Senior Real Estate Planning & Development Program Manager

UL Standards & Engagement • Columbia, MD

8d • $119,260 - $163,983 • Hybrid

About The Position

UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement is seeking a Senior Real Estate Planning & Development Program Manager to lead program planning, controls, and governance for their complex capital program. This role involves developing and maintaining the program controls framework, coordinating cross-functional teams, and ensuring effective governance, decision-making, and stakeholder alignment. The position is based in Columbia, MD or Washington, DC.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in real estate, architecture, engineering, construction management, business administration, or a related field.
• Minimum of 8 years of experience in real estate development, capital project delivery, capital program management, owner's representative services, or related fields, including at least 4 years of people leadership and management experience.
• Experience with large, multi-stakeholder capital programs exceeding $100M in value
• Experience developing program controls from the ground up (i.e., master schedules, cost models, risk registers, reporting dashboards)
• Comprehensive knowledge of the capital program/project lifecycle and responsibilities of all parties across all phases of delivery.
• Advanced capability in schedule development, cost modeling, earned value concepts, change management, and risk management practices.
• Strong understanding of governance frameworks, escalation structures, and structured decision-making processes within complex programs.
• Familiarity with Owner-Developer-Architect-Contractor team structures and industry-standard contract frameworks (e.g., AIA).
• Proficiency in PMIS platforms and document control systems supporting large capital programs (e.g., Kahua, Procore, e-Builder, or equivalent).
• Ability to integrate complex data sets (schedule, cost, risk, stakeholder inputs) into clear, actionable insights.
• Demonstrated ability to align cross-functional teams and external partners.
• Strong written and oral communication skills, including the ability to produce structured, accurate, and concise documentation.
• Ability to recognize when issues exceed delegated authority and escalate appropriately with clear framing and recommendations.
• Proven ability to manage concurrent priorities and maintain control across multiple program workstreams.

Nice To Haves

• PMP certification is desired.
• Experience working with scientific research, academic or research institutions, and experience working with public policy, nonprofit, and/or mission driven organizations are desired.

Responsibilities

• Lead planning and development activities for complex real estate and capital projects, translating organizational objectives into program requirements, design criteria, and implementation strategies.
• Manage program staff, consultants, designers, advisors, and delivery partners to ensure achievement of program objectives, contractual obligations, performance expectations, and quality standards.
• Lead program-level planning, controls, and governance across the full capital program lifecycle, ensuring alignment with objectives and requirements.
• Develop and maintain program controls, including integrated master schedules, cost models, risk registers, reporting dashboards, and program status reporting.
• Administer governance processes, including charters, escalation protocols, phase-gate reviews, decision logs, and risk escalation frameworks to support accountability and timely decision-making.
• Establish and maintain compliance processes related to internal policies, contract requirements, funding obligations, approvals, audit readiness, and documentation standards.
• Support contract development, administration, compliance monitoring, and performance management for consultants and service providers.
• Facilitate coordination among internal stakeholders and external partners, driving alignment, documenting decisions, resolving issues, and maintaining program consistency.
• Oversee implementation and optimization of Project Management Information Systems (PMIS), document control workflows, standardized templates, processes, and tools to support scalable program delivery.
• Manage multiple concurrent workstreams, monitoring scope, schedule, cost, risk, and Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR) compliance while ensuring successful program delivery and alignment with priorities.
• Contribute to and/or lead other real estate planning and development–specific and cross‑functional initiatives as needed.

Benefits

• bonus compensation
• comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans
• generous 401k matching structure of up to 5% of eligible pay
• additional 4% into retirement saving fund after your first year of continuous employment
• paid time off, including vacation, holiday, sick, and volunteer days

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior