Portfolio Manager - Retail

The Portfolio Manager: Retail is responsible for the effective management, performance, tenant retention, operational coordination and income growth of the clients retail property portfolio.

The role requires strong tenant relationship management, close collaboration with the Leasing, Asset Management, Finance, Legal, Property Management and Administration teams, and the proactive management of renewals, vacancies, recoveries, billing accuracy, compliance and retail trading performance.

The Portfolio Manager must ensure that the retail portfolio is managed efficiently, commercially and professionally, with a clear focus on income growth, tenant retention, operational readiness and long-term portfolio value.

2. Key Responsibilities

2.1 Tenant Relationship Management and Retention

The Portfolio Manager will be responsible for managing existing tenant relationships across the retail portfolio and ensuring that strong, professional relationships are maintained with the clients tenants.

Key duties include:

• Managing all existing tenant relationships and lease renewals.
• Ensuring strong tenant relationships are built and maintained to maximise tenant retention.
• Minimising negative rental reversions across the portfolio.
• Interacting with all the clients' tenants in a timeous, efficient and professional manner.
• Managing and resolving tenant queries relating to tenancies.
• Working with the Lease Administration Manager, Debtors Clerk and other relevant departments to resolve tenant-related issues where required.
• Identifying pending or prospective problematic tenants and reporting these timeously to the Asset Manager and COO.
• Briefing the Legal Manager where necessary to recover funds from tenants or to deal with tenant lease breaches.

2.2 Leasing, Renewals and Vacancy Management

The Portfolio Manager will work closely with the Leasing team to reduce vacancies and support the optimisation of the tenant mix across the retail portfolio.

Key duties include:

• Ensuring that all tenant renewals are executed well in advance of their respective expiry dates.
• Working closely with the Leasing team to reduce pending vacancies across the portfolio.
• Identifying re-letting opportunities, including opportunities to relocate tenants within the portfolio where this may create value or accommodate new leasing opportunities.
• Providing signed tenant renewals to the landlord for signature once received.
• Providing timeous and accurate reports to the Asset Manager and COO regarding the lease expiry profile.
• Making recommendations to improve the lease expiry profile, tenant retention and portfolio performance.
• Providing input into income forecasts.

2.3 Portfolio Knowledge and Property Oversight

The Portfolio Manager must have a strong working knowledge of every property within the assigned retail portfolio.

Key duties include:

• Ensuring detailed familiarity with every property in the portfolio.
• Working closely with Property & Maintenance Managers to ensure properties are managed effectively.
• Ensuring timeous take-back inspections are conducted when tenants vacate premises.
• Supporting the implementation of portfolio optimisation systems where applicable.
• Ensuring harmonious interaction between Portfolio Management, Property Management, Lease Administration, Portfolio Administration and other departments.
• Managing the REIT portfolio in the most efficient and effective manner to support income growth, future readiness and achievement of business objectives.

2.4 Billing, Recoveries and Debtors Support

The Portfolio Manager will be responsible for reviewing billing accuracy and ensuring tenant recoveries are properly managed.

Key duties include:

• Signing off monthly pre-billing checks once prepared by the Property Administrator.
• Ensuring that all tenant recoveries have been included in tenant invoices.
• Ensuring that CPI-related lease escalations are correctly accounted for in monthly billing.
• Checking debit orders together with Debtors Management.
• Reviewing tenant utility recoveries and identifying opportunities to maximise recoveries where possible.
• Ensuring that the Lease Administration Manager advises the utilities management company timeously when tenants vacate or occupy premises.
• Ensuring that the utilities management company has the most up-to-date tenancy schedule for meter reading and billing purposes.
• Ensuring that tenant invoices are sent out within the required billing timelines.

2.5 Retail Trading Metrics and Reporting

The Portfolio Manager will be responsible for the monthly collection, recording and reporting of retail trading metrics across the portfolio.

Key duties include:

• Collecting monthly retail trading information from tenants and relevant parties.
• Recording and reporting retail turnover figures.
• Monitoring and reporting trading densities.
• Monitoring and reporting centre foot-counts.
• Analysing trading performance to identify trends, risks and opportunities.
• Providing timeous and accurate retail performance reports to the Asset Manager, COO and other relevant stakeholders.

2.6 Compliance and Risk Management

The Portfolio Manager must support the statutory and operational compliance of the retail portfolio.

Key duties include:

• Working with Property & Maintenance Managers to implement and monitor portfolio statutory compliance.
• Ensuring that compliance matters are addressed timeously and escalated where necessary.
• Identifying and reporting tenant, lease, operational or compliance risks.
• Ensuring that all portfolio-related functions on MDA are updated in accordance with business and operational requirements.
• Supporting internal governance processes and ensuring compliance with the clients policies and procedures.

2.7 Acquisitions, New Buildings and Due Diligence Support

The Portfolio Manager will assist with portfolio growth and onboarding of newly acquired properties where required.

Key duties include:

• Assisting the mergers and acquisitions team during due diligence investigations by providing relevant property, tenant, lease or operational information where required.
• Providing the Lease Administration Manager with all relevant information required to load new buildings acquired by the REIT.
• Ensuring that all applicable agreements, recoveries and operational information relating to newly acquired buildings are provided to the relevant internal teams.
• Supporting the smooth integration of new retail properties into the clients' portfolio management systems and processes.

2.8 Internal Stakeholder Management

The Portfolio Manager will be required to work closely with multiple internal departments to ensure the efficient management of the retail portfolio.

Key duties include:

• Maintaining close interaction with the Lease Administration Manager, as this relationship is essential to the successful execution of the role.
• Interacting closely with the Asset Manager, COO, Leasing team, Finance department, Legal Manager, Debtors team, Property Administrator and Property & Maintenance Managers.
• Assisting the Finance department with queries where required.
• Interacting with group auditors when and where required.
• Working collaboratively with all departments to ensure effective portfolio management and business alignment.

3. Systems and Administration

The Portfolio Manager is required to ensure that all relevant systems, records and administrative functions are accurately maintained.

Key duties include:

• Ensuring that all relevant MDA functions are updated in accordance with operational and business requirements.
• Ensuring that tenant, lease, billing, recovery and property information is accurately captured and maintained.
• Supporting accurate and timeous internal reporting.
• Ensuring that portfolio administration is completed in line with company standards and procedures.

4. Reporting Requirements

The Portfolio Manager is responsible for providing accurate, timeous and commercially useful reporting to the Asset Manager and COO.

Reports may include, but are not limited to:

• Lease expiry profiles.
• Tenant renewal status reports.
• Vacancy and re-letting opportunity reports.
• Problematic tenant reports.
• Retail turnover reports.
• Trading density reports.
• Foot-count reports.
• Utility recovery analysis.
• Income forecast inputs.
• Compliance and operational risk updates.
• Portfolio performance recommendations.

5. Key Performance Areas

The success of the Portfolio Manager: Retail will be measured against the following key areas:

• Tenant retention and tenant relationship quality.
• Reduction of vacancies across the retail portfolio.
• Timely execution of lease renewals.
• Minimisation of negative rental reversions.
• Accuracy and completeness of tenant billing and recoveries.
• Improvement and maximisation of utility recoveries.
• Quality and timeliness of reporting.
• Accuracy of MDA and portfolio administration.
• Effective coordination with internal departments.
• Statutory compliance monitoring across the portfolio.
• Collection and reporting of accurate retail trading metrics.
• Effective management of tenant risks and lease breaches.

6. Recommended Minimum Requirements

Education

• Relevant tertiary qualification in Property Studies, Real Estate, Business Management, Finance, Commerce or a related field would be advantageous.
• Additional property management, asset management or lease administration training would be beneficial.

Experience

• Proven experience in commercial or retail property management.
• Experience managing tenant relationships, lease renewals, recoveries and billing processes.
• Retail portfolio management experience will be highly advantageous.
• Experience using MDA or similar property management systems would be advantageous.
• Experience working with leases, tenant recoveries, utilities, arrears, vacancies and property administration.

Knowledge

The successful candidate should have sound knowledge of:

• Retail property management.
• Lease administration and lease renewal processes.
• Tenant billing, recoveries and utility management.
• Retail trading metrics, including turnover, trading densities and foot-counts.
• Property statutory compliance requirements.
• Tenant relationship management.
• Debtors processes and arrears escalation.
• Commercial property reporting.
• MDA or equivalent property management systems.

7. Required Competencies

The Portfolio Manager: Retail should demonstrate the following competencies:

• Strong tenant relationship management skills.
• Commercial awareness and financial understanding.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills.
• Strong administrative accuracy and attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple properties and priorities.
• Proactive problem-solving ability.
• Strong reporting and analytical skills.
• Ability to work across departments and manage internal stakeholders.
• Sound judgement and professional conduct.
• Ability to identify risks and escalate matters appropriately.
• Strong understanding of retail property operations.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.

8. Company Policies and Procedures

The Portfolio Manager is required to comply with all the clients policies, procedures and standards, including the Employee Handbook, operational policies, reporting procedures and any other company requirements applicable to the role.