Associate Director, Real Estate & Workplace Strategy (Hybrid - Rahway, NJ)

Global Real Estate Strategy Position

Global Real Estate Strategy (GRES) is a strategic corporate function that identifies and executes creative and innovative real estate solutions to meet the needs of the company's global business units, including those in manufacturing, commercial, technical operations, research and development, and corporate enterprises.

As we emerge from the post-COVID era, we have continued to redefine the development and implementation of our strategy behind our workspaces and corporate campuses as we forecast and plan scenarios to help develop, drive, and monitor the optimization of our physical environments to adapt to and support the company's business objectives and employees' needs.

Role Description

Do you have design and strategy experience in workspaces and planning corporate campus environments? Are you a strategic thinker with expertise in space planning and design of projects ranging from fit outs, renovations, and repositioning to new building construction and campus planning? Have you advised on design standards, project scope, and regulatory compliance as well as act as a liaison with internal department stakeholders and external consultants to gather input and facilitate planning initiatives?

Our Global Real Estate Workplace Strategy team is seeking an experienced and motivated strategist for the North America and LATAM regions with a strong architectural design background in workplace, corporate, institutional, and campus planning to contribute to our mission of creating innovative, collaborative, engaging, and productive work environments across different scales.

This role will be based at our headquarters in Rahway, NJ (USA).

Core Responsibilities

Analyze and develop integrated real estate campus planning strategies for facility needs, capital improvement, long-range growth, and new development, ensuring alignment with the company's strategic goals.

Develop liaisons with internal departments and community organizations to gather input and facilitate campus planning initiatives.

Manage development of feasibility, programming studies, and site selections for capital projects with external consultants and company stakeholders.

Lead selection, onboarding, and coordination of outside design and planning consultants.

Perform design and planning reviews from programming through construction documentation.

Provide planning and design expertise on campus projects ranging from minor renovations, repositioning, and new building construction to site development. This includes guidance on campus and building design standards, open space and site planning guidelines, and regulatory compliance such as ADA, environmental, and building codes.

Ensure quality control over planning of a legible and safe environment of high-quality spaces that are connected, equitable, and accessible, establishing a clear overall identity with distinct public and private realms.

Leverage data in conducting analyses and studies on space utilization, efficiency, and needs to optimize the allocation and use of existing and future facilities with adaptability to future changes.

Research and analyze design trends in campus planning, urban development, and corporate facilities to inform strategic decision-making and identify future needs.

Liaise with local and regional site business leads to understand how our colleagues' workspaces are used to critically leverage occupancy data like headcount, attendance, and utilization to ensure alignment with workspace design requirements and real estate allocation needs.

Manage third party occupancy planning consultant deliverables for accuracy and timeliness.

Deliver workspace innovation projects, organize resources, and meet with internal team leadership and business representatives to conduct interviews, workshops, and surveys to inform workplace planning and design strategy.

Gather, vet, analyze, and summarize data in easy-to-understand presentations for leadership of local teams.

Critically assess spatial advantages and constraints of a floor plan to oversee optimization of test fits that ensure well-designed, utilized, and inspiring workspaces supportive of activity-based workstyles and hybrid schedules.

Keep abreast of industry trends in workplace design, materials, furniture, emerging technologies, and best practices to provide innovative solutions for the future of work.

Closely partner with colleagues from Facilities, HR, AV and IT to develop workplace strategy recommendations, workspace plans, and pilots specific to a region to support new ways of working.

Required Skills and Experience

Bachelor's degree in architecture or architectural design required. Master's degree preferred.

Minimum of 12 years of design and management experience in commercial and institutional architecture and interiors including development and implementation of site or campus planning and workspaces.

Working knowledge of technical architectural details to workspace FF&E.

Excellent research and analysis capabilities to select pertinent emerging trends and critical space planning data to strategically and creatively develop solutions to complex planning and space challenges.

Proactive influence and engagement of stakeholders, along with the ability to clearly communicate and articulate design and space opportunities to non-technical individuals.

Experience in test fit planning, space management, including forecasting and planning future demand.

Excellent organizational skills with the ability to balance multiple projects and performing priorities.

Experience in rationalizing design and planning decisions with agility to move with recognition of risks and opportunities of decisions.

Proficiency in software packages like CAD (AutoCAD), Excel, and data analysis / visualization tools such as Power Bi.

Excellent report-writing, storytelling and graphic presentation skills using programs like In-Design, PowerPoint, and Photoshop.

Ability to be proactive and effective while working independently and within a team environment.

Play your part in our team's success. As a member of a highly dynamic and growing global team that delivers high-quality workspaces across multiple scales, you will report directly to the Global Workspace Strategy Lead and Campus Architect. In this role, you will manage workplace planning and design strategy projects in North America and LATAM regions and contribute to campus planning of our New Jersey campus headquarters.

We know the best way to do that is by ensuring continuous learning and professional growth while having fun. You will have meaningful responsibility surrounded by excellent team spirit. You will also have access to opportunities to apply and share your knowledge by engaging with various parts of the organization to develop valuable connections within our company network. Do you have what it takes? The ideal candidate should have a professional degree in Architectural Design.

Additionally, this role will require extensive experience in strategy, design, and planning for workplace and corporate campus projects, including capital improvements, renovations, and new construction. Strong data literacy and comprehension will be needed to inform planning solutions that support real estate strategies.

This position is for a creative and self-motivated individual who enjoys working in a team-based, deadline-driven, and collaborative environment. Essential to this front-facing role is a high degree of flexibility, problem-solving and multi-tasking, along with excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

Salary Range : $126,500.00 - $199,100.00

The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits. Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at https : / / jobs.merck.com / us / en / compensation-and-benefits .

You can apply for this role through https : / / jobs.merck.com / us / en (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.