Senior Manager, Real Estate & Workplace Programs

Navan is seeking a Senior Manager Real Estate and Workplace Programs to build the operating cadence for our global real estate and workplace portfolio. This is a real estate-first role with strong program discipline focused on creating structure around our spaces lease obligations key dates occupancy and utilization space planning options active workstreams stakeholder inputs standards and portfolio decision processes. This role owns the internal portfolio strategy business case development broker coordination and decision process.

Reporting to the Senior Director Real Estate & Workplace this person will own end-to-end portfolio initiatives turning fragmented information into clear decisions owners timelines risks and executive-ready updates. This is a hands-on high-impact role for someone with corporate real estate judgment global portfolio discipline and the ability to drive complex cross-functional work. Consistent with Navans AI-first value this person will use modern tools and AI-enabled workflows to make the real estate and workplace operating system faster clearer and more scalable.

What Youll Do:

• Build and maintain a trusted global portfolio view of our spaces lease obligations commercial terms capacity business purpose key documents owners and upcoming decisions.
• Own the portfolio calendar ensuring key lease renewal expansion project payment and approval deadlines are visible actionable and translated into clear business implications.
• Manage broker relationships and transaction workstreams ensuring market activity proposals deal timelines stakeholder inputs and decision points are coordinated and aligned to Navans business needs.
• Own the internal business case for real estate decisions including options assumptions risks financial impact operational implications stakeholder alignment and recommended path forward.
• Partner closely with Finance to maintain visibility into occupancy costs rent commitments capex and opex assumptions budget exposure forecast changes and scenario models.
• Coordinate occupancy utilization and capacity planning inputs across key locations and use them to frame space planning options such as expansion consolidation sublease exit relocation or seating changes.
• Partner with business stakeholders to align requirements constraints timing decision makers and open questions.
• Create visibility across real estate and workplace projects including milestones owners dependencies risks budgets escalations and leadership updates.
• Build repeatable standards for space requests project handoffs site readiness and portfolio reviews.
• Apply practical AI-enabled workflows and automation to improve portfolio visibility documentation reporting decision preparation and operating efficiency.

What Were Looking For:

• 6 years of experience in corporate real estate workplace strategy real estate portfolio management or real estate program management.
• Experience supporting a multi-site corporate real estate or workplace portfolio; international or global portfolio experience strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of lease events renewals notice dates transaction timelines landlord coordination broker processes and key commercial obligations.
• Experience managing brokers and external real estate partners while owning internal stakeholder alignment business case development financial assumptions and executive decision materials.
• Ability to connect headcount seats utilization cost timing and business needs into clear portfolio views options and decision support.
• Strong partnership skills with Finance People Legal Procurement IT Security and regional workplace teams on occupancy planning portfolio forecasting and real estate decision governance.
• Strong program management skills with the ability to create clear cadences decision tracking escalation paths and cross-functional accountability.
• Excellent analytical and executive communication skills with the ability to synthesize conflicting inputs into clear trackers status updates decision memos risk summaries and leadership updates.
• Strong comfort with AI-enabled tools automation and data-driven workflows; curious and proactive about using technology to improve how teams operate.
• Ability to travel up to 20% across domestic and international locations as portfolio initiatives require.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience in a high-growth technology company or similarly fast-moving global environment.
• Prior experience in corporate real estate workplace strategy portfolio strategy either in-house or with firms such as JLL CBRE Cushman & Wakefield or similar.
• Hands-on experience coordinating across AMER EMEA and APAC time zones vendors lease structures regional teams and external project partners.
• Familiarity with workplace data sources such as badge data seat inventories HRIS headcount finance forecasts and lease administration tools.

What Success Looks Like:

• We have one trusted view of every space we occupy what it entails what it costs and what decisions are coming.
• Lease obligations notice windows renewals project milestones and decision deadlines are visible before they become urgent.
• Occupancy utilization seat count and headcount data are reviewed consistently and used to frame clear space planning options.
• Brokers Finance Legal business stakeholders and regional workplace teams operate from a clear decision process with Navan-owned business cases guiding major real estate recommendations.
• Leadership has decision-ready materials for major space cost timing and portfolio tradeoffs and regional workplace teams have clearer structure around real estate-driven work.