In this role, Swig will look to you to lead the development of the real estate strategic plan which is critical to Swig's growth. Your experience will be needed to identify territories for growth, build and deliver a pipeline of projects, manage complex deals, oversee market & cost valuations, and manage critical partnerships. In addition, you'll be guiding a team on all project types and strategies to achieve yearly development goals. To be successful in this role you must excel in strong communication, leverage your experience during lease negotiations, be an analytical thinker coupled with strong problem-solving skills. If you're a successful development professional who can help us build and expand our brand, we'd love to hear from you. The candidate will be crucial to the development and execution of the development of the Real Estate department. This will include the understanding of all facets of the Fast Casual industry that will assist with designing the processes, documents and presentation guidelines to substantially grow the brand over the next several years. You will lead the strategic site selection process to ensure new sites meet expectations for sales and traffic, performing detailed market analysis, site visits, and high-stakes negotiations with property owners and developers. You will maintain a comprehensive understanding of all current and future markets, including monitoring existing real estate values, competitor expansion patterns, and demographic trends to inform strategic decisions and ensure site selection supports high performance. In partnership with the Executive Leadership and Finance team, you will develop sophisticated analyses to evaluate the viability and strategic value of potential sites, presenting detailed site Proposal Packages to the Real Estate Committee (REC) consisting of Senior Leadership and Board Members. Additionally, you will oversee the real estate development calendar and pipeline, organizing, prioritizing, and reporting the inflow of site opportunities to the REC, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives. You will lead negotiations for Letters of Intent (LOI) and contract terms, working closely with Legal Counsel to finalize lease terms and monitor lease movement. Managing the Real Estate Broker and Master Broker networks across the country will be essential, as will cultivating and managing relationships with key Local and National Developers and Landlords through network events such as ICSC and other market events and visits. Cross-functional collaboration will be key, as you coordinate with all departments to communicate site delivery schedules, opening timelines, and deal pipeline updates, ensuring seamless integration of new locations into the company's operations. You will oversee the management of the existing lease database and all lease renewals and ongoing relationships that will facilitate remodels, modifications or changes to existing locations, making and presenting timely lease renewal recommendations based on store performance and physical trade zone changes and constraints. Finally, you will provide leadership to members of the real estate development team, offering mentorship, guidance, and support to ensure alignment with the company's strategic goals, conducting buy versus lease analysis and making strategic recommendations to leadership to optimize the company's real estate portfolio.