Sr. Director Corp Real Estate & Facilities at Airbus, Herndon Area, VA

Sr. Director Corp Real Estate & Facilities at Airbus in Herndon Area, VA. Full-time. Est. up to $80k. Apply with swipeandhired.

Airbus is committed to providing reasonable accommodations as an Equal Opportunity Employer to applicants with disabilities. If you require assistance or an accommodation to complete your application, please contact us at [email protected]

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Job Description:
Position Summary

Contributes to business objectives through the strategic application of corporate real estate and facilities, knowledge, resources and influence. The position develops and delivers comprehensive and strategic solutions in support of aerospace business operations across the organization and North America, resulting in measurable, cost effective, value-added, and reliable results that contribute to the achievement of Airbus annual and long-term business objectives.

Real Estate -15%

• Develop and execute a long-term real estate master plan that aligns physical footprint with business growth, organizational productivity, and hybrid work models
• Lead complex lease negotiations, site acquisitions, and divestitures to optimize regional real estate costs and mitigate risk; oversee the strategic relationship with external brokerage and legal partners
• Define the workplace strategy for the North American region, ensuring occupied environments reflect corporate culture, support employee retention, and drive operational efficiency
• Drive sustainability and ESG reporting initiatives across the portfolio to meet corporate carbon-reduction and energy-efficiency targets
• Represent the company in external real estate and facilities forums to benchmark industry best practices and maintain market intelligence on regional market conditions
• Direct the implementation and integration of Corporate Real Estate technology (e.g., IWMS/CAFM platforms) to enable data-driven decision-making and transparency across the portfolio

Project Leadership & Capital Projects -15%

• Lead and provide executive oversight for a diverse portfolio of strategic projects, including large-scale capital construction, site renovations, and industrial infrastructure upgrades
• Establish standardized project management methodologies, governance frameworks, and reporting protocols to ensure consistent delivery, cost control, and schedule adherence across all team-led initiatives
• Champion rigorous risk management, quality assurance, and compliance oversight for all project phases, ensuring alignment with corporate standards, safety regulations, and aerospace industry requirements
• Partner with operations teams to implement innovative solutions that improve facility performance and long-term asset value
• Collaborate with cross-functional executive partners (e.g., Procurement, Finance, EHS, Manufacturing) to align project outcomes with long-term business objectives and operational resilience
• Develop and maintain strong ties to the central team to ensure alignment with global workplace strategy

Operational Oversight and Service Delivery Excellence 15%

• Define, monitor, and enforce Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for all facilities service providers, ensuring consistent service quality, operational uptime, an adherence to aerospace safety standards
• Serve as the primary executive point of escalation for critical facility or infrastructure disruptions, directing cross-functional response teams to ensure business continuity and minimal impact on manufacturing or administrative productivity
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement by analyzing operational data from FM/IWMS platforms to identify trends, optimize resource allocation, and reduce operating expenses without compromising
• Direct the strategic oversight of third-party vendors and property managers, ensuring strict compliance with contractual obligations, financial terms, and performance expectations across the 40+ site portfolio

Financial Management & Budgetary Oversight 15%

• OPEX Focus: Direct all operational expenditures, focusing on continuous improvement, vendor demand planning, and value engineering to achieve annual cost-reduction targets while maintaining compliance and service standards
• CAPEX Focus: Govern the capital planning lifecycle—from project inception to capitalization—ensuring high-ROI investments in site infrastructure, technology, and facility expansions are effectively executed, tracked, and compliant with corporate fiscal policies

Governance, Risk & Compliance 10%

• Establish and enforce a culture of integrity across all facility operations, ensuring 100% adherence to corporate policies, anti-corruption frameworks, and ethical procurement practices in all real estate transactions and vendor relationships
• Serve as the ultimate authority for site compliance, directing proactive risk mitigation strategies to ensure the portfolio meets rigorous environmental, health, and safety (EHS) standards, maintaining organizational readiness for internal/external audits
• Champion corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, ensuring all facilities meet sustainability targets and ethical conduct expectations across the regional supply chain
• Maintain current knowledge of evolving regulatory requirements and proactively update policies and procedures to ensure ongoing compliance

People Leadership & Talent Development 15%

• Build and lead a high-performing, diverse team; foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and professional development to ensure a robust leadership pipeline
• Champion a robust learning and development strategy—including technical upskilling, mentorship, and proactive succession planning—to foster a culture of continuous growth and ensure a resilient, high-performing team capable of addressing evolving aerospace operational requirements
• Drive cross-functional collaboration to foster open communication and mutual problem-solving across departments and business units

Fixed Asset Governance 10%

• Oversee the annual comprehensive asset review to ensure that the registry is accurate, performing necessary audit certifications, and authorizing the retirement or disposal of obsolete assets. Focus on
• Accelerating the transition from reactive to predictive/preventative maintenance using the data insights gathered from your FM tools (e.g., ServiceNow) to identify patterns in equipment failure
• Overseeing capital asset planning, including deciding when to replace vs. repair assets based on long-term data (e.g., HVAC capitalization strategies)
• Managing warranty portfolios to ensure Airbus captures value from vendors and contractors, rather than absorbing costs internally
• Ensuring financial compliance, particularly regarding capitalization and depreciation policies
• Evaluating the ROI and financial impact of large-scale asset investments (e.g., site infrastructure, manufacturing equipment)
• Overseeing the authorization process for the procurement, modification, and final disposal of assets to ensure financial responsibility enforcing technical and safety standards (e.g., BIFMA, OSHA, ISO) across the portfolio. This means ensuring that fixed assets—from furniture to industrial machinery—meet rigorous

Additional Responsibilities 5%

• Liaise with Landlords/Property Manager on lease agreement Activities
• Contribute to corporate accreditation programs including ISO 14001
• Technical expert to RFI/CFT process including creating specifications and scope of work statements
• Provides counsel to executive site leadership and other related functions such as finance, procurement, HR Collaborates with executive site leadership to develop, submit for approval, and execute capital expenditure projects
• Participates in crisis management team and provides technical Expertise
• Recommend and manage initiatives to increase and improve service delivery considering both cost and quality
• Contribute to the Human Resources Leadership Team

Required Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Engineering, Construction Management or related degree

Preferred Education

• Master degree in Business Management or an equivalent

Required Experience

• A minimum of 15 years of Corporate Real Estate/Facilities experience in complex organization
• A minimum of 10 years developing and managing a budget subject to external and internal demands and changes
• A minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in leadership positions with strong evidence of ability to motivate teams and influence senior leadership
• Experience with large-scale capital project delivery, contract management, and vendor oversight
• Demonstrated experience managing enterprise-level real estate portfolios across multiple geographies and property types
• Experience successfully managing multiple work-streams in a multi-cultural environment and successfully addressing cultural differences

Preferred Experience

• Facilities/ Real Estate experience in a production environment
• Background in sustainability, energy management, or green building certification programs (LEED, etc.)
• Experience with M&A integration and facilities harmonization across acquired entities

Preferred Licensure/Certifications

• PMP
• CMRP, CFM or FMA Professional designations through facilities organizations (BOMI, IFMA)

Travel Required
% Domestic and International

• At least 30% domestic and international

Citizenship
Eligible for employment in the US, Options: none, US Person under ITAR definition (U.S. Citizen, green card holder or person covered under our existing ITAR license), Authorized to work in the US, Able to work in US without current or future need for visa sponsorship.
Authorized to Work in the US

Clearance
None

Required Knowledge, Skills, Demonstrated Capabilities

• Working knowledge and application of OSHA, ISO, NFPA, ANSI, and ADA standards required
• General knowledge of FAA, EASA, and ICAO standards
• Current in industry trends, best practices, and technology, ability to read blue prints, construction drawings, and experience with large construction/renovation projects
• Excellent interpersonal, organizational, presentation, and project management skills related to prioritizing and executing deliverables within timeline, scope and budget
• Visionary and strategic thinking capabilities with a proven ability to adapt and remain resilient in a changing environment
• Outstanding communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills, with a demonstrated ability to engage and influence stakeholders at all levels of a complex organization
• Excellent project and change management skills, with the ability to manage multiple complex transformation projects and prioritize effectively
• Demonstrated stakeholder management skills, including negotiation and matrix management
• coordination
• Ability to understand business needs to drive consensus among business leaders to enable transformation and advance strategic priorities
• Continued commitment to ongoing professional development of self & staff

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, Demonstrated Capabilities

• Knowledge of the Aerospace industry

Required Communication Skills (Spoken, Written, Influencing, Proficiency in Other Languages)

• Fluent written and spoken English.
• Written, presentation and oral communication, interpersonal and consultative skills, as well as effective result-oriented problem solving skills.

Preferred Communication Skills (Spoken, Written, Influencing, Proficiency in Other Languages)

• French, German or Spanish

Required Technical Systems Proficiency

• Proficient in office productivity tools

Preferred Technical Systems Proficiency

• Proficient in Google Workspace

Physical Requirements
● Onsite 80%
● Remote 20%
● Vision: Daily able to see and read computer screen and other electronic equipment with screens, able to read documents, reports and engineering drawings.
● Hearing: Daily able to hear to participate in conversations in person and via teleconference or phone and to hear sounds on production floor including safety warnings or alarms.
● Speaking: Daily able to speak in conversations and meetings, deliver information and participate in communications.
● Equipment Operation (personal computer, telephone, copies, fax machine, and related office equipment and using electronic identification card to enter building floors and internal doors): Daily able to operate most office and personal electronic equipment and some tools including production tools such as hydraulic lifts.
● Carrying: Several times a week able to carry documents, tools, drawings, electronic equipment up to 30lbs/14kgs.
● Lifting: Several times a week able to lift documents, tools, drawings, electronic equipment up to 30lbs/14kgs.
● Pushing / Pulling: Several times a week able to push and pull small office furniture and some equipment and tools.
● Sitting: Daily able to sit for long periods of time in meetings, working on computer.
● Squatting / Kneeling: Several times a month able to squat or kneel to retrieve or replace items stored on low shelving.
● Standing: Daily able to stand for discussions in offices or on production floor.
● Travel: Rarely able to travel independently and at short notice.
● Walking (include routine walking such as to a shared printer to retrieve documents): Daily able to walk through office and production areas including uneven surfaces.
● Appropriate hearing/eye protection may also be required when visiting the shop floor

This job requires an awareness of any potential compliance risks and a commitment to act with integrity, as the foundation for the Company’s success, reputation and sustainable growth.

Company:
Airbus Americas, Inc.
Employment Type:
Permanent
Experience Level:
Professional
Remote Type:
Flexible
Job Family:
Leadership ------
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Airbus provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetics, pregnancy, marital status, veteran status or other legally protected status. In addition to federal law requirements, Airbus complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, demotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, benefits and training. Airbus expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetics, pregnancy, marital status, veteran status or other legally protected status. As a matter of policy, Airbus does not sponsor visas for US positions unless specified. Only applicants with current work authorization will be considered. Airbus does not offer tenured or guaranteed employment. Employment with Airbus is at will, meaning either the company or the employee can terminate the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice. Airbus reserves the right to revise or change job duties and responsibilities as the need arises. This position description does not constitute a written or implied contract of employment.
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Airbus is committed to achieving workforce diversity and creating an inclusive working environment. We welcome all applications irrespective of social and cultural background, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation or religious belief.
Airbus is, and always has been, committed to equal opportunities for all. As such, we will never ask for any type of monetary exchange in the frame of a recruitment process. Any impersonation of Airbus to do so should be reported to [email protected].