Head of Retail Strategy & Leasing

Head of Retail Leasing

Location

Johor Bahru, Malaysia (Open to candidates based in Singapore)

Reporting To

Senior Executive Leadership Team

About The Opportunity

Our client is an established property developer with a strong track record in large-scale township, mixed-use, commercial, and residential developments across Malaysia.

As part of its continued growth and expansion plans, the company is developing a new retail destination within Johor Bahru and is seeking an experienced retail leasing leader to join the project during its early development phase.

This is a unique opportunity for an experienced leasing professional to influence the commercial vision, retail positioning, tenant strategy, and long-term success of a major retail development from concept through to launch.

The successful candidate will work closely with senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to establish a compelling retail offering that delivers sustainable occupancy, rental growth, customer traffic, and long-term asset value.

Key Responsibilities

Retail Leasing Strategy & Commercial Planning

• Develop and execute the overall leasing strategy for a new retail development.
• Participate in shaping the retail concept, positioning, and commercial direction of the project.
• Conduct market analysis, competitive benchmarking, and demand assessments.
• Identify market opportunities and recommend suitable retail categories and concepts.
• Align leasing strategies with business objectives, financial targets, and asset performance goals.

Tenant Acquisition & Relationship Management

• Build and maintain relationships with local, regional, and international retailers.
• Identify and secure anchor tenants, key brands, and traffic-driving concepts.
• Develop leasing pipelines and proactively source potential tenants.
• Lead lease negotiations and commercial discussions.
• Foster long-term relationships with retailers and business partners.

Tenant Mix & Asset Performance

• Curate and maintain an optimal tenant mix that enhances customer experience and commercial performance.
• Drive occupancy levels, rental income, tenant retention, and rental growth.
• Monitor tenant performance and identify opportunities to improve overall asset productivity.
• Ensure leasing strategies support long-term profitability and value creation.

Market Intelligence & Business Development

• Monitor retail market trends, consumer behaviour, and industry developments.
• Identify emerging retail concepts and expansion opportunities.
• Develop insights into cross-border retail opportunities and regional market dynamics.
• Provide strategic recommendations to support leasing and asset performance initiatives.

Stakeholder Management

• Collaborate closely with Asset Management, Marketing, Operations, Finance, and Project teams.
• Support commercial planning, branding initiatives, and pre-opening activities.
• Present leasing updates, forecasts, and recommendations to senior management.
• Maintain strong relationships with external stakeholders, consultants, and retail partners.

Leasing Operations & Governance

• Oversee lease negotiations, documentation, and commercial structuring.
• Ensure compliance with relevant legal, regulatory, and corporate requirements.
• Establish leasing policies, processes, and governance frameworks.
• Monitor leasing KPIs and performance metrics.

Systems & Process Improvement

• Drive effective utilisation of leasing administration systems and reporting tools.
• Improve leasing data management, reporting accuracy, and operational efficiency.
• Streamline workflows and establish best practices across the leasing function.

Team Leadership

• Build, develop, and lead the leasing team.
• Recruit, mentor, and manage team members.
• Establish performance objectives and KPIs.
• Foster a high-performance and collaborative culture.

Requirements

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Marketing, Real Estate, Property Management, or a related discipline.

Experience

• Minimum 10 years of experience in retail leasing, shopping malls, mixed-use developments, retail asset management, or commercial property portfolios.
• Proven track record in developing and executing successful leasing strategies.
• Strong experience securing and managing relationships with retailers, anchor tenants, and commercial partners.
• Demonstrated success in driving occupancy, rental growth, and asset performance.
• Experience in new development, pre-opening projects, mall repositioning, or asset enhancement initiatives will be advantageous.
• Familiarity with the Malaysian and/or Singapore retail property markets is preferred.

Competencies

• Retail leasing strategy.
• Tenant mix planning.
• Lease negotiations and commercial structuring.
• Retail market analysis.
• Asset performance management.
• Financial and commercial acumen.
• Stakeholder management.
• Leadership and team development.

Personal Attributes

• Strategic and commercially driven.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to build initiatives from the ground up.
• Strong relationship-building and negotiation skills.
• Results-oriented and performance-focused.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.
• Proven leadership experience with the ability to influence across multiple functions.

Key Success Measures

The Successful Candidate Will Be Expected To Deliver

• Strong tenant acquisition and leasing pipeline development.
• Sustainable occupancy and rental growth targets.
• Effective tenant mix and retail positioning.
• Strong retailer engagement and retention.
• Operationally efficient leasing processes and systems.
• Long-term asset profitability and value creation.

Why Consider This Opportunity?

• Opportunity to shape a significant retail development from an early stage.
• High visibility role with direct interaction with senior leadership.
• Ability to influence retail positioning, tenant strategy, and commercial performance.
• Opportunity to build and lead a leasing function while contributing to a landmark development project.
• Exposure to a dynamic and entrepreneurial development environment with long-term growth potential.