Strategic site placement & real estate development associate

About Vale

At Vale, our goal is to make magic and bring the real benefits of matcha to a billion people. We are a group of fun-loving, matcha enthusiasts who believe that a good idea can come from anywhere. Vale is a Seattle startup making magic through cutting-edge technology, logistic networks, automation, and world class hospitality experiences. We’re reinventing grab-and-go drinks with fully automated cold-drink kiosks and a digital platform that ties cafés, carts, and machines into one magical guest experience. Our mission is to inspire and delight customers while pushing the frontier of engineering and design.

The Role

Vale Matcha is a company looking to turn matcha on its head, creating the first modern matcha company. This role will work closely with our CEO and Founder and our General Manager and Head of Field Ops. This is a critical role at Vale. Our strategy is to place matcha bars in key placements that will then evolve to our fleet of automated self-serve matcha bars. This role will initially be focused on the Seattle area but expand into a national strategic role based on performance and execution. We are looking for someone with a “winner’s mindset” that will work with a founder’s zeal to build a fast scaling business. Our Strategic Site Placement & Real Estate Development Associate will build and qualify the pipeline of potential new concept locations. This hands-on role focuses on sourcing opportunities, developing broker and landlord relationships, touring sites, conducting initial due diligence, and organizing findings for leadership review.

Key Responsibilities

• Proactively source on-market and off-market locations in priority trade areas.
• Build relationships with brokers, landlords, developers, and property managers.
• Conduct outbound outreach and consistently follow up on potential opportunities.
• Tour neighborhoods and prospective sites to evaluate visibility, access, traffic, parking, surrounding businesses, and overall fit.
• Gather site details, including asking rent, additional expenses, floor plans, utilities, delivery conditions, and availability.
• Research demographics, nearby employers and residents, competition, development activity, and customer demand.
• Conduct preliminary due diligence on zoning, permitted use, signage, utilities, ventilation, and restaurant infrastructure.
• Prepare concise site summaries, comparisons, and recommendations for leadership.
• Maintain accurate pipeline records, communications, documents, and next steps.
• Coordinate with operations, finance, design, construction, and legal teams as sites advance.

Qualifications

• One to five years of experience in sales development, business development, commercial real estate, brokerage, restaurant development, or a prospecting-focused role.
• Strong outbound prospecting, relationship-building, and follow-up skills.
• Highly organized and comfortable managing multiple opportunities simultaneously.
• Resourceful, persistent, detail-oriented, and comfortable working independently.
• Strong written, verbal, research, and analytical skills.
• Proficiency with CRM systems, spreadsheets, mapping tools, and presentation software.
• Interest in restaurant expansion and commercial real estate.
• Willingness to spend significant time visiting neighborhoods and prospective sites.

Success measures

• Qualified locations added to the pipeline
• Broker, landlord, and property-owner outreach
• Speed and completeness of site qualification
• Consistency of follow-up and pipeline management
• Opportunities advancing to leadership review and negotiation

Benefits

• Company Equity
• ORCA Card
• Medical, Dental, and Vision
• Compensation 135,000 - 160,000 annual salary
• Annual bonuses
• Equity