**Description** The world of working and learning has changed. This is your opportunity to be a part of a brand transformation and growth strategy within the retail industry. Staples is helping our customers and community discover innovative products, services, and inspiration that unlock whats possible, while empowering you to unlock your potential. Our people are the heart of our success and there has never been a better time to join us as we lead the way in a new era of working and learning. As the VP, Real Estate for Staples, you will be responsible for overseeing the strategic, operational, and financial planning of all lease negotiations across the national platform of Staples stores, including new store leases, renewals, expansions and acquisitions/dispositions, to align with our overall goals at Staples US Retail. Be a part of a team that's leading the way in a new era of working and learning. **Get great perks.** Generous amount of paid time off and bonus opportunities Flexible work arrangements, including hybrid and remote 401(k) plan with a company match, full benefits plan and options, and associate resource groups Associate store discount and more perks (discounts on mobile plans, movie tickets, etc.) Corporate office includes a caf (i.e., coffee, cappuccinos, teas), 24/7 fitness center, convenience store, on-site dry cleaning, Chef Louies Cafeteria, and more **Responsibilities:** Provide market knowledge-based practical strategies to optimize the network of existing stores within the current markets through lease negotiations, along with assessing and leading new store growth through opportunistic expansion. Manage a national portfolio of over 1,000 stores while developing regional strategies and third-party relationships in specific geographies to best support Staples real estate needs and goals. Analyze demographics and sales forecast with the Research Department to ensure viable market entries that will meet the Companys cost of capital requirements. Maintain and build strong relationships with real estate community, developers, and brokers; including attending national and regional ICSC events where required. Prepare and present real estate recommendations to the Real Estate Committee for approval of all negotiated leases and major amendments. Support efforts to dispose of surplus property portfolio within region to mitigate excess occupancy costs. Lead a real estate team, including several Directors of Real Estate spread geographically across the country; Manage the team to complete transactions to renew, downsize, or relocate all oversized stores in respective region which have leases expiring during the fiscal period. Coordinate and communicate with Real Estate, Design, Construction and Legal for all new store units, relocations, expansions, and lease renewals through meetings, in which VP Real Estate will set the agenda; Oversee and be responsible for the tracking of all stores in active negotiation, along with proactively tracking future stores in the pipeline. Visit, and/or review and approve the Director of Real Estate recommendations for all lease transactions. Maintain Top Level relationships with SVPs of US Retail to ensure coordinated recommendations to the Real Estate Committee; Attend all pre-real estate meetings to ensure all parties are in complete agreement on all recommendations for all lease negotiations. **Qualifications** **Essential skills and experience:** Minimum 10-15 years experience in retail real estate, preferably with tenant-side experience Direct experience in all aspects of lease negotiations; Experience managing a large team, in a high volume environment Bachelors degree required, MBA preferred Strong leadership, relationship and supervisory skills Financial and analytical skills for complex real estate transactions Proven success in executing Real Estate transactions on a national level **Preferred Skills and Experience** Strong reputation in the Real Estate Community Strong collaboration skills in order to foster a team-oriented work environment Ability to keep Staples best interests at heart while maintaining a high level of integrity Experience in Construction and Store Design **Want to learn more about Staples Stores?** Visit **StaplesConnect.com** for information and to learn about our career opportunities. **\#LI-ML1** **_Click to learn more about the employee benefits, programs and perks offered at Staples. (https://recruit.smashfly.com/SmashFlyMedia/Docs/17604/17604\_20380\_PR23016\_BOS\_CWW\_RTL\_FLD\_CROS\_HR\_Benefits\_Promo\_Flyer\_r1%20(2).pdf)_** _Staples is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law._