Senior Director, Development Leasing

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield; Paramus (NJ); On-site; USD 180,000 - 225,000; Full time

Job summary

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield seeks a Senior Director, Development Leasing for Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey. This role drives revenue growth and leads strategic leasing initiatives across development projects and existing assets, partnering with stakeholders to maximize asset value.

The ideal candidate has 8–10 years in real estate development leasing, strong financial acumen, and a proven track record of managing complex negotiations from concept through execution.

Qualifications

• 8–10 years of experience in real estate development leasing.
• Experience with entitlements, government planning processes, and stakeholder engagement.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, Salesforce, and Adobe Acrobat.
• Exceptional communication, negotiation, and presentation skills.
• Willingness to travel as required.

Responsibilities

• Drive revenue growth and leasing strategy for development projects and assets.
• Own full-cycle sales process: prospecting, C-suite engagement, negotiating contracts, and closing.
• Manage renewal business and tenant relationships to secure renewals.
• Negotiate and execute leases to meet center budgets.
• Coordinate with legal, finance, operations, marketing, IT, and center management.

Skills

Real estate leasing

Negotiation

Strategic planning

Financial analysis

Excel (Advanced)

Communication

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Adobe Acrobat

Salesforce

Job description

Senior Director, Development Leasing- (Westfield Garden State Plaza, Paramus, New Jersey)

Position Summary

The Senior Director, Development Leasing is responsible for driving revenue growth and leading strategic leasing initiatives across development projects and existing assets. This is an individual contributor role, which requires a bold vision for mixed-use environments, strong financial acumen, and the ability to manage complex projects from concept through execution. The Senior Director will partner with internal and external stakeholders to deliver innovative leasing strategies that maximize asset value and align with company objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Revenue Growth & Leasing Strategy

• Drive revenue growth aligned with company and asset strategies.
• Own the full-cycle sales process: prospecting, C-suite engagement, negotiating contracts, and closing new and renewal business.
• Manage existing client relationships to secure a high percentage of renewal business.
• Negotiate and execute leases to achieve center leasing budgets.
• Develop and execute center-specific merchandising strategies that differentiate assets and support local business development.
• Leverage strategic relationships to sell across multiple shopping centers and achieve annual quotas.
• Directly influence scope, budget, and direction of retail, food & beverage, and entertainment development projects.
• Manage deal flow with tenants, legal leasing, retail delivery, design management, and center management to achieve rent commencement dates.
• Partner with internal stakeholders to create and execute unique commercial opportunities supported by comprehensive financials.
• Oversee preparation of lease proposals, including LOIs, marketing materials, lease plans, and space drawings.
• Ensure compliance with company standards and governance for all memorandums and agreements.

Market Analysis & Strategic Planning

• Develop deep market understanding through analysis of sales, traffic trends, demographics, and competitive positioning.
• Maintain awareness of industry trends and emerging concepts to inform leasing strategies.
• Constantly define and execute innovative options to optimize asset valuation.
• Apply strong business and financial acumen to evaluate opportunities and mitigate risk.
• Prepare and analyze financial projections, proformas, and transactions.
• Maintain financial budgets and forecast reports.
• Understand and apply accounting principles including budgeting, forecasting, NPV, and IRR calculations.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Interface with internal and external stakeholders, including legal, finance, operations, marketing, IT, development, and government agencies.
• Build and maintain relationships with anchor tenants, city officials, planning boards, and community groups.
• Represent the company as a polished, articulate public speaker in meetings and presentations.

Operational Excellence

• Effectively prioritize and manage multiple projects under tight deadlines.
• Drive implementation and oversight of business strategies and procedural changes to improve efficiencies.
• Ensure accurate data flow and reporting between leasing teams and other departments.

Compensation

• Exempt
• $180,000 - $225,000 per year + Discretionary Annual Bonus

Qualifications

• Minimum 8–10 years of experience in real estate development leasing, with proven success in managing complex projects and negotiations.
• Strong understanding of the development process, including strategic planning, underwriting, finance, design, construction, and stabilization.
• Demonstrated ability to structure and solve complex financial transactions.
• Experience with entitlements, government planning processes, and stakeholder engagement.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat, and Salesforce.
• Exceptional communication, negotiation, and presentation skills.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with ability to innovate and adapt in dynamic environments.
• Willingness to travel as required.

Core Competencies

• Strategic thinker with strong business development skills.
• Collaborative leader who values diversity and inclusion.
• Creative and passionate about delivering best-in-class experiences.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and able to lead through complexity.

What is important to us

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) is driven by an entrepreneurial foundation of talented and ambitious employees who embrace change, strive for innovation, and know when to venture into uncharted terrain. Teams within URW are collaborative and thrive by working together to seize opportunity and solve challenges. Employees receive mentorship and guidance while being empowered to drive their initiatives, embracing their individuality and unique backgrounds. URW‘s flagship destinations are interwoven into the community fabric, and we give employees the power to be impactful in their work and lead meaningful change in our communities through volunteering, DE&I programming and leading ESG efforts. URW is an innovator and trend setter in experiential entertainment and is making bold moves to be a brand that creates inspiring consumer experiences in‑person and digitally. Breaking beyond conventional beliefs, URW is surprising and delighting customers by reinventing being together and creating memorable moments.

Our company purpose – to Reinvent Being Together – is about reimagining how individuals and communities come together, socialize, and enjoy dynamic experiences alongside one another in entirely new ways. We are at our best when we are TOGETHER safely and joyfully.

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield is an equal opportunity employer that embraces diversity of backgrounds, perspectives, experience, and skills. We believe that diversity plays an important part in the success of our business, and we are committed to creating an environment which respects, values, celebrates and makes the most of people’s differences.

We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, and other legally protected characteristics.

Join us in Creating Sustainable Places That Reinvent Being Together.