Sephora Director of Real Estate
About Sephora
Sephora is a global prestige beauty retailer known for a curated brand portfolio, omnichannel retail experiences and a strong focus on customer engagement. As part of the LVMH group, Sephora combines entrepreneurial retail agility with the resources of a leading luxury conglomerate, offering career paths across merchandising, stores, and corporate functions.
Sephora seeks a Director of Real Estate (Remote, USA) to lead Southeast site selection, lease negotiations and portfolio strategy. Salary range $173,400–$212,000.
Role & Responsibilities
- Develop and implement Sephora’s regional real estate strategy and site acquisition plan to support store growth across the Southeast.
- Manage the full real estate pipeline from site identification through lease execution and store opening for new and existing locations.
- Conduct market research, trade-area and demographic analysis, and competitive assessments to evaluate prospective retail sites.
- Negotiate lease terms, landlord work letters, renewals, relocations, expansions and store closures; collaborate with Legal to finalize agreements and resolve disputes.
- Build and maintain strategic relationships with landlords, brokers, developers and other external partners.
- Coordinate cross-functionally with Store Design, Construction, Operations, Finance and Legal to ensure timely, on-budget store development.
- Prepare and present site selection and lease recommendations to the Real Estate Committee and senior leadership.
- Monitor and optimize the existing real estate portfolio to identify cost savings and revenue-enhancement opportunities.
- Contribute to annual and multi-year real estate planning; travel as required for market visits and negotiations.
Qualifications
- Minimum 7 years of progressive experience in retail real estate site selection, lease negotiation and portfolio management.
- Demonstrated track record negotiating complex commercial and legal terms for retail leases.
- Strong financial acumen with experience running proformas and interpreting financial results for site-level decisions.
- Proven relationships with national and regional developers, landlords and brokers; familiarity with mall, power center, lifestyle center and outlet formats.
- Ability to read and interpret lease agreements and other legal documents.
- Excellent written and verbal communication, presentation skills and executive-level influencing capability.
- Proven collaborative approach with cross-functional teams and business partners.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite.
- Bachelor’s degree preferred or equivalent professional experience.
Skills
Experience
At least 7 years of hands-on retail real estate experience encompassing site selection, lease negotiations, and portfolio management across regional and national retail formats.
Education
Bachelor’s degree preferred or equivalent professional experience.
Workplace
The successful candidate will be located in Remote, Remote, USA.
Compensation
The base compensation for this position ranges from USD 173,400 to USD 212,000 per annum.
Benefits
Medical, dental and vision coverage; employer-paid disability and life insurance; 401(k) with 4% match; FSA and HSA; Student Debt Retirement plan (student loan payments eligible for 401(k) match); PTO, protected leave and flexible work options; training and tuition reimbursement; 30% merchandise discount, product gratis opportunities and LVMH flash-sale discounts; free mental health and financial coaching (Modern Health, Financial Finesse); volunteer and donation matching.
Culture
Sephora cultivates an inclusive, fast-paced retail culture that values diversity, creativity and customer obsession. As part of the LVMH family, the company emphasizes professional development, cross-functional collaboration and innovation in beauty retail.
About Cerulean
Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.
Frequently Asked Questions
The luxury industry is characterised by a diverse and nuanced nomenclature. Esteemed houses frequently employ proprietary terminology, and even within a single organisation like Sephora, titles may vary across global markets to reflect local conventions. To ensure absolute clarity, Cerulean assigns a standardised, industry-coherent canonical title to every listing. However, it is worth noting that this role is functionally synonymous with «Director, Retail Real Estate», «Real Estate Strategy Director», «Director of Property & Leasing», «Retail Site Selection Director», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.