Specialty Leasing Manager

About the role

Urban Edge Properties is seeking a driven, highly proactive Specialty Leasing Manager to support and grow ancillary and specialty leasing revenue across its retail portfolio. This role is responsible for on-site mall operations, hands-on sourcing, and day-to-day execution, and active participation in mall management and activation. The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced, highly visible environment and is equally comfortable closing deals, managing tenant relationships, and operating as an on-the-ground business partner to the property team.  

Responsibilities

Mall Operations & Engagement

• Serve as core member of the mall management team, actively participating in the daily operations of the property.
• Maintain a highly visible on-site presence (5 days/week), including walking the property multiple times daily to identify issues, opportunities, and tenant needs
• Act as a key liaison between tenants, specialty leasing, property management, marketing, and operations teams
• Proactively address operational or tenant-related issues, ensuring a high-quality customer and tenant experience.
• Support and participate in mall meetings, trainings, and property-wide initiatives (e.g., safety trainings, tenant meetings, emergency preparedness)
• Be actively involved in property events, retailer openings, and activations, representing the leasing function and supporting team execution.

Leasing & Revenue Generation

• Generate ancillary revenue through inline vacancies, kiosks, carts, pop-ups, short-term leases, storage, vending, activations, advertising, sponsorships, and other specialty uses.
• Actively source new business daily, maintaining a consistent pipeline across all specialty categories
• Ensure strong forward planning by sourcing ahead of seasonal demand and anticipated vacancies
• Negotiate and prepare license agreements and deal terms quickly and efficiently to secure opportunities
• Maintain a robust and diverse tenant pipeline, enabling selectivity and strong merchandising outcomes
• Identify risks and proactively manage expiring, underperforming, or non-renewing tenants
• Support grand openings, retailer events, and promotional activities, encouraging tenant participation
• Identify opportunities to enhance traffic, dwell time, and customer engagement through specialty leasing

Tenant Management & Customer Service

• Serve as a primary point of contact for specialty tenants throughout the lifecycle of the deal.
• Provide hands-on customer service, regular check-ins, and responsive follow-up.
• Coordinate tenant onboarding, permitting, setup, and teardown logistics.
• Maintain tenant insurance, documentation, and compliance requirements.

Reporting, Administration & Cross-Functional Support

• Maintain and update vacancy trackers and leasing activity reports, prepare monthly leasing reports and assist with departmental reporting as needed.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with property management, legal, accounting, marketing, and development teams.
• Use MRI, Power BI, and Placer.ai to pull, interpret, and communicate data supporting leasing decisions.
• Support budget assumptions, deal tracking, and performance analysis.
• Prepare presentations related to leasing, sponsorships, and advertising opportunities.

Additional Expectations

• Attend business conventions, trade shows, and industry events as needed (occasional travel).
• Respond to urgent matters outside regular business hours, including evenings and weekends.
• Continuously identify and pursue new concepts, trends, and emerging brands
• Assist with special projects as business priorities shift.

Qualifications

Education/ Experience Required

• 3-5 years of experience in specialty leasing, retail leasing, sales, or a related commercial real estate field
• Minimum Education High School Diploma
• Valid Driver’s license required
• Real estate licensure (preferred, not required)

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of specialty leasing and ancillary revenue programs.
• Knowledge of retail leasing lifecycle, including prospecting, negotiations, deal execution, tenant onboarding, and renewals.
• Working Knowledge of property-level financial drivers, including rent, percentage rent, occupancy costs, and revenue optimization.
• Knowledge of Microsoft 365 tools, particularly Excel, PowerPoint, and SharePoint
• Practical knowledge of data and reporting tools such as MRI, Power BI, Salesforce, and Placer.ai (or comparable systems) for interpreting performance and market data preferred.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong skills in sales to prospect, negotiate, close deals, communicate efficiently, and deliver difficult news when needed.
• Ability to multitask to manage multiple deals simultaneously while handling administrative details.
• Ability to operate independently, be a self-starter, and remain aligned with company direction.
• High ethical standards and integrity.

Benefits:

• Leasing Incentive Commission
• Medical, Dental, and Vision eligible after first month of employment
• Traditional & Roth 401K eligible 1st month of employment with competitive employer match.
• Healthcare, and Dependent Care FSAs
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Long Term Disability (company paid)
• Basic Life Insurance (company paid)
• Supplemental Critical Illness and Accident Insurance
• Voluntary Life (Employee, Spouse, Child) Insurance
• Wellness initiatives & incentives
• 20 PTO days annually
• 12 Paid Holidays

Salary range: $100,000 - 120,000

EEO: Urban Edge is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion is reflected in who we are, what we do, and the experiences we deliver. We sincerely value diversity with regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, and all the other characteristics that make us unique.

About Urban Edge Properties

Urban Edge Properties is a New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)-listed real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires, owns, redevelops, and manages shopping centers in vibrant communities. We’re invested in tomorrow, delivering value for places where people are, to shape a better future.

The Urban Edge portfolio of shopping centers, located primarily in the supply constrained corridor between Washington D.C. and Boston, creates value for our retail partners through leasing, redevelopment, and first-class property management. We’re responsible for more than 74 properties and over 17.3 million square feet of gross leasable area.

Our strategic plan is focused on improving retail real estate and making a positive impact on the communities we serve. We believe that value comes from something far more meaningful than size and growth. Value comes not from how much we do, but why and how we do it.