Director, Corporate Real Estate

FM•Norwood, MA

About The Position

The Director of Corporate Real Estate leads FM’s global real estate strategy and operations for a portfolio of more than 70 locations and 2 million square feet. The role is responsible for portfolio strategy, workplace standards, transactions, capital planning and project governance, facilities operations, and vendor performance. The Director leads a global team and works with senior leadership and key functions to deliver safe, productive, cost-effective, sustainable, and business-aligned workplaces. The position oversees leased and owned properties, Headquarters facilities, food service and conference center operations, and global workplace services. It establishes governance, performance measures, technology, and processes aligned with business priorities; develops recommendations and business cases for executive consideration; and is accountable for operating and capital budgets, portfolio performance, service delivery, and material real estate risks. The Director manages strategic portfolio planning and performance, including forward-looking plans for field offices, technology centers, and corporate locations. The position develops annual and multi-year operating, occupancy, and capital plans, including approximately $80 million in annual rent and annual capital project activity ranging from $100 million to $300 million. It also recommends workplace strategy and standards, leads global transactions and lease administration, governs capital project delivery, and establishes vendor and outsourced-service-provider requirements and performance measures. The role leads global facilities operations and oversees Headquarters facilities, food service, conference center operations, and site services for the owned campus, with approximately $19 million in annual operating expense. It partners with internal stakeholders to address property-related safety, compliance, resilience, and operational risks.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in real estate, finance, or a related field.
Minimum of 12 years of senior-level domestic and international corporate real estate experience.
Strong leadership skills and extensive experience building and leading a cross-functional team of real estate professionals.
Strong interpersonal skills and ability to interact with and influence senior leaders across the organization.
Ability to communicate, collaborate, and solve problems with cross-functional teams and motivate people at all levels.
Ability to understand and negotiate complex global real estate transactions.
Experience with long-term strategic and occupancy planning.
Ability to oversee numerous functions and projects simultaneously.
Budget planning and management experience.
Excellent analytical skills and financial modeling capability.
Ability to negotiate leases, purchase and sale agreements, and development agreements.
Skills in contract negotiation and vendor management.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Business or Real Estate.
Experience working with diverse business units across time zones and geographies.

Responsibilities

Partner with executive and senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to assess business needs, develop real estate strategies, and translate business plans into short- and long-term strategies.
Develop and maintain forward-looking portfolio plans for field offices, technology centers, and corporate locations using market, occupancy, utilization, financial, and operational data.
Optimize portfolio performance and total occupancy cost while balancing business needs, employee experience, flexibility, risk, sustainability, and FM’s brand and client presence.
Prepare scenario analyses and business cases for renewals, consolidations, relocations, and other significant portfolio decisions.
Establish portfolio governance, standards, metrics, dashboards, and executive reporting; monitor performance against plans and recommend corrective action as needed.
Develop and manage annual and multi-year operating, occupancy, and capital plans, including approximately $80 million in annual rent and annual capital project activity ranging from $100 million to $300 million.
Monitor commitments and performance against approved scope, budget, schedule, and business case; escalate material variances, risks, and decisions.
Partner with Finance on financial reporting, lease accounting, accruals, and long-range planning.
Develop and recommend enhancements to global workplace strategy, including space planning, private office guidelines, quality and finish levels, furniture, technology coordination, and architectural standards.
Govern workplace standards while allowing documented business, regulatory, cultural, and market requirements.
Ensure workplaces support collaboration, innovation, accessibility, sustainability, employee experience, and FM’s brand.
Lead change management and stakeholder communications for significant workplace changes, office moves, and portfolio initiatives.
Advise executive leadership on workplace investments, opportunities, and risks using employee feedback, utilization data, financial analysis, and industry benchmarks.
Establish and oversee global workplace experience standards, services, and performance metrics in partnership with relevant internal functions and business leadership.
Lead global real estate transactions, including scenario analysis, leases, renewals, and subleases.
Partner with Legal, Finance, Procurement, external brokers, and advisors on negotiation strategies, commercial terms, and contractual and financial protections.
Oversee lease administration, critical-date management, portfolio records, data quality, and timely support for financial reporting and decision-making.
Provide global oversight and governance for Corporate Real Estate capital projects, setting accountability for scope, budget, schedule, quality, risk, and stakeholder communication.
In the Americas, serve as FM’s primary client representative and liaison to Hobbs Brook Management’s project implementation team and external project management resources.
In EMEA and APAC, lead or oversee project delivery, including programming, design standards, procurement coordination, cost and schedule control, change management, and closeout.
Coordinate with IT, Marketing, Security, EHS, Sustainability, business leaders, and other internal partners to ensure projects meet business and operational requirements.
Establish requirements, service levels, performance measures, and governance for Corporate Real Estate vendors and outsourced service providers.
Partner with Procurement and Legal on sourcing, competitive bidding, negotiation, contracting, renewals, and remediation; hold providers accountable for service, cost, risk, and contract compliance.
Lead, develop, and engage a geographically dispersed team of real estate and facilities professionals; set priorities and accountabilities, build organizational capability, and support succession planning.
Lead global facilities operations to provide safe, reliable, and productive work environments for employees and visitors.
Oversee Headquarters facilities, food service, conference center operations, site services, and vendor performance for the owned campus, with approximately $19 million in annual operating expense.
Partner with EHS, Security, Risk, Legal, IT, Engineering, and business continuity stakeholders to identify and address property-related safety, compliance, resilience, and operational risks.