Director, Global Real Estate & Portfolio Strategy

Director, Global Real Estate & Portfolio Strategy

Work Mode: Onsite

Location: Onsite, four days per week – Kohler, WI

Opportunity

Lead Kohler Co.’s global real estate strategy and portfolio, ensuring assets are fully optimized to drive business growth, efficiency, and value creation. This role is accountable for long-term strategic planning, proactive portfolio management, and unlocking market opportunities, including retail expansion and income-generating real estate initiatives.

Specific Responsibilities

Enterprise Strategy & Portfolio Leadership

• Develop and execute global real estate strategy aligned with enterprise and BU priorities
• Proactively manage portfolio as a strategic asset, ensuring highest and best use
• Identify and advance opportunities to monetize underutilized assets (reposition, redeploy, divest)
• Establish governance, metrics, and standards to drive portfolio performance and ROI

Portfolio Optimization & Value Creation

• Drive utilization, footprint optimization, and cost efficiency across global portfolio
• Deliver sustained cost savings and asset value enhancement
• Implement data-driven insights to inform investment and portfolio decisions

Retail & Market Development

• Lead retail real estate strategy (showrooms, hospitality, brand experiences)
• Identify and execute leasing and partnership opportunities to generate new revenue streams

Advance mixed-use and market-driven developments to position real estate as a profit center

Transactions & Execution

• Oversee all global acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, and development
• Lead cross-functional execution including site selection, underwriting, negotiations, and due diligence
• Ensure disciplined financial modeling, risk management, and strategic alignment
• Approve/review all company real estate transactions

Leadership & Cross-Functional Partnership

• Lead global Real Estate team (portfolio, asset, and property management)
• Partner with Business Units, Finance, Legal, Facilities, and Construction
• Influence executive decision-making through clear, data-driven recommendations
• Build high-performing team aligned to Kohler leadership competencies:
• Build Trust
• Set High Standards
• Continuous Improvement
• Focus on the Customer

Skills/Requirements

• Proven track record leading global real estate strategy and portfolio optimization
• Deep expertise in asset management, site selection, and transaction execution (acquisitions, leasing, dispositions, development)
• Demonstrated ability to identify and monetize underutilized real estate assets
• Strong experience in retail real estate, mixed-use development, and market-driven opportunities
• Advanced financial acumen, including investment modeling, ROI analysis, and value creation strategies
• Experience driving portfolio efficiency, footprint optimization, and cost reduction initiatives
• Ability to translate market insights into actionable enterprise strategy
• Executive presence with proven ability to influence senior leadership and C-suite decisions
• Strong cross-functional leadership and global stakeholder management capability
• Experience leading and developing high-performing, globally dispersed teams
• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or relevant advanced degree preferred
• Willingness to travel globally

Applicants must be authorized to work in the US without requiring sponsorship now or in the future.

We believe in supporting you from the moment you join us, which is why Kohler offers day 1 benefits. This means you’ll have access to your applicable benefit programs from your first day on the job, with no waiting period. The salary range for this position is $163,950 - $260,350. The specific salary offered to a candidate may be influenced by a variety of factors including the candidate’s experience, their education, and the work location. In addition, this position is eligible for a performance bonus/variable incentive compensation.

Why Choose Kohler?

We empower each associate to #BecomeMoreAtKohler with a competitive total rewards package to support your health and wellbeing, access to career growth and development opportunities, a diverse and inclusive workplace, and a strong culture of innovation. With more than 30,000 bold leaders across the globe, we’re driving meaningful change in our mission to help people live gracious, healthy, and sustainable lives.

About Us It is Kohler’s policy to recruit, hire, and promote qualified applicants without regard to race, creed, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, disability or status as a protected veteran. If, as an individual with a disability, you need reasonable accommodation during the recruitment process, please contact kohlerjobs@kohler.com . Kohler Co. is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.