Director, Global Real Estate

Littelfuse; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 166,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation and benefits

Performance-based incentives

Flexible work arrangements

Development opportunities

Job summary

Littelfuse, headquartered in Chicago, IL, seeks a Director of Global Real Estate to lead strategy, optimization, and governance of the corporate real estate portfolio across North America, Europe, and Asia. The role drives footprint planning, cost optimization, and high-impact portfolio decisions.

The leader will partner with Finance, Operations, Legal, and HR to balance owned and leased facilities while supporting business growth and operational performance.

Qualifications

• Global real estate leadership experience
• Experience managing a dispersed portfolio (manufacturing, distribution, engineering, offices)
• Strong understanding of owned vs leased real estate and portfolio decision-making
• Proven lease negotiations and complex transaction leadership

Responsibilities

• Define and Lead Global Real Estate Strategy
• Own and manage the global real estate portfolio across offices, manufacturing facilities, and distribution centers
• Develop long-term portfolio plans aligned with business priorities and workforce needs
• Lead decisions on owned vs leased properties including renewals, relocations, and acquisitions
• Partner with Finance, Operations, Legal and HR on strategic facility decisions
• Present portfolio options and drive enterprise-level decision making
• Ensure cost efficiency and optimization of occupancy and capital spending
• Collaborate with external brokers, landlords, and service providers

Skills

Strategic Thinking

Financial Acumen

Enterprise Mindset

Executive Communication

Collaboration

Negotiation

Change Leadership

Decision Making

Results Orientation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in real estate/finance/business

Advanced degree or relevant certification

Job description

Company Overview

Littelfuse (NASDAQ: LFUS) is a diversified industrial technology manufacturing company shaping solutions for the safe and efficient transfer of electrical energy.

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, USA, we serve customers across industrial, transportation, and electronics markets worldwide.

With approximately 16,000 employees we design and manufacture innovative technologies that support electrification, energy efficiency, and advanced automation.

Our global reach is matched by a culture that empowers innovation and long-term growth.

Guided by our principles We Care, We Succeed With Our Customers, and We Own the Outcome, we work collaboratively, think boldly, and deliver solutions that move industries forward.

Job Summary

The Director, Global Real Estate will lead the strategy, optimization, and governance of the Littelfuse global real estate portfolio.

Littelfuse is a $2.5B+ global industrial technology company with a diverse footprint that includes manufacturing facilities, distribution centers, engineering sites, and office locations across North America, Europe, and Asia.

This highly visible leadership role will develop and execute an enterprise real estate strategy that enables business growth while improving cost effectiveness, space utilization, and operational performance.

The Director will guide major portfolio decisions, including facility consolidations, site expansions, lease renewals, acquisitions, dispositions, and long-term footprint planning.

The successful candidate will combine global real estate expertise with strong commercial and financial judgment.

This leader will work closely with business leaders and cross-functional partners to evaluate portfolio opportunities, shape the future office and manufacturing footprint, and determine the appropriate balance between owned and leased facilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and Lead Global Real Estate Strategy
• Global Portfolio Leadership: Own and manage the global real estate portfolio, including corporate offices, manufacturing facilities, distribution centers, and engineering locations.
• Enterprise Portfolio Strategy: Establish long-term portfolio plans aligned with business priorities, operational requirements, and workforce needs.
• Owned and Leased Portfolio Strategy: Develop recommendations regarding owned and leased properties, including renewals, relocations, closures, consolidations, acquisitions, and property sales.
• Footprint Planning: Lead decisions regarding future office, manufacturing, distribution, and engineering-site investments.
• Optimize the Global Portfolio Portfolio Optimization: Balance growth requirements, operational needs, employee experience, utilization, and cost effectiveness across the global footprint.
• Utilization and Capacity Analysis: Evaluate facility utilization and develop fact-based recommendations to expand, consolidate, close, relocate, or divest sites.
• Manufacturing Footprint Support: Partner with operations and supply chain leaders on manufacturing footprint strategy, facility transitions, site closures, and integration activities.
• Enterprise Value Creation: Identify opportunities to minimize occupancy costs, lease liabilities, and capital-project spending while maintaining operational effectiveness.

Lead Transactions, Governance, and External Partnerships

• Transaction Management: Lead lease renewals, acquisitions, dispositions, relocations, consolidations, expansions, and other real estate transactions.
• Commercial Negotiations: Oversee landlord negotiations, broker relationships, contract reviews, and external real estate service providers.
• Legal and Risk Partnership: Partner closely with Legal on contracts, lease negotiations, transaction structures, risk assessments, and governance processes.
• Service Provider Management: Set expectations and ensure accountability across brokers, developers, landlords, and facilities service partners.

Influence Enterprise Decision-Making

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Finance, Operations, Legal, Supply Chain, Human Resources, and business leadership on strategic facility decisions.
• Financial and Business Analysis: Develop clear business cases and recommendations that consider cost, capital requirements, operational impact, growth, and risk.
• Executive Advisory: Present portfolio options, trade-offs, and recommendations to senior leaders and influence complex, enterprise-level decisions.
• Execution and Accountability: Translate approved strategies into actionable plans, decisions, and measurable portfolio outcomes.

About You

• Global Corporate Real Estate Experience: A minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in corporate real estate, facilities management, portfolio strategy, or a related discipline within a global organization.
• Complex Portfolio Management: Demonstrated experience managing a geographically dispersed portfolio that includes manufacturing, distribution, engineering, and office facilities.
• Owned and Leased Real Estate Expertise: Strong understanding of owned and leased real estate structures, financial implications, and portfolio decision-making.
• Transactions and Negotiations: Proven success leading lease negotiations, facility consolidations, site closures, property transactions, and external-provider relationships.
• Manufacturing and Operational Environment: Experience supporting real estate or footprint decisions within a complex industrial, manufacturing, or similarly asset-intensive organization.
• Commercial and Financial Acumen: Ability to assess investments, occupancy costs, lease liabilities, capital requirements, and business-case alternatives.
• Stakeholder Leadership: Demonstrated ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments and influence senior and executive-level decisions.
• External Partner Management: Experience managing brokers, developers, landlords, consultants, and facility service providers.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in real estate, finance, business administration, engineering, facilities management, or a related field.
• An advanced degree or relevant professional certification is a plus.

Core Competencies / Key Behaviors

• Strategic Thinking and Execution: Connects enterprise strategy with practical portfolio plans and delivers results through disciplined execution.
• Business and Financial Acumen: Evaluates opportunities using financial, operational, and risk considerations to support sound investment decisions.
• Enterprise Mindset: Makes decisions based on the needs of the broader organization rather than an individual site, function, or region.
• Influence and Executive Communication: Communicates complex real estate issues clearly and builds support for recommendations at all organizational levels.
• Collaboration and Relationship Building: Develops trusted partnerships with business leaders, functional partners, and external stakeholders.
• Negotiation and Commercial Judgment: Achieves balanced, value-focused outcomes in complex transactions and contractual discussions.
• Change Leadership: Leads effectively through consolidations, closures, integrations, relocations, and other significant portfolio changes.
• Decision Quality: Uses data, business context, and sound judgment to make timely recommendations in situations involving competing priorities.
• Results Orientation: Maintains accountability for cost, utilization, operational effectiveness, and successful execution of portfolio decisions.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position, however, all final employment decisions will be made by a person.

Salary Range

Salary Range: $166,000 - $240,460 The salary offered will vary depending on your location, job-related skills, knowledge, and experience.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation and benefits
• performance-based incentives
• flexible work arrangements
• development opportunities

Company History and Culture

At Littelfuse, we support employee growth and development. Guided by our culture principles, our teams work together to deliver value for customers and make a positive impact in the communities where we operate.

We are an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where everyone has the opportunity to grow and contribute.

Our humble roots date back to 1927, where, in the back of a garage on Chicago’s northside, our founder, Edward Sundt, developed a small, fast-acting, protective fuse for use in sensitive test meters. Sundt wanted to call his new company producing these small fuses, “Little Fuse,” but wasn’t allowed to trademark two such common words. So, instead he went with the one-word, misspelled “Littelfuse.” For more than 95 years, Littelfuse has pioneered innovative products that help empower a sustainable, connected, and safer world.

With the ever‑evolving electrification and electronification of customer applications, our product technologies are closely linked to sustainable applications such as electric vehicles and EV charging infrastructure, renewable energy and energy storage, factory automation, power management and more.

Throughout our history, our people have been the foundation of our success — and that remains true today.

Now more than ever, our bright and talented people are a strategic advantage for the company.

From the production line to the engineering lab, the office or distribution center, Littelfuse people are an important part of a diverse, talented team of the best and brightest in the industry.

While Littelfuse has experienced tremendous growth in recent years, we still maintain a small‑company, entrepreneurial approach where your efforts will drive our culture, our business, and the overall success of the organization.

No matter where you work or what you do, your contributions will make a difference at Littelfuse — everywhere, every day.

Equal Opportunity and Diversity

Littelfuse is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, protected veteran status, and/or any other protected class under federal, state, or local law.