use, and entitlement processes, particularly within highly-regulated industries.
Proficiency in analytical and evaluation tools commonly used in commercial real estate (e.g., Excel-based modeling, GIS/mapping tools, demographic and traffic analytics).
Highly organized, self-directed, and capable of managing multiple initiatives concurrently under compressed timelines in multiple markets.

Responsibilities

Lead Verano’s national commercial real estate strategy by identifying priority markets and advancing purchase and lease opportunities aligned with corporate growth objectives.
Build and actively manage a national pipeline of commercial real estate opportunities, assessing strategic fit, commercial viability, and regulatory feasibility across current and emerging markets.
Evaluate markets and individual properties for potential operations, using demographic, mobility, competitive, and financial data in developing concise, executive-ready recommendations for senior leadership.
Source purchase and leasing opportunities through direct engagement with brokers, developers, and property owners in generating both marketed and off-market deal flow.
Lead preliminary negotiation of key business terms and letters of intent, then working with regulatory compliance and in-house attorneys on structuring, negotiating, and finalizing definitive agreements.
Conduct early zoning, land-use, and entitlement assessments, proactively identifying risks and coordinating solution strategies with internal and external compliance and legal partners.
Assess property suitability for cultivation, manufacturing, and retail uses in collaboration with the Construction and Operations departments, evaluating functional fit, infrastructure, access, utilities, and expansion potential.
Serve as the primary liaison across internal stakeholders (Strategy, Legal, Finance, Compliance, Construction, Operations, Marketing, and IT) in advancing real estate strategic growth opportunities from initial evaluation through site control and operationalization.
Provide regular pipeline updates and strategic recommendations to senior leadership, while continuously refining processes to improve decision making quality, speed to execution, and consistency across markets.
Regular travel required throughout the United States, including market visits, broker engagement, and onsite diligence (approximately 50-60%).