Director Strategic Real Estate

Graham Packaging; United States; On-site; USD 148,000 - 221,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) plan

Employee Wellness Program

Paid time off

Job summary

Graham Packaging is seeking a Director of Strategic Real Estate to oversee a global real estate portfolio including manufacturing plants, warehouses, and distribution centers. You will blend boots-on-the-ground execution with strategic oversight to optimize footprint cost-effectiveness and growth readiness.

The role requires site selection, negotiations, and project execution in collaboration with Operations, Legal, Finance, Engineering, and Procurement, and leads a lean team of real estate

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Real Estate, Business, Finance, or related field.
• MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of industrial real estate experience and a track record of leading complex negotiations and property management.

Responsibilities

• Lead hands-on execution of real estate strategies across a complex, multi-site industrial portfolio.
• Conduct site evaluations, property walkthroughs, and due diligence to identify opportunities for consolidation, expansion, or relocation.
• Oversee day-to-day lease and property management responsibilities, ensuring compliance with terms, renewals, and key milestones.
• Drive timely resolution of lease and property issues by working directly with landlords, brokers, and internal partners.
• Personally manage and negotiate real estate transactions—leases, purchases, build-to-suit, and dispositions in coordination with Legal and external advisors.
• Develop tactical plans for footprint changes with timelines, budgets, and risk mitigation strategies.

Skills

Negotiation

Team leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Facilities management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Real Estate, Business, Finance, or a related field

MBA or advanced degree

Tools

CoStar

Lucernex

Procore

Job description

Graham Packaging is a people, planet and values-based company and a leader in sustainable packaging manufacturing. From the kitchen to the laundry room, Graham Packaging is part of your everyday life.

For employees at Graham, our Blue Culture is part of their everyday lives, too. In other words, Blue is how we do things here.

At Graham, we are united by a clear vision. We know our part and help those around us know theirs, encouraging one another to continuously improve. We create a safe, challenging environment to innovate by supporting creative ideas and new ways of thinking. We take the initiative to cultivate our individual growth and help others do the same, while keeping ourselves and one another accountable. And we actively promote cooperation, collaboration, integrity and respect across regions and teams to foster an engaged, diverse and connected workforce.

We value our employees, and a Blue Culture allows for the most rewarding employee experience as part of the Graham family. Blue is how we feel about what we do—together—to create a better tomorrow. Working at Graham means you lead constructively with clear goals, use diverse thinking to drive excellence, accountability, innovation, as well as demonstrating collaboration, embracing learning, and taking action for continuous improvement and growth.

The Director, Strategic Real Estate is a roll-up-your-sleeves leader responsible for actively managing Graham Packaging's global real estate portfolio—including manufacturing plants, warehouses, and distribution centers. This position combines boots-on-the-ground execution with strategic oversight to ensure our physical footprint is cost-effective, operationally aligned, and built for growth. The role requires direct involvement in site selection, negotiations, and project execution while partnering closely with leaders in Operations, Legal, Finance, Engineering, and Procurement

• Lead hands-on execution of real estate strategies across a complex, multi-site industrial portfolio.
• Conduct site evaluations, property walkthroughs, and due diligence to identify opportunities for consolidation, expansion, or relocation.
• Oversee day-to-day lease and property management responsibilities, ensuring compliance with terms, renewals, and key milestones.
• Drive timely resolution of lease and property issues by working directly with landlords, brokers, and internal partners.

Deal Making & Negotiation

• Personally manage and negotiate real estate transactions-leases, purchases, build-to-suit, and dispositions in coordination with Legal and external advisors.
• Develop and own tactical plans for footprint changes, including timelines, budget estimates, and risk mitigation strategies.
• Execute relocations and divestitures with a clear focus on cost avoidance and minimal business disruption.

Capital & Cost Accountability

• Own real estate budgeting and forecasting processes, identifying opportunities to reduce costs and unlock capital.
• Track and report on spending for a real estate portfolio of ~$80M annually.
• Provide real-time financial analysis to support negotiations, site decisions, and project investments.

Project & Facility Support

• Oversee physical site development, renovations, and decommissions, including boots-on-the-ground coordination with engineering, facilities, and contractors.
• Act as a field resource for project troubleshooting, construction timing, and cross-functional alignment.
• Drive operational readiness of new or restructured facilities.

Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Partnership

• Lead and develop a lean team of real estate professionals, providing tactical guidance, hands-on coaching, and clear accountability.
• Work side-by-side with Operations, Supply Chain, EH&S, and Finance to solve real-time facility needs.
• Support local plant leadership through regular check-ins, responsiveness to concerns, and timely follow-up on real estate deliverables.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Real Estate, Business, Finance, or a related field required; MBA or advanced degree a plus.
• Minimum 10 years of direct, hands-on experience in industrial real estate management—preferably in manufacturing or logistics environments.
• Demonstrated ability to personally lead complex negotiations, site transitions, and property management activities.
• Strong knowledge of leasing, capital planning, construction project timelines, and facility operations.
• Proficiency with real estate and project management tools (e.g., CoStar, Lucernex, Procore).
• Ability to travel up to 30% to inspect sites, lead negotiations, and oversee real-time execution.

The standard compensation for this role is $147,700 - $221,100. Salary offers will be determined based on final candidate qualifications, experience, skillset, and other relevant factors.

The expected salary range for the position described in this posting is made in accordance with the legal mandates of certain jurisdictions within the United States. The final agreed-upon compensation is based on individual qualifications and experience.

Benefits include medical, dental, vision and basic life insurance. Employees are able to enroll in the company's 401K Employee Saving Plan and may participate in its Employee Wellness Program. Employees will also receive paid time off in accordance with company policy and state law requirements.

Graham Packaging is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, religion, creed, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, gender identity and/or expression, marital status, veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.