At WestRock, our culture is built upon shared values and behaviors – they are fundamentals for winning together. Integrity – Respect – Accountability – Excellence are the standards of our behavior.

The Director of Corporate Real Estate will report to the SVP/Treasurer and will lead WestRock’s global real estate strategy and manage the Company's enterprise-wide real estate portfolio. As the primary interface with our business units, operating locations, and professional staff (legal, environmental, safety, HR, logistics, and procurement), the Director will lead all real estate transactions for owned and leased real estate, including development and communication of standard measures and critical data points to ensure a disciplined approach to corporate real estate.

The candidate will provide leadership and expertise across a wide range of real estate disciplines including corporate office facility management, leasing, capital projects, asset sales, construction management and M&A due diligence.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• This role is the primary point of contact for existing and future landlords and will lead an annual strategic review of WestRock's real estate holdings and leases to identify what actions should be taken to ensure the strategic plan is current and effective.
• Accountable for our portfolio of assets, through effective controls monitoring, optimization, benchmarking, and strategic planning are aligned. Responsible for WestRock’s five corporate office locations.
• Implement processes and procedures for leasing, lease administration, construction management, and program coordination for users. Responsible for financial metrics, economics, timeline management and analytical support.
• Partners with the Enterprise Logistics team to capture the significant supply chain benefits outlined in WestRock’s transformation initiatives.
• Works with internal and external partners and contractors to ensure proper execution of construction and build-to-suit projects.
• Partner with other business leaders in M&A due diligence and real estate opportunities post-acquisition.
• Provide financial review for real estate planning across operating and capital budgets, identifying opportunities for cost savings and balancing quality with spend. Coordinate with key internal partners and outside firms to identify portfolio consolidation and cost reduction opportunities.
• Works with legal counsel, real estate brokers and architects/space planners as needed
• Partner with the Human Resources and Safety team to establish and maintain office standards that ensure creative workspace practices, systems, including our approach to space-planning, leveraging digital, automation, and contemporary technology.
• Regularly works with Managers in local area to fulfill expectations. Uses independent judgment and decision-making to plan and prioritize work and develop strategies within areas of responsibility.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Facilities Management, Architecture, or similar discipline required. Corporate Real Estate professional designation preferred. Project management certification a plus.
• Extensive knowledge of the principles, policies and practices relating to the corporate real estate industry.
• 10+ years of experience in corporate real estate portfolio management, property management and lease administration with a minimum of 5 years of experience with industrial real estate transactions.
• Works independently and collaboratively.
• Ability to apply analytical rigor, strong financial acumen including cash flow, P&L and transaction business case analytics with ability to quickly understand broad range of business issues and business processes.
• Expert relationship and communications skills with all levels of the organization. Builds trust and rapport with executive management, teammates, and vendors.
• Highly organized with strong strategic planning, decision making and negotiation skills and executes based on sound judgement.
• Works effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines effectively and rapidly shifting priorities
• Some travel required.

Competencies:

• Leadership Impact: Embraces our vision, creates a common focus, and inspires others to meet organizational goals; Demonstrates a passion for their work; Develops trust at all levels by showing consistency between words and action; Influences high performance by establishing and leveraging credibility; a force multiplier; Employs the appropriate leadership style to maximize individual and group performance given the situation; A role model and consistently challenging the status quo.
• Analytical Thinker: Demonstrates database thinking using information from various sources before acting; notices discrepancies and inconsistencies in available information; identifies a set of features, parameters, or considerations to take into account, in analyzing a situation or making a decision; weighs the costs, benefits, risks, and chances for success, in making a decision.
• Problem Solver/Decision Maker: Quickly recognizes and addresses barriers to achieving results, resolves problems, and makes decisions based on facts and data; knows when more data is needed; supports collaborative, fact-based decision-making at the level in the organization where the best expertise and information reside, always uses sound business judgment and common sense before acting; applies the appropriate amount of time to the varying complexity of decisions.
• Commercial Acumen: Ability to view situations from a commercial perspective. Able to think commercially; understands risk allocation; develops strategic relationships; apply commercial expertise to achieve business objectives and navigate the challenges that come with understanding the commercial, financial, and business drivers.
• Customer Focused: Demonstrates a passion for predicting, understanding, and executing what it will take to meet internal customer and external expectations; does a great job every day in service, quality, delivery and value; works to ensure we are easy to do business with; listens to and responds to others needs; builds relationships with and gains trust of others by always meeting commitments.
• Effective Communicator: Creates and fosters an open environment for effective communication; disseminates information in a timely manner; actively listens to others and retains information; uses all communication methods to influence, negotiate and collaborate effectively; clearly and succinctly expresses information, ideas, and opinions (verbal and written); seeks input and feedback from others.
• Technical/Functional Excellence: Strives to be an expert and continues to increase technical/functional knowledge thru formal & informal learning; looks for ways to apply new and emerging technologies, concepts; is sought out by others to provide functional or technical advice.

What we offer:

• Corporate culture based on integrity, respect, accountability, and excellence
• Comprehensive training with numerous learning and development opportunities
• An attractive salary reflecting skills, competencies, and potential
• A career with a global packaging company where Sustainability, Safety and Inclusion are business drivers and foundational elements of the daily work