Lead – Standards & Assurance, Technology Labs

JLL; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

JLL is seeking a Director, Technology Labs CEM Standards and Assurance Leader to own the global standards for technology labs across its Data Centers and CEM Center of Excellence. This executive role drives the playbooks, governance, and assurance program to ensure consistent, compliant operations in lab environments worldwide.

You will partner with SMEs, account teams, and leadership to embed best practices and deliver training.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Facilities Management, or a related technical field.
• Experience designing and leading standards or assurance programs.
• Ability to align global standards with local variation.
• Strong writing and stakeholder communication skills.
• Cross-functional coordination in a large, matrixed organization.

Responsibilities

• Own and maintain the Tech Labs standard O&M playbook for labs, cleanrooms, and critical environments.
• Develop SOPs, guidance, and training materials for adherence and client assurance programs.
• Lead due-diligence engagements to identify gaps and drive remediation.
• Coordinate with engineering teams and SMEs to ensure practical deployment of standards.
• Oversee change management and incident analysis to inform updates and training.

Skills

Analytical

Program management

Collaboration

Communication

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Facilities Management

PE license (preferred)

Tools

RCM frameworks

Job description

We are looking for a Director, Technology Labs CEM Standards and Assurance Leader – for our Global Data Centers and CEM Centre of Excellence

What this job involves

This leadership role owns standards and assurance for JLL's Technology Labs Center of Excellence — building the playbooks and governance that define best practices for how tech labs, cleanrooms, and critical research environments are operated and maintained across JLL's global portfolio. The standard is built from structured due-diligence across accounts, translated into field-ready procedures, guidance, and templates, and aligned to industry practice before formal approval and release — then kept current as equipment, codes, and industry guidance evolve. The role also runs the assurance program that validates whether those standards are being followed in the field, extending JCAP (JLL Client Assurance Program) with tech lab-specific criteria, and drives the change management — in partnership with the Vertical Engineering Lead for Tech Labs — needed to embed them consistently and practically across accounts.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain the Tech Labs standard O&M playbook — the authoritative reference for how maintenance and operations should be executed in labs, cleanrooms, and critical research environments.
• Provide and maintain tech lab-specific documentation, SOPs, guidance, and training materials so accounts/sites can demonstrate adherence to the standard and client assurance programs.
• Run structured due-diligence engagements on individual accounts to capture current default operating models and surface gaps the standard needs to close.
• Align playbook to follow industry standards within the space, ensuring compliance is maintained.
• Finalize, gain approval for, and formally release the operating standard, then keep it current as equipment, codes and industry guidelines evolve.
• Own the assurance program for Tech Labs, extending JCAP (JLL Client Assurance Program) with tech lab-specific questions and guidance.
• Partner closely with the Vertical Engineering Lead for Tech Labs to ensure the standard is deployable in practice.
• Engage and maintain working relationships with DC & CEM engineering SMEs, Technology account teams, and divisional leadership to keep the standard grounded in real operating conditions.
• Be responsible and accountable for development of training content for Tech Labs Operations and Maintenance standard and Assurance program in collaboration with Engineering training for
• Train teams on the newly developed playbook, JCAP questions, and ongoing updates and revisions.
• Follow change management processes to inform teams of changes, and work with the Vertical Engineering Lead for Tech Labs to ensure the standards are being followed and applied.
• Support incident management for the lab space — investigate near-misses/incidents, drive root cause analysis, identify trends, and report findings to the Senior Director to inform ongoing standards updates.
• Coordinate with Engineering Operations, Quality & Compliance, and HSSE to ensure statutory compliance for tech lab maintenance and equipment testing protocols.
• Assist with client-facing technical consultations related to lab space performance and reliability.

Experience

• Significant experience (15+ years) in critical environment, tech lab, engineering, or standards/compliance leadership.
• A demonstrated track record of writing and maintaining operational standards or SOPs that are used by technicians in the field, not just filed for audit.
• Experience designing, running, or supporting an assurance, audit, compliance, or standards-implementation program (JCAP or equivalent).
• Ability to work across many accounts and reconciling a single global standard against local variation.
• Excellent technical writing and stakeholder communication skills.
• Hands-on experience with technology lab environments, environmental controls, or similar critical infrastructure.
• Cross-functional coordination experience within a large, matrixed organization.
• Corporate real estate or engineering operations background preferred.

Skills

• Strong analytical and program management skills; detail-oriented, able to run a standards-maintenance cadence with real rigor and maintain accurate documentation.
• Collaborative by instinct: this is not an audit-only function, but a role that sets standards and supports their adoption through guidance, training materials, and coaching — delivered in partnership with, not in place of, the deployment team.
• Strong technical/engineering understanding of critical environments and lab systems.
• Clear communicator able to engage technical staff, account leads, and clients.
• Collaborative team player; comfortable partnering with cross-functional teams to align on standards development.
• Proactive problem-solver with a continuous-improvement mindset.

Behavioral Competencies

• Think Big — simplifies the complex, sees the big picture across a large, dispersed portfolio.
• Drive Change — intellectually curious, comfortable building a new capability from a blank page.
• Get it Done — acts decisively, takes ownership, sees standards through from draft to release.
• Business First — keeps client and JLL outcomes in view even while operating independently of account funding.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Facilities Management, or a related technical field.
• Deep technical grounding in critical environment systems — mechanical, electrical, HVAC, cleanroom, and life-safety disciplines.
• Experience with regulatory compliance frameworks and industry standards relevant to technology labs or critical facilities.

Preferred Background & Traits

• Professional Engineer (PE) license.
• Experience in the technology sector.
• Familiarity with Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) frameworks and failure mode analysis.
• Prior experience standing up a standards or assurance function from scratch.