The Opportunity
AEW is seeking a retail real estate professional to join its Retail Asset Management team as a Vice President. This individual will report directly to the Managing Director, Head Retail. The VP will manage a portfolio of retail assets by combining valuation and financial analysis with hands-on asset management, leasing judgment, capital investments and timing of dispositions.
The Vice President will serve as an owner-minded leader for assigned assets, translating investment strategy into executable business plans. The VP will quarterback working across leasing, property management, development, construction, and transactions. The ideal candidate is equally comfortable evaluating a complex lease, building a cash flow model, walking a property with local partners, and presenting a clear recommendation to senior leadership or an investment committee.
Key Responsibilities
- Investment Strategy & Asset Management: Own and execute asset-level business plans for assigned retail investments, with clear priorities, milestones, risks, and return objectives.
- Leasing & Merchandising: Evaluate and negotiate major new leases, renewals, restructurings, expansions, relocations, and terminations. Partner with leasing teams and brokers to shape tenant mix, merchandising, rents, capital, and deal structures that strengthen long-term asset value.
- JV Partner & Operating Team Collaboration: Collaborate with joint venture partners, outside leasing teams, and third-party management teams to drive leasing strategy, execution priorities, and asset-level value creation opportunities.
- Valuation & Financial Analysis: Evaluate and maintain detailed property cash flow models and valuations, including lease economics, capital projects, redevelopment scenarios, hold/sell analyses, and sensitivities. Monitor performance against underwriting and budget and recommend corrective actions.
- Placemaking & Value Creation: Identify creative, market-relevant opportunities to improve customer experience, tenant productivity, physical environment, and competitive positioning of each asset. Advance projects involving remerchandising, densification, redevelopment, public realm improvements, branding, events, and strategic capital investment.
- Portfolio Performance: Track operating results, leasing progress, capital improvements, market conditions, and key performance indicators. Diagnose variances, surface emerging risks, and communicate actionable recommendations.
- Capital Planning & Execution: Develop and prioritize annual and long-term capital plans. Evaluate return on cost and oversee execution with construction, development, property management, and operating partners.
- Transactions & Due Diligence: Support acquisitions, dispositions, financings, and recapitalizations through market and lease diligence, site inspections, business plan development, and tenant outreach.
- Market Intelligence: Maintain current knowledge of retail concepts, consumer trends, tenant performance, competitive supply, demographic shifts, and capital markets. Translate market intelligence into asset-specific strategies.
- Communication & Collaboration: Prepare concise, decision-oriented materials and present recommendations to senior leadership, investment committees, clients, and partners. Build alignment across internal teams and third-party operating partners.
- Leadership: Manage workstreams and provide coaching and development to junior team members. Contribute to a culture of curiosity, accountability, collaboration, and high performance.
Candidate Profile
- 7-10 years of relevant commercial real estate experience, with meaningful exposure to retail asset management, leasing, and valuation. Open-air retail experience is strongly preferred. Prior experience in retail acquisitions is a plus.
- Demonstrated ability to connect detailed financial analysis with practical, creative asset-level execution.
- Strong understanding of retail lease structures, tenant economics, merchandising strategy, capital investments, property operations, and investment return drivers.
- Advanced financial modeling and valuation skills, including proficiency in Excel and deep experience with Argus Enterprise Experience evaluating major leases, redevelopment opportunities, and hold/sell or capital allocation decisions.
- Owner-oriented judgment, intellectual curiosity, and the confidence to form and communicate a clear point of view.
- High energy, initiative, and a sense of urgency, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
- Creative problem-solving skills and a genuine interest in placemaking, consumer experience, emerging retail concepts, and the evolution of physical retail.
- Retail asset manager with established retailer and broker relationships, market knowledge and investment judgment.
- Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to translate complex analysis into concise, decision-ready recommendations.
- Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in real estate, finance, economics, business, or a related field.
- Ability and willingness to travel to assets, markets, and partner meetings as needed.
What Success Looks Like
The successful candidate will be a credible asset manager and hands-on operator who can identify the few actions that matter most, mobilize internal and external teams, and deliver measurable improvements in leasing, cash flow, asset quality, and investment value. This person will bring energy to the work, creativity to the strategy, rigor to the analysis, and an ownership mindset to execution. |
Why AEW
This role offers the opportunity to work within a sophisticated, multi-sector investment platform while developing deep expertise across the full retail investment lifecycle. The Vice President will have meaningful exposure to senior decision-makers, complex assets, institutional clients, and cross-functional teams, with the ability to directly influence strategy and outcomes.
Equal Opportunity
AEW is committed to fostering an inclusive workplace and providing equal employment opportunities. Employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications. Compensation, benefits, work location, and other employment terms will be provided in the official posting and are subject to applicable company policies and law.
