Senior Space Planner

Stanford Health Care•Palo Alto, CA

10d•Hybrid

About The Position

Help shape the environments where world-class healthcare happens. This is a unique opportunity to influence how Stanford Health Care grows, evolves, and delivers exceptional patient care through strategic space planning and program leadership. As a Senior Space Planner on the FPD Planning team, you will lead complex healthcare planning programs that support organizational growth, operational efficiency, and informed decision-making. Working across a diverse stakeholder landscape, you will develop strategic space solutions while navigating competing priorities in a dynamic healthcare environment. Lead operations-funded healthcare planning and construction programs from intake through implementation. Guide space requests, occupancy planning, and displacement strategies that align with enterprise standards and operational needs. Partner with project teams, clinical leaders, and executives to evaluate impacts, resolve issues, and drive consensus-based decisions. Develop executive-level presentations and data-driven recommendations that support governance and leadership decision-making. Hybrid role with on-site presence as needed; ideal for professionals with healthcare planning, architecture, construction, interior design, occupancy strategy, or program management experience. The Facilities Services division enhances health through leadership, collaboration, and innovation. Our team offers essential non-clinical support 24/7, ensuring safe operations and planning for future needs. We represent the intersection of planning, construction, general services, and facilities operations. The Facilities Planning & Design (FPD) business unit leads the planning, design, and improvement of Stanford Health Care’s spaces to advance excellence in care, innovation, and experience. With expertise across Planning, Design, Land Use & Licensing, Art, Wayfinding, Signage, and Facilities Administration, FPD turns vision into reality, creating functional, compliant, and inspiring environments aligned with Stanford Medicine’s mission. The Planning team within Facilities Planning & Design (FPD) transforms strategic vision into data-driven solutions that optimize clinical and operational space across Stanford Health Care. Through Medical and Space Planning, the team aligns facility needs with clinical priorities, growth objectives, and enterprise standards. By integrating analytics, governance, and strategic insight, Planning enhances patient care, staff experience, and overall efficiency. The Senior Space Planner leads portfolio-level space strategy across clinics, Ambulatory Medical Centers, and, as needed, inpatient or research settings. This role develops enterprise planning methodologies, standards, and allocation frameworks; oversees complex, multi-stakeholder planning studies; and directs data governance for space, occupancy, and utilization systems. The Senior Space Planner partners with Medical Planning, Operations, Capital Projects, and Facilities Services to deliver compliant, right-sized, and operationally aligned space solutions. The role prepares executive-ready analyses and recommendations that support governance decisions and advance Stanford Health Care (SHC)'s clinical, operational, and experience-related goals.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Interior Architecture, Planning, or related field required.
10 years of professional experience, which includes 8+ years of progressive space planning required, with experience in healthcare or academic settings, with demonstrated expertise in computer-aided facilities management/integrated workplace management system (CAFM/IWMS) governance and proficiency with spreadsheets and data.
Advanced ability to analyze competing needs across departments, set allocation standards, and recommend sequencing or migration strategies to optimize portfolio performance.
Expertise developing complex test fits, stacking diagrams, and program translations with clear articulation of trade-offs.
Data systems leadership, including ownership of CAFM/IWMS data structures; development of key performance indicators (KPIs) such as utilization and density; and demonstrated spreadsheet experience (such as pivot tables and basic data formulas).
Strong working knowledge of CBC and ADA; Familiarity with Department of Healthcare Access & Information (HCAI) processes a plus.
High-quality communication and stakeholder alignment skills, including development of Microsoft PowerPoint materials for executive audiences; ability to facilitate workshops and consensus across multiple departments.
Ability to navigate multidisciplinary environments and coordinate with contractors, engineers, clinical leaders; Skilled in mentoring and coaching junior planners.
Proficiency with Bluebeam, Microsoft Office Suite, and architectural review tools; ability to read and interpret as-built drawings and iterate layouts using Autodesk Revit and AutoCAD.
Ability to lead advanced problem solving and make recommendations that balance safety, cost, operations, and experience impacts. (P4 expectation: wide organizational impact + independent decision making)

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with Department of Healthcare Access & Information (HCAI) processes a plus.

Responsibilities

Define project scope and planning assumptions for complex, multi-department initiatives; develop budget recommendations consistent with institutional priorities.
Coordinate communication, schedules, deliverables, and interdependencies across departments, service lines, and multiple sites; manage the critical path for planning deliverables.
Ensure compliance with SHC policies; Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI) standards; California Building Code (CBC) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.
Oversee selection and standards for furnishings, and finishes, ensuring alignment with branding, infection-prevention, and sustainability guidelines.
Create and maintain complete, auditable planning documentation including narratives, alternatives analyses, diagrams, and decision documents used by executive governance.
Develop and compare complex test fits, blocking and stacking strategies, and migration/decanting scenarios; present operational, schedule, cost, and experience-related trade-offs.
Lead multi-site space studies; define space allocation standards, utilization benchmarks, and methodologies for prioritization and sequencing.
Own data governance for computer-aided facilities management/integrated workplace management systems (Computer-Aided Facilities Management (CAFM)/Integrated Workplace Management System (IWMS)); maintain metrics such as utilization, density, and assignable square feet (ASF) per full-time equivalent (FTE).
Facilitate governance processes for prioritization and investment decisions; prepare executive-ready materials and secure alignment across stakeholders.
Mentor junior planners and provide technical oversight of planning deliverables; coordinate with Capital Projects on scope, schedule, and budget impacts.
Independently resolve complex, novel planning challenges requiring expert judgment, scenario development, and balancing of multiple, competing institutional drivers. (P4 expectation: advanced problem solving, cross-functional impact)