Job Title: Director, Real Estate, Construction, and Property Management
Location: Mississauga, ON
Job Type: Full-Time, Permanent
Industry: Quick Service Restaurant (QSR), Retail, Franchise
Company Overview:
Pizzaiolo Gourmet Pizza is a proudly Canadian brand with 70 locations across Ontario.
Rooted in tradition and committed to quality, we’re entering an exciting phase of growth
- and looking for a seasoned real estate and professional with experience in
construction, property management, and spearheading aggressive market expansion to
help lead our next phase of growth.
Job Summary:
The Director of Real Estate, Construction, and Property Management will oversee
site selection, lease negotiations, and development strategy for new store openings and
relocations, as well as managing the existing portfolio of properties for Pizzaiolo.
Responsibilities will include end-to-end project management on new store builds from
leading the site-specific design process through to constructing and opening turn-key
Pizzaiolo locations. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in QSR, retail,
or franchise real estate, project management and construction, and be ready to lead
development efforts at a strategic level.
The Director of Real Estate and Property Management will report directly to the CEO
and will work closely with the COO, Finance, Operations, Construction, Marketing and
other members of senior leadership to execute Pizzaiolo’s growth strategy.
Responsibilities:
- Maintain end-to-end development pipeline from initial market identification through site approval, lease execution, construction and restaurant opening.
- Accountability for not only for securing new locations but also for the quality of site recommendations.
- Develop and maintain a comprehensive, data-driven market expansion plan identifying priority markets, trade areas and development opportunities for new Pizzaiolo locations
- Maintain a rolling multi-year development pipeline that identifies target markets, potential sites, expected opening timelines and development priorities
- Establish annual new-store development targets approved by the CEO and maintain a sufficiently strong pipeline of qualified sites to support Pizzaiolo’s growth objectives.
- Report monthly on progress against new store targets, including sites under review, letters of intent, leases under negotiation, leases executed, stores under construction and expected opening dates.
- Identify and evaluate new locations using data-driven models that incorporate sources such as market research, demographics, and sales forecasting
- Leverage market information and site specifications to determine optimal store format and design to maximize site-by-site ROI
- Lead and coordinate lease negotiations, renewals, relocations and other material real-estate transactions with the objective of securing favourable economics, appropriate protections, flexibility and long-term value for Pizzaiolo and its franchise system.
- Maintain a centralized lease and real-estate database containing key dates, renewal options, notice periods, occupancy costs and other material lease obligations.
- Establish construction timelines for all new builds and oversee execution according to project plan; ensure projects remain on track and risks are proactively mitigated
- Work cross-functionally to identify and resolve issues that could delay openings and maintain clear accountability for development milestones and target opening dates. Manage external relationships with brokers, landlords, and developers
- Create and present site packages and proposals to senior leadership
- Track and report on real estate KPIs and performance metrics
- Conduct formal post-opening reviews of new restaurants at appropriate intervals following opening to compare actual performance against the original site- selection and financial assumptions.
Requirements:
- Minimum 10 years of real estate development experience in QSR, retail, or franchise sectors
- Experience with managing new build and/or renovation projects in the QSR or retail industry
- Proven ability to negotiate and secure high-performing retail sites
- Strong analytical, financial, and project management skills
- Excellent interpersonal and communication abilities
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Real Estate, or related field (MBA a plus)
Benefits:
- Competitive salary
- Health and dental benefits
- Opportunity to shape the future growth of an iconic Canadian brand
