Job details

Head of Real Estate

About Primer

Fixing our K-12 education system is a civilizationally-important problem. We believe that all of our problems — including the ones that dominate the headlines — are downstream of education.

We have a simple thesis on how to solve it: empower 1,000's of educators to launch microschools in their communities.

We believe the historical tradeoff between price (tuition) and quality is a false dichotomy.

PrimerOS automates and eliminates much of the costs of traditional schools. Microschools have a structural advantage — asset-light real estate — which means much lower capex and opex. You put it together, and you get something that's never existed before: a world-class education that's accessible to normal American families and can rapidly scale.

What You’ll Do

In the abstract, our goal is to decrease the friction required to launch each new Primer microschool. We have thousands of teachers ready to launch, and it’s our job to pave the way for them. We define friction in three buckets: time, cost, and effort.

To launch 1,000’s of microschools in a year, we need a real estate engine that can efficiently deliver new spaces for our microschools. We’ve made great zero-to-one progress here, with 23 microschools across Florida and Arizona. We’re looking for a Real Estate Lead that can turn this into an engine that can scale nationwide.

You’ll own the entire real estate process for each new microschool: from the earliest conversations about new market expansion to delivering a fully-approved space ready for students on the first day of school. You’ll be accountable to delivering these spaces below budget and ahead of schedule, minimizing both opex and capex in our expansion to new markets. You can expect to lean into our current asset-light strategy – partnering with churches, libraries, and community centers – and finding new unlocks for other paths to scale.

You should be an expert in local approval processes – certificates of use, changes of use, health inspections, DERM approvals, and more – and be maniacal about shaving off hours and days of each step of the process.

You should be excellent at operating both deep in the weeds of each new school approval as well as ensuring we’re building the engine that can scale – executing at both the 5,000 foot view and the 20,000 foot view at the same time.

Responsibilities

Work with the executive team to select new expansion markets for Primer.
Identify, source, and secure new properties within those markets (or, even better, design campaigns to bring the ideal properties to us).
Own the end-to-end process of negotiating and leasing each new property, getting the property ready for students, and navigating all approval processes (local fire, health, certificates of use, and Department of Education).
Architecting the real estate engine that will allow us to eventually open 1,000’s of new microschools each year.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience obtaining regulatory approval for local physical businesses, ideally in multiple municipalities.
Experience identifying expansion opportunities – including both market-level analysis and property-level analysis.
Work experience within a fast-growing startup is a plus.

If this sounds like you, fill out the application below with a bit about yourself and we'll take it from there! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to email us at jobs@primer.com.

What You Should Know About Head of Real Estate, Primer

At Primer, we’re passionate about revolutionizing K-12 education, and we’re looking for a dynamic Head of Real Estate to help us make a lasting impact! Our mission is to empower educators to launch microschools, ensuring quality education is accessible to all families. As the Head of Real Estate, your role will be crucial in minimizing the friction involved in launching these new microschools. You’ll oversee the entire real estate process, from market expansion conversations to delivering school spaces ready for students. Imagine working with community partners like churches and libraries to create learning environments that spark joy and inspiration! Your expertise in local approval processes is essential, as you navigate certificates of use and health inspections while ensuring we stay ahead of schedule and under budget. If you're skilled at both the nitty-gritty details and the bigger picture, you might just be the leader we need to scale up our efforts across the nation. With existing microschools in Florida and Arizona, we're excited to take our mission to new heights, and we want you to be a part of it. Bring your skills in identifying ideal properties and your relentless drive to streamline operations, and together we can transform education for thousands of students. Join Primer today, and let’s make a difference, one microschool at a time!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Head of Real Estate Role at Primer

What are the main responsibilities of the Head of Real Estate at Primer?

The Head of Real Estate at Primer will primarily oversee the end-to-end real estate process for launching new microschools. This includes selecting new markets for expansion, sourcing and securing properties, negotiating leases, and navigating local approval processes. It’s essential to minimize costs while ensuring timely delivery, as you'll be expected to architect a scalable real estate engine that supports opening thousands of schools annually.