Director, Global Space & Occupancy Planning

Job Title

Director, Global Space & Occupancy Planning

Job Description Summary

The Director, Global Space & Occupancy Planning serves as the strategic leader responsible for the development, governance, and execution of space management, occupancy planning, workplace strategy, and portfolio optimization initiatives for a large, complex global client portfolio. This role partners directly with Corporate Real Estate leadership, business stakeholders, Facilities Management, Project Management, Workplace Experience teams, and regional leadership to translate evolving business requirements into data-driven workplace solutions that support employee experience, operational effectiveness, and long-term portfolio objectives.

The Director, Global Space & occupancy Planning oversees a multidisciplinary team of space planning, occupancy planning, move management, workplace strategy, and portfolio analytics professionals. The position is accountable for creating scalable planning frameworks, utilization strategies, scenario planning models, governance standards, occupancy forecasts, and portfolio recommendations that enable informed decision-making at both regional and executive levels. Success in this role requires a unique combination of strategic vision, executive presence, analytical rigor, operational excellence, and the ability to influence stakeholders across complex global environments while driving measurable business and real estate outcomes.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Portfolio Leadership

• Lead the global Space and Occupancy Planning function across client’s portfolio, driving alignment between workplace strategy, business growth objectives, and real estate investments.
• Develop short- and long-range occupancy strategies that optimize portfolio utilization, capacity planning, and space allocation.
• Advise client leadership on workplace trends, hybrid work strategies, portfolio efficiencies, and future-state workplace planning.
• Serve as a strategic thought partner to executive stakeholders by translating business objectives into actionable occupancy and workplace solutions.
• Develop portfolio-level recommendations that improve utilization, reduce costs, mitigate risks, and enhance workforce experience.

Occupancy Planning & Analytics

• Establish and maintain global occupancy planning standards, methodologies, and governance processes.
• Lead demand forecasting, capacity modeling, scenario planning, and workforce growth analyses to support strategic decision-making.
• Direct comprehensive utilization studies and occupancy assessments to identify opportunities for optimization and operational efficiencies.
• Leverage portfolio data and workplace analytics to provide executive-level insights and recommendations.
• Ensure the integrity and accuracy of occupancy, allocation, and utilization reporting across the portfolio.

Workplace Strategy & Transformation

• Partner with client leadership to develop workplace strategies that align with evolving workforce expectations and business priorities.
• Support portfolio transformation initiatives including consolidations, expansions, relocations, redesigns, and return-to-office strategies.
• Drive planning approaches that support flexibility, collaboration, employee engagement, and business continuity.
• Evaluate workplace effectiveness through utilization metrics, occupancy insights, and employee experience data.

Client Relationship & Executive Engagement

• Build trusted advisor relationships with senior client stakeholders across Real Estate, Facilities, HR, Technology, and Business Operations.
• Lead executive business reviews and strategic planning discussions with client leadership.
• Present complex occupancy data, portfolio scenarios, and workplace recommendations to executive audiences.
• Influence decision-making through clear storytelling, strategic recommendations, and data-driven insights.

Operational Excellence & Governance

• Establish global best practices, standards, playbooks, procedures, and service delivery frameworks.
• Ensure compliance with account, client, and corporate governance requirements.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on efficiency, quality, consistency, and scalability.
• Collaborate with cross-functional partners to align planning activities with project delivery, facilities operations, and portfolio strategy.

Team Leadership

• Lead, develop, and mentor a global team of space planners, occupancy planners, move managers, and workplace strategy professionals.
• Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, collaboration, and customer service excellence.
• Develop workforce planning strategies to ensure appropriate staffing levels and capability development.
• Establish performance objectives, succession plans, and professional development opportunities for team members.

Financial & Business Management

• Support strategic portfolio planning through financial analysis, occupancy cost benchmarking, and scenario modeling.
• Develop and manage departmental budgets, forecasts, resource plans, and staffing models.
• Identify opportunities to improve space efficiency and real estate value across the portfolio.
• Partner with Finance and Real Estate leadership on business cases supporting workplace and portfolio investments.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Architecture, Interior Design, Corporate Real Estate, Facilities Management, Urban Planning, Business, Engineering, or a related field.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in Corporate Real Estate, Occupancy Planning, Workplace Strategy, Portfolio Planning, or Space Management.
• 5+ years of leadership experience managing regional or global teams.
• Demonstrated experience leading occupancy planning programs within large, complex corporate portfolios.
• Strong executive presentation and stakeholder management skills.
• Proven ability to influence senior leaders and drive strategic decision-making.
• Advanced analytical skills with experience translating data into business recommendations.
• Experience supporting hybrid workplace models and workplace transformation initiatives.
• Expertise in occupancy analytics, utilization planning, demand forecasting, capacity modeling, and portfolio optimization.

Preferred

• Experience supporting global enterprise clients with multi-region portfolios.
• Experience within professional services, technology, financial services, or knowledge-worker environments.
• CAFM/IWMS expertise including Serraview, Archibus, TRIRIGA, or similar platforms.
• Familiarity with workplace analytics platforms and business intelligence tools including Power BI and Tableau.
• Professional certifications such as MCR, SLCR, PMP, LEED, IFMA, or CoreNet Global credentials.

Cushman & Wakefield also provides eligible employees with an opportunity to enroll in a variety of benefit programs, generally including health, vision, and dental insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life, and disability insurance programs, and paid and unpaid time away from work. In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, Cushman and Wakefield provide eligible employees with competitive pay, which may vary depending on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, total hours worked, job type, business line, and applicability of collective bargaining agreements.

The compensation that will be offered to the successful candidate will depend on factors such as whether the position is covered by a collective bargaining agreement, the geographic area in which the work will be performed, market pay rates in that area, and the candidate’s experience and qualifications.

The company will not pay less than minimum wage for this role.

The compensation for the position is: $ 153,000.00 - $180,000.00

Cushman & Wakefield is an Equal Opportunity employer to all protected groups, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. Discrimination of any type will not be tolerated.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position at Cushman & Wakefield, please call the ADA line at 1-888-365-5406 or email [email protected]. Please refer to the job title and job location when you contact us.

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