Job Description

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Real Estate Planning & Development Program Manager atUL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement, based in our Columbia, MD or our Washington, DC, office. The Senior Real Estate Planning & Development Program Manager leads program planning, controls, and governance for UL Research Institutes’ and UL Standards & Engagement’s complex capital program. This role develops and maintains the program controls framework, coordinates cross-functional teams, and ensures effective governance, decision-making, and stakeholder alignment across internal functions and external partners.

What you’ll learn and achieve:

As theSenior Real Estate Planning & Development Program Manager you will play a key role in the rapid growth of UL as you:

• 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.

What makes you a great fit:

While no one candidate will embody every quality, the successful candidate will bring many of the following professional competencies and personal attributes:

• 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.

Professional education and experience requirements for the role include:

• Bachelor’s degree in real estate, architecture, engineering, construction management, business administration, or a related field.  

• PMP certification is desired.

• 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)

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

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