Costco Wholesale seeks an experienced Real Estate / Property Management attorney to join the legal team at its headquarters in Issaquah, Washington. Costco is one of the world’s top retailers, with over 550 U.S. locations and 795 locations globally. This attorney will be responsible for directly supervising, supporting and advising Costco’s Property Management group, consisting of three real estate managers and one real estate analyst. This attorney will also provide advice and legal support to various departments within Costco relating to real estate matters, including Construction, Real Estate Development, Facilities, Depot Operations, Energy, Gas Operations, Accounting, Property Tax and Environmental Services. In addition, this attorney will supervise outside counsel on a wide variety of real estate matters. This position reports directly to the Assistant Vice President and Corporate Counsel for property management, licensing and regulatory compliance.

Responsibilities:

• Review, draft and negotiate leases, amendments, estoppels, subordination agreements, extension options, purchase options, easements, covenants and related agreements. 
• Support Property Management and other departments with respect to lease administration matters. 
• Obtain landlord and other third-party approvals when needed. 
• Oversee, negotiate and resolve various property disputes concerning leases, easements and covenants. 
• Oversee, negotiate and resolve U.S. condemnation matters and Canada expropriations.Manage and oversee Costco’s role with respect to various commercial owners’ associations.
• Support Property Management with respect to various internal processes relating to real estate, including information management, file management and critical due date tracking.
• Support Real Estate Development on entitlement documents, such as conditions of approval and storm water management agreements.   
• Support Gas Operations and Construction with respect to environmental close-out matters.
• Oversee, negotiate and resolve code violations.
• Drives compliance efforts relating to the Costco’s compliance program for site accessibility (ADA).
• Monitor, manage, and review work and expenditures by outside counsel to ensure quality and efficacy of legal services.

Qualifications:

• Juris Doctorate degree from an accredited law school.
• Admission in good standing to practice law in at least one U.S. state and eligible to practice as in-house counsel in the State of Washington.
• At least ten years of relevant experience acquired in a law firm, an in-house legal department, and/or a combination of relevant real estate experience, with some in-house experience preferred.
• Possess a broad understanding of real estate management and development. 
• Be able to communicate effectively with a broad set of stakeholders and team members, such as architects, engineers, attorneys, construction managers, accountants, city planners and managers.
• Be able to work effectively in a team environment with internal staff throughout the corporate office, with particular emphasis on teaming with non-lawyer staff.
• Excellent business judgment and ability to assess legal risk while providing practical, business-oriented advice. 
• Demonstrated ability to independently manage a diverse and complex workload while maintaining priorities and anticipating issues.
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills for dealing with lawyers and non-lawyers.
• Ability and desire to work both autonomously and collaboratively.
• Strong execution and project management skills and ability to harness stakeholders from across the organization on cross-functional projects.

At Costco, you will build a long-lasting career in a renowned culture where the Company is committed to taking care of its employees, members, and suppliers. You will be empowered to independently drive results and feel good about what you are helping to build. To apply, please send a cover letter and resume.