Director, Real Estate

Director, Real Estate

WillScot is seeking a Director of Real Estate who will provide strategic leadership and operational oversight of the organization's portfolio of owned and leased properties within the assigned territory. This role is responsible to assist in developing and leading the company's multi-year real estate strategy and execution across new development, renewals, relocations, and portfolio optimization in alignment with corporate financial and operational objectives including site selection and portfolio management, lease negotiations, renewals, property valuations, P&L optimizations, property assessments, and other real estate related issues.

This position requires an analytical, strategic and proactive candidate who can balance long-term real estate planning with practical, cost-effective solutions.

Project Support Partnering with cross-functional teams to forecast space needs based on business projections and market opportunities.

Develop and execute comprehensive corporate real estate strategies aligned with operational requirements and financial objectives.

Source opportunities, analyze existing and potential new locations, determine market requirements, build business models with financial sensitivities, provide feasibility options and business justifications, identify risks, and recommend the best options that align with the overall organizational strategy.

Proactively manage the real estate portfolio by tracking and reporting on upcoming lease events, critical project milestone dates, and other initiatives that require real estate involvement to deliver.

Continuously evaluate market conditions, operational performance, and portfolio trends to revise strategy and provide data-driven recommendations to senior leadership.

Oversee all real estate transactions within assigned territory including lease negotiations, acquisitions, renewals, dispositions and M&A due diligence.

Serve as a senior escalation point for deal, landlord, operations and execution challenges, providing guidance and decision-making support to the team.

Negotiate favorable lease agreements, amendments, purchase contracts, and other real estate documentation.

Ensure compliance with zoning laws, regulatory requirements, and environmental considerations.

Lead the entire real estate life cycle of the portfolio including site identification, layout design, entitlements, capital expense budgeting, lease execution, landlord delivery, tenant improvements, lease administration and surrendering the premises at end of term.

Demonstrate strong financial aptitude in evaluating real estate opportunities and portfolio decisions including partnering with finance team to evaluate ROIs, New Facility Justifications, and Lease vs. Own analyses.

Ensure real estate strategies and projects are fully integrated and compliant with zoning laws, regulatory requirements, environmental considerations and enterprise objectives.

Support field leadership with market insights, portfolio updates, and strategic recommendations.

Establish clear goals, performance metrics, and development plans for direct reports and extended team members ensuring a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Required Education and Experience Bachelor's degree in relevant area of study (business, real estate, finance, economics); MBA preferred 10+ years of experience in real estate transactions (corporate real estate experience preferred) with a solid understanding of design, development and construction processes for tenant build-out.

Strong track record of successful real estate transactions including site selection, lease and purchase/sale negotiations, property administration, and property management.

Extensive expertise in negotiations, reviewing legal contracts, financial modeling, project management, lease optimization, issue resolution, planning, and reporting

Strong computer skills with experience managing large amounts of data, analyzing complex datasets and working with data in GIS systems.

Exceptional problem-solving skills with the ability to synthesize complex problems and information, then summarize recommendations to senior leaders in a clear and digestible format.

Strong financial acumen, including budget management, financial analysis, P&L understanding, and ROI evaluation.

High attention to detail with strong analytical and organizational capabilities.

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; able to work across departments and with external stakeholders.

Ability to create presentations and communicate effectively with senior level executives required.

Prior experience managing a team and empowering associates to achieve goals and objectives.

Real estate project management experience, including managing multiple complex initiatives simultaneously.

Strategic and critical thinking with strong business judgment and decision-making capabilities.

Collaborative mindset and team-oriented approach to problem-solving.

Adaptable and effective in dynamic, fast-paced business environments.

Proficiency with Microsoft Office, specifically Excel, Word and PowerPoint.

Ability to travel up to 30% required.