American Institutes for Research (AIR)

Senior Workplace Manager

Real Estate & Construction
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree required; preferred fields include facilities management, business administration, or related areas.
  • Minimum 7 years of relevant workplace or facilities management experience.
  • 5 years of experience in people leadership, including coaching and performance management.
  • Experience with complex workplace projects like renovations, relocations, and multi-site improvements.
  • Experience in managing vendor relationships, budgets, and service delivery preferred.
  • Professional certifications (CFM, FMP, PMP, etc.) preferred.
  • Ability to leverage workplace technology and data for project execution and operational performance.

Responsibilities

  • Lead workplace operations and ensure service continuity across a multi-site portfolio.
  • Support portfolio planning by analyzing space utilization and making recommendations aligned with business needs.
  • Manage complex workplace projects, ensuring effective scope, budget, and timeline management.
  • Enhance systems and processes through optimization and automation.
  • Document critical processes to support knowledge transfer and operational continuity.
  • Develop team capabilities through coaching and workforce planning.
  • Oversee vendor accountability and budget management to ensure performance and value.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive benefits package designed to reward staff competitively.
  • In-office role requiring four days per week at Arlington, VA office.
  • Opportunity for career development through coaching and performance management.
  • Engagement with cross-functional teams to enhance workplace experience.
  • Focus on sustainability and environmental stewardship initiatives.
Full Job Description
Join AIR's Workplace Management team as a Senior Workplace Manager and play a leadership role in strengthening resilient, scalable, and high-performing workplace operations. This role supports AIR's multi-site portfolio by advancing operational service continuity, portfolio planning, complex project delivery, systems improvement, transition planning, and team capability. This position reports to the Director of Workplace Management.

You will serve as a senior operational leader, integrating daily workplace operations, real estate and portfolio priorities, project execution, systems innovation, vendor and budget accountability, and people development to improve service quality, reduce risk, and support AIR's evolving workplace needs.

This position is an in-office role, requiring four designated days per week in AIR's Arlington, Virginia office. Occasional travel for meetings, training sessions, site visits, and/or professional conferences may be required.

Responsibilities:

The Senior Workplace Manager will:
  • Lead workplace operations and service continuity across AIR's multi-site portfolio by setting priorities, managing workload distribution, maintaining service standards, and mitigating operational risk during periods of transition and change.
  • Support portfolio planning and workplace strategy by contributing to space utilization analysis, location planning, occupancy decisions, real estate-related projects, and recommendations that align workplace resources with AIR's evolving business needs.
  • Manage complex workplace projects and programs, including renovations, relocations, decommissionings, infrastructure upgrades, and other portfolio initiatives, ensuring scope, timelines, budgets, quality expectations, and cross-functional coordination are effectively managed.
  • Improve systems, processes, and data practices by optimizing workplace tools, advancing automation and digitization, strengthening reporting, and establishing scalable practices that support efficient operations and continuous improvement.
  • Support transition planning and knowledge continuity by documenting critical processes, strengthening knowledge transfer, identifying operational gaps, and helping convert individual knowledge into scalable team practices.
  • Lead team development and workforce planning by coaching direct and indirect reports, supporting career development, strengthening accountability, and helping shape future team structures through hiring, onboarding, and role clarity.
  • Strengthen vendor, budget, and partner accountability through vendor strategy, procurement coordination, contract and service agreement oversight, cost and value analysis, budget discipline, and performance management.
  • Ensure risk management, compliance, safety, and emergency preparedness are embedded into workplace operations and aligned with organizational policies, operational standards, and applicable regulatory requirements.
  • Advance sustainability and environmental stewardship through energy efficiency, waste reduction, responsible resource management, and vendor partnership.
  • Build strong cross-functional communication and workplace experience partnerships with HR, Technology and Finance offices, vendors, and other stakeholders to support alignment, collaboration, inclusive service delivery, and effective workplace experience outcomes.
  • Early Priorities
  • Understand AIR's current workplace operations, portfolio, staffing structure, systems, and key service expectations.
  • Identify operational risks, workload gaps, process dependencies, and opportunities to strengthen service continuity.
  • Support transition planning, knowledge transfer, and documentation of critical Workplace Management processes.
  • Partner with the Director of Workplace Management to support role clarity, team alignment, and practical operating practices that strengthen collaboration and service delivery.
  • Advance priority workplace projects, including relocations, decommissionings, systems improvements, and service delivery enhancements.
  • Adapt responsibilities as business needs evolve.

Qualifications:

Education, Knowledge, and Experience
  • Bachelor's degree required; degree in facilities management, business administration, real estate, operations, engineering, architecture, or a related field preferred.
  • Minimum 7 years of relevant experience in workplace management, facilities management, corporate real estate, operations, or a related field.
  • Minimum 5 years of people leadership experience, including coaching, performance management, and developing team capability.
  • Proven experience leading complex workplace projects or programs, such as relocations, renovations, decommissionings, infrastructure upgrades, systems initiatives, or multi-site operational improvements.
  • Experience managing vendor relationships, budgets, contracts, service delivery expectations, or operational performance metrics preferred.
  • Professional certification such as CFM, FMP, BOC, PMP, LEED, or similar credential preferred.
  • Demonstrated ability to leverage workplace technology platforms and data such as work order systems, room reservation tools, IWMS, access control dashboards, and space planning applications to support project execution, measure operational performance, and guide continuous improvement.

Skills
  • Strong communicator and relationship builder who translates stakeholder needs into clear priorities, influences alignment, and collaborates effectively across virtual, cross-functional teams, vendors, and partners.
  • Experienced project and program manager who leads multiple priorities in fast-paced environments, manages deliverables from planning through completion, and balances scope, quality, budget, and timelines.
  • Strategic, analytical problem solver who uses sound judgment, critical thinking, data, and process insight to navigate ambiguity, anticipate risks, and improve outcomes.
  • Collaborative people leader who mentors others, sets clear standards, strengthens accountability, and drives adoption of best practices across teams.
  • Change-oriented and technology-fluent leader who adapts quickly, learns new tools, and uses workplace platforms, Microsoft Office, digital, automation, reporting, and emerging technology tools to improve deliverables and operational effectiveness.
  • Continuous improvement mindset with the ability to balance day-to-day execution, long-term priorities, service quality, business needs, and scalable operational practices.

Disclosures: Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the U.S. on a full-time basis. Employment-based visa sponsorship (including H-1B sponsorship) is not available for this position. Depending on project work, qualified candidates may need to meet certain residency requirements.

#LI-MP1 #LI-Hybrid

AIR's Total Rewards Program, is designed to reward our staff competitively and motivate them to achieve our critical mission. This position offers the anticipated annual salary as listed. Salary offers are made based on internal equity within the institution and external equity with competitive markets. Please note this is the annual salary range for candidates that are based in the United States.

Anticipated Annual Salary Range

$110,000-$130,000 USD

About American Institutes for Research (AIR)

The American Institutes for Research (AIR) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan behavioral and social science research, evaluation, assessment, and technical assistance organization based in Washington, D.C. AIR was established in 1946 as a behavioral and social science research organization. AIR's mission is to conduct and apply the best behavioral and social science research and evaluation towards improving people's lives, with a special emphasis on the disadvantaged. AIR has more than 2,000 employees and offices across the United States and abroad.
Learn more about American Institutes for Research (AIR)
Size
2,000 employees
Industry
Founded
1946

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