Job Abstract

ABOUT UNILEVER

Be part of the world’s most successful, purpose-led business. Work with brands that are well-loved around the world, that strive to improve the lives of our consumers and the communities around us every day. Every day, nine out of ten Indian households use our products to feel good, look good and get more out of life – giving us a unique opportunity to build a brighter future. We promote innovation, big and small, to make our business win and grow; and we believe in business as a force for good. Our brilliant business leaders and colleagues provide mentorship and inspiration, so you can be at your best.

At Unilever, we believe that every individual irrespective of their race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, nationality, caste, disability, or marital status can bring their purpose to life. So, apply to us, to unleash your curiosity, challenge ideas and disrupt processes; use your energy to make the world a better place. As you work to make a real impact on the business and the world, we will work to help you become a better you!

We are looking to hire an North America Real Estate Lead and Global Retail Lead (New Jersey, USA)

The North America Real Estate Lead and Global Retail Lead will be responsible to manage our regional real estate portfolio for Supply Chain and Retail (incl. M&A) for Unilever globally. This role is part of the Global Workplace team and would report into the Global Workplace Director. It is a senior role in Unilever, where this role would be instrumental in enabling us to respond to changing business needs, minimising the costs and taking opportunities to maximize value while balancing risks. We are looking for a team player with leadership qualities of owner’s mindset, who is self-driven, and who is excited by new challenges.

Scope:

• Retail and M&A real estate portfolio: Global, across Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific.

• Supply Chain: North America (USA and Canada).

• Owned, leased and 3P managed sites are within the scope of this role.

• Transactions could include acquisitions (buy, lease), divestments (sale, lease exits), and other portfolio related activities (such as, renewals, rental etc.).

• Role is supported by an established 3P global supplier though transactions may be delivered without the 3P support.

• Requires so

Some of the key areas of focus include:

• Drive real estate transactions end-to-end from portfolio review to transactions delivery.

• To drive Global real estate strategy and implement agreed plans that ensure the real estate portfolio supports our current business agenda, aligning with global and local policies and guidelines including but not limited to hybrid working, Future of the Office, Global Logistics strategy.

• Deliver transaction management service to business through leading and managing 3rd party RE Service Providers for all property types (office, warehouse, manufacturing, R&D, retail, as relevant) within the geographies.

• Maintain and keep current our critical property data in our platform through working with outsourced RE and other providers (e.g., market values, terms of leases, number of people, square meters, costs to run, etc.). 

• Develop KPIs that enable benchmarking with other companies, across Unilever and within local markets to identify opportunities for value creation, taking opportunities for quick win returns where available.

• Work in partnership with broader Workplace team to deliver full suite of workplace services (PM, Space Planning, FM, etc).

• Lead outsourced 3rd party provider to provide and support Strategic Portfolio Planning services for applicable geographies/portfolio and work closely with global Workplace Design & Experience team to ensure strategies are aligned locally and globally.

• Act as a change agent with key stakeholders to drive real estate principles and policies.

 Responsibilities include:

• Understand business units’ space demands and real estate market trends and provide thought leadership in strategy sessions with business units to drive the best solutions considering all relevant occupancy scenarios.

• Proactively manage occupancy costs by understanding business units’ demands, market trends and space planning requirements to implement the best occupancy strategies and commercial options for the business (including sale/lease backs, adjustments of rent to market, etc.).

• Provide plans that optimize space for the new hybrid ways of working to drive employee experience.

• Provide timely and accurate market data updates and forecasts of occupancies, rental rates and operating expenses.

• Prepare integrated portfolio strategies that look holistically at business unit plans to identify and leverage opportunities between like requirements and functions.

• Drive the Logistics Real Estate strategy aligned with the global guidelines and governance in place and drive wider support for the Supply Chain real estate portfolio.

• Complete portfolio occupancy planning studies for existing properties and provide business location strategy and guidance for new locations.

• Evaluate the optimal balance of leased and owned facilities through financial analyses of alternative lease and ownership strategies, based on agreed assumptions and accounting criteria.

• Prepare comprehensive business cases that will be utilized to obtain consensus and approval from Business Units and Senior Management.

• Manage the Retail and M&A portfolio globally, working closely with other market Real Estate Leads.

• As required, step-in to manage other aspects of the real estate portfolio.

What You'll Need to Succeed

• Bachelors Degree with 10+ years in real estate transactions experience (including Best practices, Contracting methods, Service Level Agreement methodologies and Strengths and weaknesses of third-party delivery models) in North America (global experience would be considered an added advantage).

• Previous experience leading a strategic real estate portfolio planning program, and successful experience tying corporate real estate objectives to business objectives.

• Previous experience managing a regional lease administration program.

• Previous experience with Logistics and Industrial projects, including supporting on the strategy stage of the projects.

• Ability to manage suppliers, ensuring the Services delivered by Strategic Partners meet the cost and service level expectations and requirements of the Unilever business.  Experience in developing Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) and managing them across geographic regions.

• Relevant experience in delivering design/space planning, workplace strategy or operational services.

• Interest in how employee experience is affected by design / space planning, architecture, and desire to contribute to the future of workplaces with ability to work a-synchronically with diverse groups.

• Analytical mindset with experience in conducting both quantitative and qualitative research.

• Storyteller who is confident with leading presentations and landing a narrative.

• Agile advocate who has embraced agile project delivery and agile working.

• Experience in the engagement of key, senior level stakeholders, along with proven ability to influence and manage relationships with those stakeholders in a matrixed, complex organization.

• Experience leading cross functional teams charged with creating and implementing operational methods that are vastly different from current methods.

• Significant experience in taking divergent pieces of information, crafting clear, concise business plans and recommendations, and then land these recommendations to the business stakeholders.

• Strong financial acumen required to review strategic plans and scenarios.

• Fluent spoken and written English. Spanish/Other languages would be an advantage. 

Pay: The pay range for this position is $135,600 to $203,300. Unilever takes into consideration a wide range of factors that are utilized in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to, skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, qualifications and education, and other business and organizational needs.

Bonus: This position is bonus eligible.

Long-Term Incentive (LTI): This position is LTI eligible.

Benefits: Unilever employees are eligible to participate in our benefits plan. Should the employee choose to participate, they can choose from a range of benefits to include, but is not limited to, health insurance (including prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage), retirement savings benefits, life insurance and disability benefits, parental leave, sick leave, paid vacation and holidays, as well as access to numerous voluntary benefits. Any coverages for health insurance and retirement benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents.

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Unilever is an organization committed to diversity and inclusion to drive our business results and create a better future every day for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal law and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability. 

For more information about your Federal rights, please see Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal and Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision.

Employment is subject to verification of pre-screening tests, which may include drug screening, background check, credit check and DMV check.

If you are an individual with a disability in need of assistance at any time during our recruitment process, please contact us at NA.Accommodations@unilever.com. Please note: This email is reserved for individuals with disabilities in need of assistance and is not a means of inquiry about positions or application statuses. The Protected Veterans or Individuals with Disabilities AAP narratives are available for inspection by any employee or applicant for employment Monday through Friday during normal business hours at establishment.