Space Planner/Workplace Strategist

Overview

The Space Planner / Workplace Strategist is responsible for supporting the Susquehanna Real Estate and Facilities team in the planning, analysis, and implementation of space planning initiatives across the Susquehanna’s global real estate portfolio. This role combines data-driven occupancy planning with workplace strategy, ensuring space solutions align with business goals, workplace trends, and operational needs.

Working in close partnership with Workplace Design and Human Resources (HR), this role translates business and occupancy requirements into planning solutions that inform design outcomes, ensuring alignment between space data, planning assumptions, and the built environment.

In this role, you will:

• Lead space planning efforts across multiple locations, managing requests from intake through implementation in partnership with Workplace Design.• Partner closely with Workplace Design and Human Resources (HR) to translate occupancy data, business requirements, and planning assumptions into design-ready test fits and space plans.• Develop and maintain space planning standards, methodologies, and documentation to ensure consistency across the portfolio.• Serve as the subject matter expert for space data, drawings, and occupancy analytics, ensuring accuracy across all tools and platforms.• Translate business requirements into test fits, stacking plans, blocking diagrams, and seating layouts.• Collaborate with internal stakeholders, including business leaders and HR to understand headcount forecasts, team adjacencies, and workplace needs.• Develop, maintain, and update test fits, space plans, occupancy plans, and layouts in alignment with company standards and design guidelines.• Maintain accurate space data, drawings, and occupancy records within IWMS and CAD platforms.• Analyze space utilization, density metrics, and occupancy trends to inform planning decisions and recommended improvements.• Support moves, adds, and changes (MAC) planning and execution, ensuring minimal disruption and strong stakeholder communication.• Support scenario planning and capacity modeling aligned with growth projections and workplace strategy.• Ensure space plans reflect current headcount, departmental adjacencies, growth projections, and operational needs.• Demonstrate an informed understanding of space requirements, planning assumptions, and overall workplace strategy objectives.• Prepare occupancy plans, reporting, and presentations for internal stakeholders and leadership.• Proactively identify risks, constraints, and inefficiencies, and drive solutions in ambiguous or evolving conditions.• Engage in regular communication with internal partners to confirm space needs and expectations remain aligned.• Coordinate, attend, and actively participate in planning and project meetings.• Ensure consistency and accuracy of space information across drawings, reports, and systems.• Contribute to broader workplace strategy initiatives, including space optimization and evolving work models.

What we’re looking for

• Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Interior Design, Facilities Management, or a related field required.• 5-7 years of experience in occupancy planning, space planning, or facilities planning within a corporate environment.• Advanced proficiency in CAD-based space planning tools (AutoCAD required, experience with Revit or BIM tools preferred).• Advanced Excel skills for data analysis and reporting (pivot tables, lookups, data validation required).• Experience developing test fits, stacking plans, and occupancy scenarios from concept through implementation.• Strong understanding of space planning principles, including density metrics, circulation, space measurement standards (BOMA and equivalent).• Experience managing and maintaining space data within IWMS or space management platforms (e.g., Planon; FM:Systems; Manhattan, Archibus, or similar).• Demonstrated ability to analyze utilization data and translate insights into actionable, business-aligned space solutions.• Proven capability to manage space planning workflows, including request intake, prioritization, and stakeholder communication.• Strong technical judgment to identify conflicts, inefficiencies, or gaps in space plans and proactively propose solutions.• Demonstrated ability to work with limited direction and to make informed planning decisions aligned with organizational strategy and constraints.• High attention to detail with strong organizational and problem-solving skills.• Experience supporting moves, relocations, or workplace transformations or large-scale reconfigurations preferred.• Ability to handle ambiguity, using sound judgment and initiative to define problems, prioritize effectively, and drive progress with limited guidance.• Strong, context-aware communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate the trade-offs of a plan or approach.• Solutions-oriented with a collaborative approach to help drive outcomes for the organization while meeting individual business needs.

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