Director of Real Estate

Director Of Real Estate

FLSA Status:  Exempt/Salary/Full-Time

Reports to:  Chief Development Officer (CDO)

Company & Benefits

As one of the largest independently owned operators of Planet Fitness clubs, Ohana Growth Partners’ core purpose is to inspire people to change their lives (and have fun doing it)!  We are an equal opportunity employer who celebrates diversity and equity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Some of our benefits include:

• Positive and professional environment where our brand promise is “Judgement Free Zone”
• Growth Opportunities: over 90% of our management team started as an entry level team member
• Competitive pay and paid time off
• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life & Disability Insurance
• 401K Retirement Fund (with match)
• Regular involvement in community outreach events
• Free employee Black Card Membership

Job Description Summary

The Director of Real Estate leads the full lifecycle of site selection, lease negotiation, and execution of real estate transactions for new Planet Fitness locations across Ohana Growth Partners’ territories, with a primary focus in the Washington market. This senior role is responsible for executing all new club real estate transactions in alignment with ADA timelines, corporate growth targets, and financial benchmarks. The Director will provide deep market knowledge and an urgency to identify, secure, and execute negotiations in competitive and high-growth areas.

Reporting directly to the Chief Development Officer, this role will coordinate closely with real estate, construction, legal, and operations teams.  Frequent cross-functional collaboration is required to ensure timely and successful club openings. 

Essential Job Functions

• Own all new lease negotiation and execution in assigned markets, with a primary focus on Washington;
• Manage the ADA schedule and ensure timely fulfillment of club opening obligations;
• Conduct strategic market planning, including trade area and competitor analysis using platforms like Tango, ESRI, Placer, or CoStar;
• Lead all site tours, broker engagements, and internal real estate approvals;
• Negotiate all LOIs and leases with landlords in collaboration with legal counsel;
• Ensure favorable lease terms aligned with financial modeling, expansion strategy, and risk tolerance;
• Track and report all negotiation activity, including LOI and lease execution timelines;
• Coordinate with Construction and Operations to ensure seamless project handoff;
• Conduct annual reviews of lease renewals and support lease-related amendments as needed;
• Stay current on retail trends, competitive activity, and jurisdictional changes impacting expansion;
• Demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion that embraces the contributions of all team members;
• Embrace a service culture as an empathetic servant leader;
• Strive to be world class, humorous, inspirational, and memorable in every action we take;
• Make decisions based on what is best for our team as well as our business;
• Believe in and promote the company’s core values, business philosophies, core purpose, and brand promise; and,
• Perform all other duties as assigned or required.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Real Estate, Business, or a related field (required);
• 5 years of experience in commercial real estate, tenant representation, or corporate retail expansion;
• Extensive experience negotiating leases and managing multi-site expansion pipelines;
• Experience using GIS/mapping and demographic analytics software (e.g., Tango, CoStar, ESRI, Placer); and,
• Familiarity with franchise, retail, or fitness-based growth models preferred.

Skills and Abilities

• Exceptional lease negotiation and site planning skills;
• Strong understanding of real estate law, lease structures, and site economics;
• Ability to make fast, data-informed decisions and execute negotiations with urgency;
• Excellent organizational and time management skills;
• Professional communicator able to lead high-level landlord and broker interactions;  
• Technologically savvy with strong Microsoft Office, database, spreadsheet, and real estate platform skills;
• Accuracy with numbers and data;
• Ability to work independently;  
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills;
• Ability to maintain confidentiality when necessary; and,
• Ability to lead high level negotiations and interactions.

Physical Environment & Requirements

• Frequent travel as required or necessary, 50% or more, across designated markets and including Ohana Growth Partners, LLC Headquarters;
• Must be able to work days, nights, weekends, holidays, over 40 hours per week, and on call;
• Primarily indoor environment with normal exposure to light, sound, heat, and cold;
• Must be able to frequently walk properties and navigate active job sites, stand, bend, stoop, kneel, crouch, grasp, and reach;
• Must be able to frequently move, lift, push, pull, carry at least 60 lbs.;
• Frequent communication via phone, email, and in-person meetings;
• Must be able to recognize, identify, and judge behavior within environment; and,
• Must have the ability to communicate clearly and exchange accurate information.

Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. This description reflects management’s assignment of essential functions, it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned. This job description is subject to change at any time.