Little Sprouts is part of a global network of early education childcare centers dedicated to building and sustaining optimal learning and working spaces where children ages 0-5 can thrive. Here in the US, we operate 39 schools in the New England area under three brands; Little Sprouts, Building Blocks, and Heartworks Early Education & Child Care Centers. As we scale, we are seeking a high-performing, proactive Real Estate Development Associate to help execute our de novo growth strategy and optimize our existing real estate portfolio.

What We Will Achieve Together:

Real Estate Leadership. Professionally manage the Little Sprouts real estate portfolio and de novo school development process with a strategic focus on company growth, real estate optimization, and providing exceptional early education care environments.
Partner of Choice. Achieve an exceptional reputation for acting with the utmost integrity in every interaction such that Little Sprouts becomes the industry partner of choice.
Full De Novo Pipeline. Within a collaborative framework, we will build a pipeline of new school developments by strategically evaluating new school opportunities; nurturing industry connections and partnerships, providing thorough feasibility analysis and business financial modeling, and effectively owning the full new school development process including; detailed project management and communication, cross-departmental collaboration, lease documentation, school/playground design, and construction management with a successful results-oriented approach to new school openings.
Portfolio Optimization. Optimize the existing school portfolio with a focus on real estate strategic positioning, creative design, and space planning solutions to meet the evolving needs of the company, support school operations and performance, while providing high-quality well-designed early education care environments.

What You’ll Do:

The following responsibilities will be under the direction of the Director of Real Estate and will be prioritized based on the current needs of the business:
Build and maintain strong community and business relationships with municipalities, developers, brokers, landlords, and real estate development consultants consistent with company policies and responsibilities.
Responsible for evaluating new site locations using key metrics, demographics, competitive market data, and real estate expertise.
Build and maintain financial models including financial feasibility analysis, business pro forma and financial sensitivity analysis, and budgets for new school development and school redevelopment projects. Produce supporting data analysis, communication, and presentation materials to build new site business cases.
Prepare growth presentational materials and other real estate development reports, including opportunity pipeline, leasing, budgets, schedule, project management, and the preparation and tracking of cross-departmental school development planning. Other reports and presentations as required.
Provide management of the new school development process including site feasibility and financial analysis, development budget, LOI and lease negotiation, cross-departmental collaboration, consultant management, permitting, design, construction, FFE and school opening. Working with cross-functional team members in preparation for a successful new school opening and transition to the operations team.
Manage the full architectural and civil design process for new school, playground and site development with a focus on innovative design, ESG/sustainability, value engineering and responsible cost management.
Oversee permit applications and support the team in presentations to municipal officials.
Solicit, negotiate and oversee third-party consultant services, including managing legal documentation and communication with real estate brokers, landlords, architects, contractors, municipal officials, lawyers, etc.
Support M&A growth by providing real estate expertise and services, as required, including managing 3rd party consultants in the real estate due diligence, assist with lease negotiation and documentation and business/real estate integration support.
Leverage real estate knowledge and expertise in evaluating the existing school portfolio. Prepare and maintain real estate analysis of key KPIs of school performance and evaluation of existing real estate deal structure, costs and space utilization. Provide space planning solutions, and design alternatives to optimize school design and performance.
Offer real estate expertise and services including lease management, leasing, lease renewal, and sublease expertise including deal negotiation, documentation, and landlord relationship management.
Evaluate sublease options for excess space. Solicit sub-tenants and handle the sublease process including sublease negotiation, construction, and occupancy. Coordinate with brokers, as required.
Support school closures with cross-departmental collaboration, landlord relationship management, and advising on lease-required responsibilities.
Manage existing school redevelopment, as needed.
Other job-related duties or tasks as assigned. We are a team-orientated company where our employees are expected to perform any duty required to advance the mission of the association, regardless of whether the duty is listed in any specific job description.

Who You Are:

The ideal candidate will have experience with retail real estate development, growth, and management. Experience developing 8-15K SF retail development including site planning, parking, building, and interiors. Experience in a variety of real estate project types including mixed-use, retail, and office. It is preferred that this person have strong connections with consultants, brokers, developers, owners, and landlords in the New England area and the ability to build new connections. As a key financial advisor, they will need a deep understanding of finance, retail real estate development, and operations. Strong interpersonal skills are essential for working collaboratively with teams across the organization.
Bachelor’s degree preferred, preferably in job related field such as real estate development, architecture, civil engineering, finance, or business. Master’s degree is a plus.
7+ years of relevant experience preferred in real estate development, development project management, construction oversight, or retail store expansion.
Strong financial analysis skills with experience building business modeling, pro forma feasibility and sensitivity analysis, market analysis, and real estate development budgets.
Preferred experience with the project estimating process, value engineering, contractor selection, and oversight. Projects ranging from $200K-$3M.
Leasing experience including deal negotiation, LOI, and lease documentation. Detailed understanding of lease language.
Experience developing relationships; ability to build credibility, respect, and collaborative working relationships with internal and external stakeholders at all organizational levels, with a willingness to accept and implement feedback.
Motivated, highly organized, and versatile; a self-starter with a teamwork orientation.
Ability to manage multiple tasks, projects, and priorities effectively with a high level of attention to detail and proactive communication regarding workload and timelines.
Exceptional written and verbal communication and presentation skills with the ability to translate complex concepts to easily understandable talking points and presentation materials appropriate for all organizational levels, including executive and board-level audiences.
Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word). Advanced Excel skills. Experience with Visual Lease and Regis Sites USA is a plus. A willingness to learn and utilize various software and tools.
Ability to read and review civil and architectural drawings. Experience with AutoCAD a plus.
Knowledge of early education school development is desired, but not required.
Willingness to become a (CPSI) Certified Playground Safety Inspector and participate in other field-related course work.
Opportunity to work remotely, with occasional visits to Headquarters in Lawrence, MA.
Willingness and have an ability to travel. Possess a driver's license (in good standing) and reliable transportation.

How it Gets Done:

Is able to work at least a full-time, 40+hour a week schedule, sometimes off-hours as the business requires (i.e., evening town hall or permitting meetings, networking events, business dinners, etc.) to meet the business needs of the position.
Must be able to lift, carry, push and/or pull up to 15 pounds without the assistance of another person. Performing physical activities that require considerable (20%+ of the day) use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials. Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer. The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Travel may be required (50%+) to schools, events, meetings, or new school/acquisition scoping, both US Domestic and International.

Benefits:

Health benefits are available upon start date.
Paid week off between Christmas & New Years.
Free Subscription to First Stop Health; receive ongoing care from doctors and prescribers through easy telehealth services.
Up to 75% discount on your child's tuition (Option for the initial $5,000 of tuition to be taken out of your paycheck before taxes through payroll deductions.)
Comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, vision, and pet insurance.
401k with company match.
Tuition reimbursement.
Career advancement and coaching.
Additional Paid Time off and Holidays.
Referral Program.

Little Sprouts LLC is a subsidiary of Babilou Family, a global network of 1,100 early education and child care centers. Little Sprouts LLC provides award-winning early education and child care across 39 New England schools. Through the experience and talents of nearly 900 early education professionals and in partnership with nearly 4,000 families, we are on a meaningful journey to create optimal learning spaces where children ages 0-5 can learn, grow, and thrive.

Our teams, whether at our home office or inside our schools, are change makers – they inspire, create, model, and most importantly make this a great place to work. At Little Sprouts, LLC we are consistently recruiting, retaining, and promoting a diverse mix of colleagues who are representative of the diversity within the communities in which we operate. Our focus on equity and inclusion allows us to develop a broader scope of ideas and approaches, offering a collaborative and dynamic educational experience for the youngest members of society.

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Little Sprouts

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