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Restaurant Brands International Inc. is one of the world's largest quick service restaurant companies with nearly $45 billion in annual system-wide sales and over 32,000 restaurants in more than 120 countries and territories.
RBI owns four of the world's most prominent and iconic quick service restaurant brands – TIM HORTONS®, BURGER KING®, POPEYES®, and FIREHOUSE SUBS®. These independently operated brands have been serving their respective guests, franchisees and communities for decades. Through its Restaurant Brands for Good framework, RBI is improving sustainable outcomes related to its food, the planet, and people and communities.
RBI is committed to growing the TIM HORTONS®, BURGER KING®, POPEYES® and FIREHOUSE SUBS® brands by leveraging their respective core values, employee and franchisee relationships, and long track records of community support. Each brand benefits from the global scale and shared best practices that come from ownership by Restaurant Brands International Inc.
Job Summary
The Director, Development Execution & Real Estate owns the strategy and execution of the Tim Hortons US restaurant development pipeline, including new restaurant openings, remodels, closures, and real estate site selection. This role is accountable for the health, growth, and optimization of the US restaurant portfolio and leads a team of four.
The Director develops and executes the broader market expansion and real estate strategy for Tim Hortons US, helping guide where and how the brand grows across the United States. The role requires thoughtful evaluation of market potential, real estate availability, restaurant density, franchisee capabilities, supply-chain considerations, and long-term portfolio economics.
The Director partners directly with Tim Hortons US leadership, franchisees, Legal, Finance, Design & Construction, and RBI’s broader real estate and development community to drive profitable new-unit growth, portfolio optimization, and restaurant image transformation. This role owns the development lifecycle from market and site identification through real estate underwriting, site approval, construction handoff, and grand opening, while also leading remodel strategy and closure mitigation to protect the health of the overall restaurant network.
RBI follows a 5 day, in-office work schedule to support collaboration. Successful candidates will be expected to work onsite 5 days per week.
Responsibilities:
- Own the strategy, budget, and execution of the US restaurant development pipeline, including new openings, remodels, and closures, in partnership with Tim Hortons US leadership.
- Develop and execute the market expansion and real estate strategy for Tim Hortons US, including market prioritization, existing-market densification, adjacent-market expansion, and selective entry into new markets.
- Evaluate market opportunities based on long-term growth potential, restaurant density, real estate availability, franchisee capabilities, supply-chain access, customer awareness, and operating scale.
- Lead the Real Estate function for Tim Hortons US, overseeing site-selection strategy, market planning, real estate underwriting, and site-approval recommendations.
- Lead the Development Execution function, overseeing the administrative, approval, and project-management processes supporting restaurant openings and remodels.
- Build and review financial analyses for development and real estate opportunities, including site-level ROI, IRR, payback, capital investment, rent, incentives, sensitivities, and portfolio-level tradeoffs. Translate analysis into clear recommendations for senior leadership.
- Manage, coach, and develop a team of four, setting priorities, building capability, and driving accountability across both functions.
- Serve as the primary point of accountability to Tim Hortons leadership for market recommendations, site recommendations, portfolio strategy, development economics, and closure mitigation plans.
- Partner cross-functionally with franchisees, Finance, Design & Construction, Legal, and external stakeholders to ensure real estate transactions and development projects are completed on time, within budget, and in line with approved returns.
- Lead closure mitigation and portfolio optimization strategy for the US market, identifying at-risk restaurants early and developing retention, relocation, transfer, or closure plans to protect the overall network.
- Own the US remodel pipeline, ensuring restaurants are prioritized appropriately, investment scopes are aligned with restaurant economics, image standards are met, and projects remain on schedule.
- Oversee project setup, tracking, and reporting across Lucernex and other project-management systems, ensuring data integrity and reliable leadership reporting.
- Represent Development and Real Estate on enterprise-wide initiatives, ensuring Tim Hortons US priorities are reflected in broader RBI real estate and development strategy.
Organizational Structure -
This role leads a team of four:
- Two Real Estate Managers
- One Development Execution Manager
- One Development Execution Senior Manager
Skills & Qualifications:
- Proven people-leadership experience, with a track record of managing, coaching, and developing managers
- Knowledge of restaurant or retail real estate, including site selection, market planning, market analysis, lease and purchase negotiations, and portfolio strategy
- Strong financial and analytical acumen, including experience building financial models, evaluating site-level returns, managing development budgets, and assessing capital-investment tradeoffs
- Strategic mindset with the ability to evaluate long-term market expansion opportunities while balancing growth, returns, risk, and operational feasibility
- Executive-level communication and presentation skills, with experience presenting recommendations to senior leadership
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel and PowerPoint
- Excellent organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple concurrent priorities and deadlines across a large, multi-market portfolio
- Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with franchise partners, internal Real Estate, Design, Construction, Legal, Finance, and outside counsel
- Extensive experience negotiating with and influencing franchisees and external stakeholders
- Knowledge of real estate and development databases and systems, such as Lucernex
- Ability to anticipate, prioritize, and resolve complex and ambiguous problems independently
Education and Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Real Estate, Finance, or a related field; MBA preferred
- 8+ years of progressive experience in franchising, business development, real estate, finance, and/or restaurant development, including direct people-leadership experience
- Proven experience leading market expansion, real estate site selection, financial underwriting, and/or development execution for a multi-unit restaurant or retail brand
- Demonstrated experience building or reviewing financial analyses for development, real estate, or capital-investment decisions
- Extensive franchisee- or customer-facing experience required
- Demonstrated experience managing complex vendor, franchisee, and cross-functional relationships at a senior level
#TimHortons
RBI follows a 5 day, in-office work schedule to support collaboration. Successful candidates will be expected to work onsite 5 days per week.
Benefits at all of our global offices are focused on physical, mental and financial wellness. We offer unique and progressive benefits, including a comprehensive global paid parental leave program that supports employees as they expand their families, free telemedicine and mental wellness support.
Restaurant Brands International and all of its affiliated companies (collectively, RBI) are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers that do not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, provincial or federal laws, rules, or regulations. RBI's policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment. Accommodation is available for applicants with disabilities upon request.
