Senior Manager, Space Planning

CHAOS Industries•El Segundo, CA

3d•$150,000 - $200,000•Onsite

About The Position

CHAOS Industries is seeking a Senior Manager, Space Planning to own planning, allocation, and use of space across its rapidly growing, multi-site portfolio of offices, labs, and manufacturing areas. The role converts headcount forecasts, program needs, and utilization data into space plans, test fits, and standards, providing Real Estate, Facilities, and Workplace with information to decide when to add, reconfigure, or release space. The position works closely with Real Estate on capacity and site decisions; Facilities and Construction on layouts and buildouts; Workplace on employee experience; and EHS, Life Safety, Security, and IT on code, safety, and access requirements. The Senior Manager will establish space planning standards, tools, and data to support growth, report utilization and capacity metrics to leadership, and mentor and eventually lead space planners and analysts as the team grows. Domestic and international travel is required as the portfolio demands. CHAOS Industries develops defense products powered by Coherent Distributed Networks. Founded in 2022, the company has raised $1 billion and is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, and London. The role is onsite. The stated base salary range is $150,000–$200,000; compensation may also include bonus, equity, and benefits.

Requirements

At least 8 years of experience in space planning, corporate real estate, workplace strategy, interior architecture, or facilities planning, including ownership of space plans for multi-site portfolios.
Proficiency with space planning and drawing tools such as AutoCAD, Revit, or similar, and ability to read and mark up architectural and engineering drawings.
Experience creating test fits, stacking plans, and capacity forecasts, and translating headcount and program growth into space requirements.
Strong analytical skills, including working with utilization and occupancy data and building models and dashboards in Excel or similar tools.
Working knowledge of building codes, occupancy and egress requirements, and accessibility standards, and experience working with architects, engineers, and code consultants.
Experience planning and executing moves, adds, and changes for large groups.
Ability to influence and align stakeholders across Real Estate, Facilities, Construction, EHS, Security, IT, and business teams.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including comfort presenting to executive leadership.
Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as the portfolio requires.

Nice To Haves

Experience planning space in manufacturing, lab, R&D, or other industrial environments, including equipment layouts and process flow.
Experience in defense, government, or other secure-facility environments, including planning for controlled or segregated areas.
Experience with an IWMS or space management system such as Archibus, Planon, or Tririga, and with occupancy sensors or desk and room booking data.
Experience planning space for international sites and adapting standards to local codes and norms.
Professional credentials such as NCIDQ or LEED, or a degree in architecture, interior design, or a related field.
Eligibility for a U.S. government security clearance.
Experience supporting rapid growth or M&A integration, including planning for sites with limited existing data.

Responsibilities

Own space planning across the global portfolio, maintaining accurate floor plans and occupancy data and managing space allocation by team, program, and site.
Forecast space needs against headcount, program, and manufacturing growth plans, and create capacity plans to inform Real Estate site and lease decisions.
Develop test fits, stacking plans, and layouts for new and existing office, lab, light-manufacturing, and shared spaces in collaboration with architects, engineers, and Construction.
Define and maintain space standards, including workstation and neighborhood types, meeting-room ratios, seating and occupancy standards, and lab and manufacturing layout guidelines.
Collect and analyze utilization data from badge, booking, and sensor systems and surveys; recommend changes to improve efficiency and reduce cost per seat.
Plan and coordinate moves, adds, and changes with Facilities and Workplace, including sequencing, communications, and scheduling to minimize disruption.
Partner with EHS, Life Safety & Fire, and Security during layout planning to confirm code compliance, egress, occupancy limits, and access and segregation requirements for controlled areas.
Work with Real Estate, Construction, and Facilities to scope, budget, and phase buildouts and reconfigurations, and hand off approved plans for design and construction.
Own the space and occupancy database and planning tools as a single source of truth, and report utilization, capacity, and cost metrics to leadership.
Evaluate and recommend space planning tools and integrated workplace management systems (IWMS), and drive their adoption across the company.
Present space plans, tradeoffs, and recommendations to executive leadership and site leaders, and build consensus across teams with competing needs.
Mentor and, as the team grows, lead space planners and analysts.