Southeast Asia Project Management Lead

VOON & ASSOCIATES CONSULTANCY PTE. LTD.; Singapore; On-site; SGD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading real estate consultancy in Singapore is seeking a Project Manager to lead the development of projects in key emerging markets. The ideal candidate will have significant experience managing large-scale projects, a strong understanding of P&L management, and excellent communication skills in English and Chinese. This full-time, on-site role requires 60% travel across the APAC region.

Benefits

Extensive travel opportunities

Competitive salary

Qualifications

• 8+ years experience with specialized facilities like data centers.
• 10+ years as a senior manager with proven revenue generation.
• Lead large-scale projects with values exceeding $40 million.

Responsibilities

• Lead project cost planning and execution across markets.
• Conduct weekly project updates to senior leadership.
• Manage vendor relationships throughout project execution.

Skills

Project Delivery

P&L Management

Communication Skills in English

Data Analysis

Team Leadership

Multicultural Team Management

Education

Bachelor's degree in relevant field

Tools

CAD

Microsoft Office Suite

Project Plan Management tools

Job description

The Project Mamager of Real Estate for Iron Mountain Southeast Asia will lead development plans in key emerging markets through a combination of organic growth and M&As. These key markets span the Emerging Markets of Asia including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippine and Indonesia. These markets represent key growth areas for IM and the Director will play a key role in driving sustainable growth in these areas. The incumbent will report to RE regional director of Asia. As a result, this role will interact very closely with both the aforementioned markets and their relevant business leaders and the global real estate function, and will support function leads in HR, IT and Finance departments.

Role Priorities

• Creation of accurate cost plans (including engineering and design) for all new projects that will be used to secure project approval and funding
• Direct accountability for project permitting and execution (budgets, schedules, tendering and quality) throughout the markets
• Facilitation of weekly calls with project teams on all major projects in the markets resulting in action items, notes, updated schedules and forecasts to budgets
• Reporting for all projects in the markets on a weekly basis to provide updates to the senior leadership and the GRE leadership teams. This reporting should feed into the International Investment Committee monthly project status calls
• Propose solutions for any forecasted budget or schedule overruns - Work with business operations personnel to identify facility upgrade projects and rack remediation needs by country and, if required, implement the program
• Manage all vendors and contractors throughout the project process
• Work with business operations personnel to identify facility upgrade projects and rack remediation needs by country and, if required, implement the program
• At all times, strive to create cost effective and innovative solutions to decrease costs and increase efficiency.
• Undertake due diligence for new leases, purchases and company acquisitions
• Undertake special projects as required.
• It is also important to note that the position is not responsible for repair and maintenance of facilities and facility management related projects, which are managed by the business or facility maintenance budget.

Real Estate Transactional Activities

• Collecting, consolidating and disseminating key business data, guidance from business partners and intelligence to aid GRE in the development of overall portfolio strategy, operational plans and transactional plans
• In conjunction with the Director of Global Transactions and the Vice President of International Real Estate, execute all transactional assignments as required. This may include market studies, site visits, brokerage management, lease acquisitions, lease renewals, purchases (land and/or buildings), lease dispositions (subleases/buyouts) , sales, and lease review oversight
• Develop and maintain forward looking guidance statement for all lease transactions with the Asia business
• Undertake special transactional projects as required (For example: Negotiating or procuring an easement, leasing advertising space, or cell tower installations, selling mineral rights, or other).

Experience

• At least 8 years’ experience with specialized facilities, including art storage, ALM, data centers, digital offices, and records management facilities.
• At least 10 years’ proven experience as a senior manager, strong P&L management experience, demonstrated success generating revenue and profitability growth, preferably within Iron Mountain or from the records management industry or logistics background.
• At least 10 years’ proven track record of leading large-scale projects with investment values exceeding $40 million USD.
• Extensive project delivery experience across the APAC region, with a strong background in markets such as Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, and ANZ. Excellent verbal and written communication skills in Chinese and English is essential.
• In-depth knowledge of local building codes, permitting processes, and regulatory compliance across major APAC markets.
• Drive the successful delivery of Special Projects by actively managing performance against key targets—including revenue, margin, and product milestones—and implementing strategies for continuous improvement.
• Demonstrated ability to critically analyze data, identify anomalies, and implement solutions to resolve reporting discrepancies.
• Ability to build and develop successful long-term relationship with customers, direct reports, other teams, and departments within Iron Mountain.
• Strong people management skills, with the ability to focus and guide others in accomplishing work objectives, using methods and a flexible interpersonal style, to help build a cohesive team, facilitating the completion of team goals, while valuing each employee as an individual.
• Ability to work with minimum supervision in various market cross Asia.
• Ability to work within a multicultural environment and with all levels of the organisation.
• Requires proficiency in essential project software, including CAD, the Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word), and Project Plan Management (PPM) tools.
• This is a full-time, on-site position based in our Singapore office and requires the ability and willingness to travel extensively, approximately 60% of the time.

Personal Characteristics

• The hired manager shall demonstrate preference for operating with substantial independence and be strongly self‑motivated, but also have the ability to work within a team environment revealing interpersonal and influencing skills.
• Among other desired characteristics are the ability to deal with conflict in a constructive manner and think creatively and outside the box, work productively in a multi‑tasking environment, excellent organizational navigation and relationship building skills, and proven success in a matrix management environment.

Competencies

• Results Orientation: Candidates need to have a strong track record of driving for results in the face of complexities and challenges. This role will have a significant impact on operational effectiveness given the real estate is the highest cost item to the business. They must possess the ability to manage multiple transactions and analyses, prioritize effectively, and rapidly evaluate and distil information. They will demonstrate the ability to structure and lead complex deals and negotiations with tenacity, decisiveness, and diplomacy.
• Strategic Orientation: It is critical to the success of this role to be able to determine the “delivery strategy” of the GRE’s broader strategic mandates for the region. This executive must be able to execute strategically. He/she is highly skilled in taking tactical view of each of the markets and is capable of building this into a wider strategic project delivery perspective.
• Commercial Orientation: Candidates will have a good knowledge of real estate transactions, and show a practical and well‑rounded business outlook that enables them to balance concepts with practical operating realities. They will have strong business judgment and instincts for identifying and then assessing prospective transactions. They will have a proven ability to quickly understand the key levers for value creation in potential acquisitions and thereby assess opportunities accurately.
• Collaboration and Influencing: This role is heavily based on strong engagement with local external service providers, country leaders and senior management. As the real estate operational costs are on the business side, it will be critical to develop strong partnership with the businesses while influencing across different levels of management in order to drive strategic shift to real estate management (both existing or through acquisitions) and achieve lean footprint. They will also have a well‑developed suite of influencing skills that have enabled them to sell‑in ideas and persuade internal and external constituencies to undertake transactions or other courses of action.