General Manager, Garden City Center

Overview

The General Manager (GM) has overall responsibility for the success and excellence of Garden City Center and is relentlessly focused on customer, tenant, and client experience while always keeping the financial bottom line in mind. Garden City Center has recently unveiled a major new building in that includes 24+ new tenants.  The GM is a leader at WS Development and has direct reports including a Marketing lead, assistant Marketing Manager, an Operations lead, Maintenance Technician, and a Property Coordinator.  The ideal candidate will be both a strategic leader and one that motivates his/her cross-functional and direct report team with a passion for and understanding of a modern consumer-centric experience. This person looks to analogous but disparate industries (think Disney, cultural centers, civic public space, etc.) for inspiration and understands our innate challenge is a battle for people’s time – in the pursuit of creating places where people want to be. Further, this person will possess exceptional interpersonal skills, the ability to sell what we do and inspire partners around the mission. This includes selling in the context of Leasing tours and brand partnership development. We work in an entrepreneurial environment, so the candidate must have the ability to pivot and evolve, and to make decisions in a rapidly-changing environment. Comfort in business plans, strategy, and financial fluency are a part of day to day project management. Candidates will come from a wide variety of backgrounds including retail, hospitality, entertainment and marketing. The day-to-day work of a GM is highly cross-functional in nature.    The GM will report to a regional Director of Asset Strategy and Experience.

Key position accountabilities

• Overall responsibility for achieving excellence in the day to day operations of Garden City Center
• Oversight and ownership of general budget, supporting the business plan, and thinking like a fiduciary.
• Lead regular activities of the center including brand management, marketing, operations, customer service, sales and administrative management
• Build + manage external partnerships, including those with tenants, customers, the community, the government and financial partners
• Actively consider your consumer and help identify leads for Leasing; partner with Leasing to attract, retain, and grow the best tenants in the market
• Partner with Construction and Development to improve the property and continually focus on the details that make the customer experience the best it can be (consider parking, added services, amenities, public spaces, art, etc.)
• Build and drive strategic brand partnerships, resulting in incremental revenue and added value experiences for your guests
• Experience working in a complex cross-functional environment involving management of a wide variety of stakeholders– including the Executive Committee, marketing, operations, brand partnerships, competitive landscape, etc.
• Garden City Center currently has three active development projects underway; the GM is responsible for leading and connecting the cross-functional team across each initiative, ensuring alignment, momentum, and seamless execution throughout the development process
• Manage the property finances within the context of its performance and critically evaluate financial trade-offs.  This includes preparing a budget and its management.
• Juggle a large workload with a focus on impact vs effort (and where your ROI will be the most effective)
• Develop and participate in a proactive MOD plan for your center
• Leverage AI as a fundamental part of the role – from data-driven decision making and operational efficiency to tenant engagement and marketing.  The role requires you to stay at the forefront of tools and approaches that elevate the center’s performance, team’s initiatives and guest experience.

Qualifications and competencies

• Experience-centric mindset

• Enthusiasm, curiosity, entrepreneurial initiative, and a strong work ethic
• A people-person who enjoys developing people, growing relationships and collaboration
• Ability to provide both strategic guidance and day-to-day tactical direction on a wide variety of operational and marketing-related matters
• Strong organizational skills
• Salesmanship and passion
• Clear, concise communication skills
• Desire to work hard & with a strong sense of urgency
• Can-do, optimistic attitude
• Orientation toward innovation and trying new things
• Consistent focus on optimization and improvement (both self-improvement and the work)
• High ethical standards and integrity
• Proficiency in computer skills, including Microsoft Office, Word, Excel and Outlook
• Experience leading a cross-functional team towards productive, shared outcomes
• Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously
• Comfort with ambiguity and adaptability to change

Education and experience

• College degree required with MBA or other advanced degree preferred
• 7+ years experience in retail property management, retail, consumer goods, hospitality, marketing or a service industry preferred
• Experience working in a fast-paced, rapidly evolving workplace
• Demonstrated success as a proven leader, passionate about hiring great people, leading great people, and developing great people

About WS Development

Massachusetts-based WS Development is a mixed-use developer with a singular mission: creating places people want to be. With an approach that values art, science, innovation and, above all else, people, WS strives to engage each community it serves with best-in-class experiences, designed with our customers, tenants and partners in mind. Established in 1990, WS is one of few vertically-integrated real estate companies that conceptualizes, owns, operates and leases more than 100 properties that range from cutting-edge urban spaces to lifestyle and community centers. With over 22 million square feet of existing space and an additional nine million square feet under development, it is one of the largest privately-owned development firms in the country.

WS is where great ideas and great people come together to design, build, and operate some of the best loved real estate projects in the country. We live at the intersection of entrepreneurship and establishment. We have the infrastructure of decades supporting a culture of free-thinking excellence.

We expect every WS employee to feel welcomed and valued irrespective of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, veteran status, marital status, parental status, cultural background, and life experiences. Or for any other reason.