Workplace Services Lead

WPP • Chicago, IL

5d • $100,000 - $230,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Workplace Services Lead serves as WPP's senior Workplace Services representative across an assigned portfolio, with responsibility for stakeholder relationships, workplace outcomes, financial stewardship, and alignment with WPP and REWS standards. This is a client-side leadership and operational governance role that translates business priorities into workplace requirements and ensures outsourced service providers deliver against WPP standards, financial objectives, and contractual commitments.

The portfolio may include campus and non-campus locations, requiring an adaptive approach to oversight, governance, and stakeholder engagement. The role is onsite/in-office at a larger campus location within the respective region. Day-to-day operational delivery and the direction, supervision, and management of service-provider personnel remain the responsibility of the applicable service provider.

The role partners with business stakeholders and internal functions to oversee workplace strategy and experience, budgets and forecasts, service-provider performance, operational risks, HSSE and business continuity compliance, and performance insights. It also contributes to global REWS standards and initiatives, workplace change, sustainability targets, and continuous improvement.

Requirements

• 5–7+ years in corporate workplace, corporate real estate, workplace experience, or outsourced-service governance, preferably within a complex global organization.
• Bachelor's degree in Facilities Management, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience operating as an intelligent client within an outsourced facilities management environment and holding strategic service partners accountable for performance.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, including experience with budget development and forecasting and governing service-provider relationships through budgets, contracts, SLAs/KPIs, and performance frameworks.
• Understanding of workplace management systems, reporting, and data analytics, with the ability to interpret outputs and use insights for decision-making, performance management, and service-provider governance.
• In-depth knowledge of HSSE regulations and best practices.
• Strong understanding of workplace strategy, space planning principles, and portfolio optimization practices.
• Experience leading complex workplace, transformation, or change initiatives across multiple locations and stakeholder groups.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders, build trusted relationships, and drive alignment across a complex environment.
• Ability to build and maintain collaborative supplier relationships and hold service-provider leadership accountable for agreed outcomes.
• Ability to understand contractual commitments, SLAs/KPIs, and commercial models to govern provider performance and contract compliance.
• Ability to use workplace data, reporting, and technology to evaluate performance, inform decisions, and challenge service-provider outcomes.
• Ability to collaborate with internal teams, service providers, and stakeholders.
• Understanding of the business context and how workplace services contribute to organizational goals.
• Commitment to continuous learning, professional development, and adoption of industry best practices.

Nice To Haves

• Relevant professional certifications in workplace, facilities management, corporate real estate, or related disciplines.
• Knowledge of sustainability principles and practices.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary REWS relationship lead for assigned businesses and senior stakeholders, translating business priorities and employee needs into workplace requirements and outcomes.
• Ensure workplace services, space, and experience align with WPP strategy, utilization objectives, employee needs, and global standards.
• Oversee space planning activities and portfolio optimization initiatives.
• Work with Finance stakeholders to prepare annual budgets and quarterly forecasts, monitor variances and savings opportunities, and challenge service-provider proposals.
• Hold outsourced providers accountable for contractual commitments, SLAs/KPIs, financial targets, and service outcomes, and ensure corrective action is taken for performance gaps.
• Ensure assigned properties comply with WPP and REWS risk, governance, and operational excellence standards.
• Identify, oversee, manage, and escalate material resilience and service risks and incidents, ensuring appropriate governance, incident management, and timely resolution.
• Comply with WPP and REWS HSSE policies, Business Continuity certification processes, and other operational standards, partnering with relevant functions and service providers.
• Use service-provider reporting, workplace data, and stakeholder feedback to assess performance, identify continuous improvement opportunities, and inform WPP decision-making.
• Work with Global REWS CoE teams to implement global standards and initiatives.
• Collaborate with ET to ensure seamless technology integration in the workplace.
• Partner with HR to support employee well-being and engagement programs.
• Work with Security to support a safe and secure environment.
• Work with Procurement to ensure changes or new contracts are routed through the team and to support responsible and sustainable supplier governance.
• Lead WPP stakeholder engagement and business adoption associated with workplace change, partnering with service providers and REWS teams on implementation.
• Provide accurate data to the central REWS team as required.
• Support sustainability targets across the assigned portfolio, including energy consumption and other applicable environmental commitments.

Benefits

• Competitive benefits package; further details are available at the provided benefits website.
• The opportunity to create, influence, and complete projects at a scale described as unparalleled in the industry.
• Challenging and stimulating work, including the opportunity to join a group of creative problem solvers.

What This Job Offers

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