Global Real Estate Strategy Director

Grant Thornton (US); Appleton (WI); Hybrid; USD 184,000 - 276,000; Full time

Job summary

Grant Thornton is seeking a Director, Global Real Estate to lead the firm's worldwide real estate strategy, portfolio, and occupancy plans. This role drives workplace design standards and oversees governance, data analytics, and AI opportunities in real estate and design processes.

Collaboration with Workplace Operations, Finance, and external partners is central to delivery. The role requires 10+ years in global corporate real estate, strong financial acumen, and executive communication skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in real estate, business, architecture/engineering, or related field (advanced degree a plus).
• 10+ years of global corporate real estate experience within a multinational organization, including portfolio strategy and transactions oversight.
• Experience leading a partner-led delivery model (brokerage, design, and construction vendors).
• Strong financial acumen, including capital planning and project economics.
• Proven ability to provide strategic oversight of a global or multi-country portfolio.
• Excellent stakeholder-management and executive-communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the global real estate strategy, portfolio plan, and occupancy strategy aligned to firm growth and integration.
• Set workplace design standards and guardrails applied across the portfolio.
• Establish real estate governance, data, and analytics to support capital and occupancy decisions.
• Continuously evaluate and propose automation and AI adoption opportunities within real estate and design & construction processes.
• Own the transactions strategy and oversee execution through the firm's appointed real estate transactions partner.
• Oversee the external design & construction partner relationships, ensuring best-in-class outcomes with fees appropriately charged to capital projects.
• Manage an outsource provider- and partner-first delivery model, holding partners accountable to performance and service standards.
• Own the global design standards, recommending changes in office designs and layouts in accordance with business needs.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Executive stakeholder mgmt

Global portfolio oversight

Financial acumen

Change management

Travel flexibility

Education

Bachelor's degree in real estate, business or related field

Advanced degree a plus

Job description

Grant Thornton is seeking a Director, Global Real Estate to lead the firm's worldwide real estate strategy, portfolio, and occupancy plans. This role drives workplace design standards and oversees governance, data analytics, and AI opportunities in real estate and design processes.

Collaboration with Workplace Operations, Finance, and external partners is central to delivery. The role requires 10+ years in global corporate real estate, strong financial acumen, and executive communication skills.