Head of Global Real Estate and Workplace

Navan is seeking a Vice President, Global Real Estate and Workplace to lead the strategy, operations, and continued evolution of our global real estate portfolio and workplace experience. 
Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, this leader will partner closely with Finance, People, and the executive team to ensure our workplaces enable the business to scale efficiently while delivering an exceptional employee experience. This role will shape how Navan's global footprint evolves alongside the business, balancing employee experience, operational excellence, and financial discipline to create environments that foster collaboration, innovation, and high performance.
As a lean, fast-growing company, Navan values leaders who move with urgency, make thoughtful decisions in the face of ambiguity, and drive results through influence and execution. The ideal candidate is equally comfortable setting long-term strategy and driving operational execution. They bring strong commercial judgment, a bias for action, adaptability, accountability, and a customer-first mindset.

What You'll Do:

Shape Navan's Global Workplace Strategy

• Develop and execute a long-term global real estate and workplace strategy aligned with Navan's business priorities, workforce plans, and growth trajectory.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to executive leadership on portfolio strategy, workplace investments, location planning, and future capacity needs.
• Translate business priorities and workforce plans into scalable, flexible workplace solutions that evolve with the business.
• Continuously identify opportunities to simplify operations, improve the employee experience, and maximize the return on workplace investments.

Lead the Global Real Estate Portfolio

• Lead Navan's global real estate portfolio, including transactions, lease negotiations, site selection, occupancy planning, and ongoing optimization.
• Balance workplace experience, operational needs, and financial performance to ensure every real estate investment supports business outcomes.
• Build and manage strategic partnerships with brokers, landlords, developers, and external partners to support Navan's global growth.

Drive Workplace Experience and Operations

• Partner with Procurement to oversee workplace operations, facilities, workplace services, and office services with a customer-first mindset, ensuring employees have the environments and support they need to do their best work.
• Deliver a consistent, hospitality-driven workplace experience across Navan's global offices while recognizing regional and cultural differences.
• Partner closely with Finance, People, IT, Security, Legal, and business leaders to continuously evolve workplace programs as organizational needs change.

Deliver Financial and Operational Excellence

• Own the global operating and capital budgets for the workplace function, driving disciplined planning, forecasting, and investment decisions.
• Establish meaningful portfolio metrics to measure portfolio utilization, project delivery, financial performance, and operational effectiveness.
• Lead through influence and strong vendor partnerships to deliver exceptional results within a lean operating model.
• Ensure compliance with applicable regulatory, safety, and sustainability requirements across Navan's global locations.

What We're Looking For:

• 12+ years of progressive leadership experience spanning corporate real estate, workplace, facilities, portfolio strategy, and capital projects within high-growth, global organizations.
• Demonstrated success developing and executing enterprise real estate strategies that align with business priorities and evolving workforce needs.
• Deep expertise across portfolio strategy, commercial real estate transactions, workplace operations, design and construction, occupancy planning, and workplace services.
• Strong financial acumen, with experience managing significant operating and capital budgets, evaluating investments, and partnering with executive leadership to make sound business decisions.
• Proven ability to build, lead, and develop high-performing teams while navigating growth, ambiguity, and organizational change.
• A strategic and commercially minded leader with a bias for action who thrives in a lean, fast-paced environment. Exercises sound judgment, adapts quickly to changing priorities, and consistently delivers results.
• A customer-first leader who views Workplace as a service organization and is passionate about creating exceptional employee experiences.
• Outstanding communication and executive presence, with the ability to influence across all levels of the organization and build trusted partnerships with senior leaders.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience in business, real estate, finance, architecture, engineering, facilities management, or a related field.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading global workplace and real estate functions within a late-stage technology company or similarly dynamic environment.
• Experience managing a geographically distributed global portfolio and supporting hybrid ways of working.
• Professional certifications in corporate real estate, facilities management, project management, or related disciplines.
• Experience leveraging workplace technology and analytics to improve portfolio performance, operational efficiency, and workplace services.

Travel

This role requires regular domestic and international travel to support Navan's global office portfolio and business priorities.