Workplace Development Manager

JobsCloseBy Editorial Insights

Hill International is hiring a Workplace Development Manager in Basel to translate strategic intent into a clear workplace vision and practical guidelines, guiding design, procurement and fit-out to a single plan. You will own strategy, target experience, and end-to-end deliverables, prepare options for senior stakeholders, and provide design assurance with the Senior Architect. You will coordinate external consultants, manage special topics, and drive improvement through pilots and insights. The ideal candidate has senior workplace, CRE or architecture/design background with a proven track record in strategy and standards, data-driven decision making, strong governance, and English fluency (German a bonus). Apply with case studies of end-to-end leadership, adoption metrics, and business outcomes; highlight utilization data and collaboration with space planners and change managers.

We are looking to hire a  Workplace Development Manager  to join our Switzerland Team in Basel who will lead the development of our client's workplace strategy. Translate strategic intent into a clear workplace vision, concept and stadards, and steer the deliverables so spatial execution and people adoptaion align to a single plan.  

Strategy and standards

• Define the workplace strategy, roadmap, principles and target experience.
• Develop and maintain the workplace concept and strategic guidelines (e.g., sharing ratios, room types, accessibility and ergonomics) and consolidate them into a practical workplace manual.
• Ensure traceability from vision and requirements to design, procurement and fit‑out decisions; manage exceptions to standards.

Deliverable chain and governance

• Coordinate the end‑to‑end workplace deliverables (user‑requirements framework, gap analysis, concept, guidelines) and manage dependencies into the design/procurement stage.
• Prepare decision options and materials for programme governance and senior stakeholders

Assurance and approvals

• Set acceptance criteria and approve, at key gates, test fits, blocking‑and‑stacking strategies and relocation sequencing plans produced by the Space Planner.
• Provide design assurance with the Senior Architect and endorse fit‑out change‑order recommendations for governance.

External partners and special topics

• Direct and integrate external workplace consultants and specialists; manage scope, timeline and quality.
• Oversee special workplace topics (e.g., team‑specific needs) and ensure alignment to standards.

Evidence and improvement

• Define success measures (utilisation, satisfaction, adoption, efficiency) and ensure pilot and post‑occupancy insights inform updates to standards and guidelines.

Leadership and integration

• Align and prioritise the Space Planner and Change Manager workstreams; resolve interfaces and maintain a single, coordinated roadmap.

• Senior workplace, corporate real estate or architecture/design background with a track record in strategy and standards.

• Ability to connect design/space choices to business outcomes and value.

• Strong stakeholder and governance skills; clear, inclusive communicator.

• Comfortable using space and utilisation data to inform decisions.

• Fluency in English (German would be a Bonus)

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