Strategic Real Estate, Portfolio Planning & Strategy Lead

Anduril; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Anduril Industries is a defense tech company seeking a Portfolio Planning & Strategy Lead. You will own the planning process to determine space needs, type, location, and timing, reporting to the Director of Strategic Real Estate.

You’ll convert headcount plans and program schedules into forecasts and guide leadership on next steps. This senior role emphasizes building reusable models, working with incomplete data, and leveraging LLMs and modern data platforms to drive decisions across 5–10 year

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Real Estate, Finance, Economics, Business Administration, Data / Information Science, Urban Planning, Engineering.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in strategic real estate planning, corporate portfolio strategy, FP&A, capacity or workforce planning, real estate investing, or corporate development.
• Strong financial and analytical modeling; ability to defend numbers.

Responsibilities

• Own the Real Estate Planning Cycle end-to-end (quarterly forecast).
• Forecast seat, office, R&D, and production space demand against current and committed supply.
• Define metrics: SF per head, seat ratios, utilization, cost per seat; benchmark against peers.
• Align workforce strategy with Talent and divisions to inform location strategy.
• Build executive materials: quarterly reviews, expansion analyses, leadership briefings; justify recommendations.
• Develop and maintain the planning data pipeline and models (Palantir Foundry; Python/SQL); enable rapid, auditable forecasts and presentations.

Skills

Financial modeling

Analytical thinking

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Real Estate, Finance, Economics, Business Administration, Data / Information Science, Urban Planning, Engineering

Tools

Palantir Foundry

Python/SQL

Databricks

Snowflake

dbt

Job description

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century's most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril's family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.

Position Summary

Anduril's real estate portfolio covers 10M sq ft of R&D labs, manufacturing hubs, and offices worldwide. As Portfolio Planning & Strategy Lead , you will own the planning process that decides how much space Anduril needs, of what type, where, and when.

You’ll report to the Director of Strategic Real Estate. You’ll turn headcount plans, program schedules, and portfolio data into forecasts of demand and supply. You’ll measure how well we use what we already have, and make the case for what to do next to division leaders and the C‑suite.

This is a hands‑on senior role. It suits someone who builds their own models and can work from incomplete, inconsistent data. You should already use LLMs and modern data platforms (Palantir Foundry or similar) in your work. The ideal candidate combines real estate and financial judgment with a builder’s instinct and a creative, tech‑forward approach to problems that have no playbook.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the Real Estate Planning Cycle. Run the quarterly portfolio forecast end to end:
  • Gather headcount and program plans from Finance, Corporate Operations, and the business divisions;
  • Reconcile competing plans into one view of demand by division, workforce type, and region;
  • Publish the 5-10 year outlook that portfolio decisions rest on;
  • Track plan vs. actual across forecast versions, and explain why the numbers moved.
• Portfolio Demand & Supply Forecasting.
  • Forecast seat, office, R&D, and production space demand against current and committed supply.
  • Quantify the gaps by market and year.
  • Model scenarios (growth cases, program wins and losses, M&A, relocations, divestitures) and their OpEx and CapEx impact.
• Efficiency & Utilization Measurement. Define and track the metrics that show whether the portfolio is working: SF per head, seat ratios, utilization, cost per seat, and production space relative to output. Benchmark them against peers. Turn the findings into recommendations to consolidate, densify, restructure leases, or expand.
  • Define and track the metrics that show whether the portfolio is working: SF per head, seat ratios, utilization, cost per seat, and production space relative to output.
  • Benchmark them against peers.
  • Turn the findings into recommendations to consolidate, densify, restructure leases, or expand.
• Workforce Strategy. Work with Talent, People, and division leaders to understand how Anduril grows: hiring velocity, workforce mix (engineering, production, G&A), in‑office patterns, and talent markets. Translate that into location strategy, market selection, and site timing.
  • Work with Talent, People, and division leaders to understand how Anduril grows: hiring velocity, workforce mix (engineering, production, G&A), in‑office patterns, and talent markets.
  • Translate that into location strategy, market selection, and site timing.
• Executive Communications. Build and present the decision materials that get C‑suite and division‑leader decisions made: quarterly business reviews, expansion option analyses, and leadership briefings. Lead with the answer, show the math, and stand behind the numbers.
  • Build and present the decision materials that get C‑suite and division‑leader decisions made: quarterly business reviews, expansion option analyses, and leadership briefings.
  • Lead with the answer, show the math, and stand behind the numbers.
• Build the Planning System, Not Just the Plan. Maintain and extend our planning data pipeline and models (Palantir Foundry, Python/SQL, version‑controlled datasets with automated validation), so forecasts are repeatable, auditable, and refreshable in hours. Use LLM‑based agents to automate data extraction, reconciliation, analysis, and presentation production, and set the standard for how the team uses them.
  • Maintain and extend our planning data pipeline and models (Palantir Foundry, Python/SQL, version‑controlled datasets with automated validation), so forecasts are repeatable, auditable, and refreshable in hours.
  • Use LLM‑based agents to automate data extraction, reconciliation, analysis, and presentation production, and set the standard for how the team uses them.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Real Estate, Finance, Economics, Business Administration, Data / Information Science, Urban Planning, Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in strategic real estate planning, corporate portfolio strategy, FP&A, capacity or workforce planning, real estate investing (equity or credit), development, or corporate development, including experience leading or mentoring analysts/associates.
• Strong financial and analytical modeling. You build your own models in Excel and Python or SQL, and can defend every number in them.
• Hands‑on use of LLMs and modern data platforms (Palantir Foundry or similar, such as Databricks, Snowflake, or dbt) in your current work.
• Excellent communication, with a demonstrated capacity to influence cross‑functional teams and senior executives.
• Ability to travel up to 10% for site visits, stakeholder meetings, and industry events.
• U.S. citizenship required; eligibility for security clearance preferred.

Preferred Skills

• Experience forecasting space for manufacturing, R&D, or other capital‑intensive operations, not only office.
• A track record of building forecasts from incomplete or conflicting plan data, and explaining to leadership why they changed.
• Experience plannin