Sr Principal Real Estate Project Manager, Americas

Overview

Join Waters Corporation and help shape the future of our global real estate portfolio. This is a unique opportunity to lead transformative projects at the intersection of real estate strategy and complex M&A integration. As Real Estate Project Manager for the Americas, you will drive the planning, execution, and delivery of high-impact projects across laboratories, GMP facilities, R&D environments, and office spaces within a dynamic life sciences organization. A key focus of this role is managing M&A integration activities—ranging from site consolidations and expansions to decommissioning, due diligence, and transition planning for acquired or divested locations. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional partners including EHS, Facilities, IT, Security, Workplace Strategy, Finance, and Corporate Integration teams to ensure seamless transitions, regulatory compliance, and day-one readiness. This role is ideal for a results-oriented professional who thrives in fast-paced environments and is passionate about delivering strategic real estate solutions that enable business growth.

Responsibilities

M&A Integration & Transition Management

• Lead real estate workstreams for acquisitions, divestitures, and mergers, including site assessments, transition planning, disposition, and consolidation opportunities.
• Conduct real estate due diligence for acquired portfolios (lease review, building condition, capital needs, compliance gaps, laboratory infrastructure readiness).
• Develop integration roadmaps, project plans, critical-path schedules, and resource requirements.
• Oversee relocation of employees, equipment, labs, and regulated materials across multiple sites with minimal disruption to business continuity.

Portfolio Strategy & Planning

• Collaboratively partner with senior management leaders to align and support their business objectives. Be a thought leader and provide forward-thinking corporate real estate market intelligence.
• Support strategic portfolio decisions across offices, labs, warehouses, and manufacturing spaces resulting from M&A activity.
• Perform space forecasting, utilization analysis, and scenario modeling to evaluate footprint optimization and consolidation strategies.
• Prepare business cases with CapEx/OpEx estimates, ROI analysis, and recommendations for executive approval.

Transactions & Lease Management

• Partner with brokers and internal stakeholders to execute site searches, RFPs, LOIs, and lease negotiation support for both integration-driven and routine projects.
• Assess lease risks and obligations for newly acquired sites and advise on renewals, terminations, subleases, and consolidations.
• Responsible for real estate transaction management as an end-to-end process.

Construction & Project Delivery

• Lead programming and requirements gathering with scientific, manufacturing, and operational end users.
• Partner with the workplace strategy team on workplace design trends and development of standards by region
• Guide architects and engineers through programming, conceptual design, laboratory planning, and engineering reviews.
• Ensure compliance with life science-specific code requirements, including BSL standards, environmental permits, and hazardous materials storage.
• Oversee construction activities, including schedule, budget, quality, safety, commissioning, and change management.
• Direct general contractors, consultants, and technical vendors during project execution.
• Partner with global procurement to optimize vender management
• Partner with the environmental health and safety team to ensure we are in compliance with all local government regulations and that we are providing a safe and healthy work environment for all occupants within our space portfolio.

Budgeting & Financial Management

• Develop and manage project budgets, cash flows, and forecasts across multiple concurrent projects.
• Provide regular financial updates, variance analysis, and scenario models to Finance and leadership

 

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required
• 10+ years of experience desired in real estate project management with a strong track record in life sciences projects.
• Experience managing end-to-end design and construction projects across multiple sites.
• Strong understanding of life sciences building systems.
• Strong project management skills
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects in fast-paced environments
• Strong customer relationship management skills
• Travel - 30% of the time.
• Abilit