Sr. Manager, Real Estate Strategy

Panera Bread; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Panera Bread is seeking a Senior Manager of Real Estate Strategy to lead strategic market planning and asset optimization across new and existing markets. The role relies on GIS, demographics, competitive data, and post-opening audits to forecast performance and guide franchise growth.

This hybrid Boston-based position educates leadership and field teams, acts as an unbiased strategic coach, and collaborates across Real Estate, Franchise Sales, and Operations to optimize nationwide growth.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in real estate, geography, economics, urban planning, finance, or related field
• 4+ years of related experience in market planning, business strategy and problem solving, site location research, strategic market planning, real estate, or finance
• Key competencies include strategic thinking, vision and purpose, business/organizational savvy, results focus, and strong communication

Responsibilities

• Strategic Market Plan Development and Maintenance for brand growth including new store development and asset optimization
• Franchise Inventory development and maintenance to enable strategic market growth
• Trade Area and Site Analytics using GIS, demographics, and data to forecast sales and cannibalization
• Restaurant Performance Assessments including relocations, remodels, and competitive landscape changes
• Cross-Functional Collaboration and education to improve decision making across Real Estate, Franchise Sales, and Operations

Skills

Strategic thinking

Market planning

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Problem solving

BI analytics

GIS

Forecasting

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in real estate/geography/economics/urban planning/finance

Tools

PowerPoint

Excel

Word

Outlook

BI

Alteryx

GIS

SQL

Job description

This position’s primary goal is the development of strategic market plans through conducting research and analysis of markets and supporting field cross-functional teams in optimizing retail cafe development through a portfolio of asset types. The position will build strategic plans for both existing and new markets to facilitate brand, store and franchisee growth, while educating others and executing on aligned actions. Senior Manager of Real Estate Strategy educates leadership and field teams through market diagnostics, spatial analytics, competitive analysis, post opening audits and support diligence on proposed development agreements, franchising sales, market points, sites and their impact/influence on the overall market plan. They will act as an UNBIASED strategic coach for the field teams and support cross functional goals and objectives by influencing the quality of decision making with respect to growth and performance in markets in both new store development and asset optimization.

This role is Hybrid, and requires three days a week onsite in Boston, MA

Duties & Responsibilities

• Strategic Market Plan Development and Maintenance: Conduct market and brand research to develop and maintain strategic market plans for brand growth through both prioritized new store development (when and where) and optimization of existing assets.
• Franchise Inventory: Develop, summarize, and maintain Franchise Sales Inventory to enable/compliment strategic market growth. Support cross-functional tactical clustering of inventory and alignment for sale to candidates both existing and new.
• Trade Area and Site Analytics: Utilizing spatial (GIS) tools, demographics, competitive/business generator data/points of interest and mass mobile data, conduct analyses to identify success metrics for both trade area and site characteristics, as well as knowledge of comparable store characteristics and performance to deliver scenario-based sales and cannibalization forecasts utilizing forecasting tools/models. analog history and/or customer intercept surveys.
• Restaurant Performance Assessments: Assessing performance of existing assets including, but not limited to sales impact from proximate openings, asset optimization/brand strategies such as relocations, remodels and other changes, competitive landscape changes (openings and closings). Work with cross-functional partners to develop and prioritize actions based on market conditions and actions.
• Cross-Functional Collaborations: Collaborate, educate, and enable knowledge-based decision making by cross-functional partners based on the assessments and conclusions of the actions described above. Provide on-going education to Real Estate, Franchise Sales, Operations, and others by providing recommendations, course corrections, scoping, and removing obstacles to optimize growth nationally, within markets and in micro scenarios as needed.
• Support teams throughout the organization via ad-hoc mapping, geospatial analysis and data requests
• Maintain various location databases for use in mapping platforms, analysis, and tracking documents.

Qualifications (Education & Experience)

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree (preferred) in real estate, geography, economics, urban planning, finance, or related field
• 4+ years of related experience in the field with a sound understanding and track record of market planning, business strategy and problem solving, site location research, strategic market planning, real estate, or finance
• Key Competencies should include strategic thinking, operating with vision & purpose, business/organizational savvy, passion for results, interpersonal relationships and influence, communication and conflict management, and problem solving and decision making
• Strong FACT-BASED COMMUNICATION skills with an ability to present complex data and problems in a concise, simplified, and effective manner to large audiences (internal and external)
• Provider of CLARITY via excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong BIAS TOWARDS ACTION through strong project and process management
• Ability to lead a study in market and deliver on time
• Expertise in Power Point, Excel, Word, Outlook, BI, Alteryx, GIS, SQL software and ability to develop and manage databases
• Customer service approach with ability to be HIGHLY RESPONSIVE to sensitive issues, complex inquiries and concerns from both Field-Based and Corporate-Based associates and leadership
• Willingness to travel (estimated 30-40%)
• Experience with sales and cannibalization forecasting techniques and methodologies preferred.

Working Conditions

• Required travel – 30-40%

Physical Requirements

• While performing this job, the incumbent is regularly required to stand, sit, talk, hear & use hands and fingers to operate keyboards.

Direct Reports

• This position will have approximately 0 direct reports.