Manufacturing, Energy & Logistics Industries Sectors Research Lead

JLL•Chicago, CO

6d•Onsite

About The Position

The Manufacturing, Energy & Logistics Industries Sectors Research Lead will be accountable for shaping and delivering JLL's research and insights agenda for this industry cluster, spanning advanced manufacturing, automotive manufacturing, energy, and utilities, with coordinated partner coverage across logistics, transportation, consumer products, and retail. This individual will identify emerging trends, frame strategic perspectives on the future of the industry, and deliver differentiated, proprietary-data-driven insights that enable clients, and JLL, to anticipate change and act decisively. The role will strengthen JLL's market position, elevate our brand, and support enterprise growth and strategy. The Lead will partner with experts across Research and the broader JLL business, as well as external partners, to develop forward-looking insights on the most critical opportunities and challenges facing the sector and its commercial real estate implications. This includes understanding the real estate strategies and operating decisions of large occupiers across manufacturing, automotive, energy infrastructure, and utilities, and how macro shifts such as supply chain reconfiguration, nearshoring and reshoring, automation, and the energy transition reshape occupier demand and location strategy globally. This is a senior role within a globally organized industry sector research team, partnering closely with the property sectors team, with researchers in key markets globally, and with business line stakeholders across the organization. This role will report to the Head of Industries Sectors Research.

Requirements

Deep expertise in the Manufacturing, Energy & Logistics sector, spanning at least one of advanced manufacturing, automotive, energy and utilities, or logistics and supply chain, with a demonstrated ability to translate industry dynamics into real estate and occupier strategy insight.
Proven ability to produce high-quality, differentiated research independently, including original analytical frameworks and clear, forward-looking client-facing outputs.
Strong understanding of commercial real estate fundamentals as they apply to industrial occupiers, including site selection, portfolio strategy, industrial market dynamics, and the capital allocation priorities of large manufacturers and energy operators.
Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, including engagement at C-suite level with occupier and investor clients.
Proven ability to work across geographies and functions in a matrixed organization, including influencing without direct authority.
Familiarity with AI-enabled research tools and data platforms, with an appetite for continued innovation.
Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship.

Responsibilities

Own JLL's point of view on the global Manufacturing, Energy & Logistics sector and its real estate implications, anchored in proprietary data, peer-referential intelligence, and a command of occupier strategy across manufacturing, automotive, energy, and utilities.
Produce differentiated, forward-looking research outputs, including sector outlooks, point of views, thematic reports, and client briefings, increasingly in dynamics formats beyond traditional reports and data outputs.
Build and maintain a global network of internal SMEs, business line partners, and external sources to keep the insight agenda current and calibrated to the sector's real priorities.
Partner with the property sectors team and researchers in key markets globally to integrate industry-side intelligence with property market data into a single view of supply, demand, and occupier strategy.
Coordinate with partner-model teams covering Logistics & Transportation and Consumer Products & Retail to ensure coverage across these sub-verticals is coherent and client-facing outputs reflect a joined-up perspective.
Develop a deep understanding of occupier real estate decision-making across this cluster, including site selection, portfolio strategy, and capital allocation priorities across manufacturing, energy infrastructure, and related facility types.
Activate research to support business development and client engagement, including bespoke presentations, RFP support, pursuit materials, and strategic briefings.
Contribute to an integrated data strategy for the sector, identifying proprietary datasets, benchmarking opportunities, and analytics capabilities that create durable differentiation.
Identify and apply AI-enabled tools across the research workflow to drive step-change improvements in quality, speed, and scale, helping shape these capabilities rather than merely consuming them.
Represent JLL as a thought leader for this sector with clients, in the industry, and with the media.