Position Summary

JEM Restaurant Group is seeking a Director of Real Estate & Asset Management to lead the company’s real estate strategy, development pipeline, remodel pipeline, lease management, and long-term asset management program across its multi-state restaurant and non-restaurant portfolio.

JEM Restaurant Group (JEM) was incorporated in 1998 to acquire 15 Taco Bell restaurants in Charleston, SC. Since then, JEM has grown to operate ~100 Taco Bell and Pizza Hut restaurants across FL, SC, GA and Alabama, adding additional locations each year. In addition to being a YUM! Brands franchisee, JEM also owns and operates a diverse real estate investment portfolio including hospitality and single-tenant retail. Headquartered in Charleston SC, JEM currently employs 2,500+.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead JEM’s real estate strategy, construction management, development pipeline, leasing activity, site evaluation, remodel planning, and new development support.
• Manage all JEM construction projects, including new developments, remodels, relocations, major capital projects, landlord work, construction timelines, budgets, vendor coordination, permitting, closeout, and communication with operations and executive leadership. Oversight of civil, MEPS, and architectural design to ensure cost-effective construction means and methods are utilized in both new build developments and remodel projects.
• Manage all JEM leases and landlord/tenant relationships, including lease administration, renewals, amendments, assignments, critical dates, landlord obligations, tenant obligations, rent roll accuracy, dispute resolution, and coordination with legal, finance, accounting, operations, and external real estate partners.
• Develop and manage strategic relationships with contractors, vendors, suppliers, brokers, architects, engineers, consultants, and service providers to ensure high-quality execution, competitive pricing, consistent service levels, and long-term value across the portfolio.
• Identify, evaluate, and advance new development, relocation, acquisition, lease, and redevelopment opportunities in partnership with brokers, landlords, developers, brand representatives, operations, finance, and executive leadership.
• Own the asset management strategy for JEM’s existing restaurant and non-restaurant portfolio, including property-level condition tracking, capital needs, lease obligations, landlord responsibilities, deferred maintenance, and long-term asset values.
• Support lease, landlord, and property obligation management related to repairs, maintenance responsibilities, roofs, parking lots, HVAC, utilities, common areas, shared facilities, access, signage, and capital improvements.
• Coordinate directly with JEM’s internal maintenance department and IT department in conjunction with remodels, new development and asset management.
• Partner with finance and accounting to improve visibility into remodel and development costs, repair and maintenance costs, capital needs, budget performance, and invoice workflows.
• Maintain dashboards and reporting for rent roll, remodel and development costs and schedules.
• Support remodels, new builds, construction closeouts, warranty collection, asset tagging, vendor setup, Corrigo readiness, and post-project lessons learned.
• Manage restaurant waste management program.
• Manage ad hoc projects that relate to the responsibilities noted above.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is a hands-on, strategic operator who can build structure and process. This person should be equally comfortable negotiating real estate and development matters, reviewing leases, project and maintenance data, managing vendors, and presenting portfolio-level recommendations to senior leadership.

Required Qualifications

• Significant experience in commercial real estate, asset management, lease management, construction management, restaurant development, or a related field.
• Direct experience with lease management and direct interaction with Landlords.
• Experience managing multi-location facilities, maintenance, real estate, construction, or asset management function.
• Strong working knowledge of building systems, restaurant equipment, HVAC, refrigeration, plumbing, electrical, roofs, parking lots, signage, and general facility maintenance.
• Strong project management, communication, documentation, budgeting, prioritization, and follow-through skills.
• Ability to manage competing priorities across real estate, facilities, maintenance, construction, operations, finance, accounting, legal, and external partners.

Preferred Qualifications

• Multi-unit restaurant, QSR, retail, franchise, convenience, or hospitality facilities experience.
• Experience supporting remodels, new builds, acquisitions, post-close integration, and geographically dispersed properties.
• Experience with lease administration platforms such as Visual Lease or similar systems.
• Able to live/work in Charleston South Carolina or Central Florida.

Key Competencies

• Strategic real estate and asset management judgment
• Budgeting, reporting, and cost control
• Cross-functional communication with operations, finance, accounting, legal, and executive leadership
• Process design, continuous improvement, and operational follow-through
• Capital planning and lifecycle cost management
• Vendor management and negotiation

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Relocation assistance
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person