The Senior Specialist, Real Estate is responsible for end-to-end site management, from scouting and lease negotiation to serving as the primary point of contact between Talabat and its landlords across all locations. This individual will work closely with internal stakeholders across business functions to ensure real estate solutions align with operational needs and landlord relationships are proactively managed. This role requires strong negotiation skills, relationship management, and an ability to troubleshoot real estate-related issues across departments.

What's On Your Plate:

• Site Scouting & Deal Sourcing: Identify, evaluate, and propose suitable real estate options based on the needs of business functions (e.g., dark stores, kitchens, logistics). Maintain a strong pipeline of potential properties aligned with Talabat s expansion strategy. Collaborate with commercial and data teams to align site selection. Manage ethical non-conflicting relationships with external real estate brokers, consultants, and advisors to maximize market coverage and deal flow.
• Landlord Relationship Management: Build and maintain strong relationships with landlords, property managers, and building management POCs. Act as the single point of contact between landlords and internal teams, ensuring smooth communication and timely issue resolution.
• Lease Negotiation & Contract Management: Lead lease and renewal negotiations, securing favorable terms that meet both business needs and legal requirements. Collaborate with legal and finance teams to ensure timely finalization of contracts and compliance with internal policies. Proactively manage upcoming renewals and exits to mitigate financial or operational risk. Conduct rent benchmarking against market rates to ensure competitive lease terms across the portfolio. Track renewal options, termination clauses, termination rights, and lease expirations with proactive management timelines to avoid missed deadlines. Drive cost optimization initiatives across the portfolio, including renegotiations, consolidations, and early exit strategies where appropriate.
• Issue Resolution & Stakeholder Support: Work with business teams to address property-related issues, ensuring landlord accountability and timely resolution (e.g., maintenance delays, access issues). Escalate recurring issues or disputes and propose alternative solutions in collaboration with internal stakeholders.
• Due Diligence & Regulatory Compliance: Conduct due diligence on prospective sites, including verification of Title Deed, ownership details, and permitted activities, before deal progression. Ensure compliance with UAE real estate regulations including RERA, Ejari, and municipality approval requirements. Coordinate with relevant authorities and teams on DED (or equivalent) licensing and municipality permits as needed to support new site openings.
• Handover & Fit-Out Coordination: Coordinate property handover between landlords and internal construction/fit-out teams, ensuring premises meet operational and technical specifications.
• Process Improvement: Provide input into workflow design, documentation, and system updates that streamline real estate operations. Contribute insights to improve lead tracking, visibility, and turnaround time across markets. Maintain structured lease document management and archiving to ensure a complete audit trail and easy retrieval across the portfolio.

Desired Candidate Profile

• 5-8 years of experience in real estate, leasing, or property management ideally in a Retail, F&B, E-commerce or logistics environment.
• Proven ability to negotiate commercial contracts and manage stakeholders under time pressure.
• Strong relationship-building and interpersonal skills.
• High attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Comfortable working cross-functionally and escalating bottlenecks when needed.