Vice President, Real Estate & Facilities

Job Description

We have an exciting opportunity for a Vice President, Real Estate & Facilities at UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement, based in our Evanston, Illinois, office.

The Vice President, Real Estate & Facilities provides executive leadership for UL Research Institutes (ULRI) and UL Standards & Engagement (ULSE) across facilities and real estate strategy, capital expansion, and health, safety, and environment (HSE). This role ensures that ULRI's laboratories, research facilities, and work environments, as well as ULSE's offices are safe, compliant, operationally effective, and positioned to support scientific excellence and organizational growth.

Reporting to the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, the Vice President works in close partnership with the Chief Research Officer, Research Institute and Office leaders, and senior leaders across the organizations to translate strategy into scalable infrastructure, disciplined capital delivery, and a strong culture of safety and environmental responsibility in support of UL's mission to create a safer world.

As the Vice President, Real Estate & Facilities, you will play a key role in the rapid growth of UL as you:

• Provide leadership for facilities, real estate, capital expansion, and HSE functions across ULRI and ULSE.
• Establish and execute long‑term facilities and real‑estate strategies aligned with research priorities, geographic needs, and growth plans.
• Oversee the planning, modernization, and optimization of laboratories, research facilities, and office environments.
• Lead governance and execution of major capital and construction projects, including construction of major, highly technical, and regulated laboratory facilities, over the next several years.
• Oversee feasibility studies, site evaluation, zoning, entitlements, permitting, and environmental assessments to support leadership decision‑making.
• Ensure disciplined capital planning, budgeting, cost control, risk management, and reporting across the project portfolio.
• Set the organization’s vision and strategy for health, safety, and environmental programs, fostering a strong culture of safety and compliance.
• Ensure compliance with applicable environmental health and safety laws, regulations, and ULRI and ULSE policies across all operations and projects.
• Integrate HSE requirements into facility design, laboratory operations, capital projects, and contractor management.
• Sponsor audits, inspections, incident investigations, and corrective action planning to drive continuous improvement.
• Establish and manage positive relationships with key external stakeholders, including suppliers, economic development, community organizations, and municipal and state officials as required.
• Lead, mentor, and develop senior leaders and teams responsible for Facilities & Real Estate and HSE.
• Collaborate closely with Finance, Legal, Procurement, IT, Strategy, Communications, and HR to ensure alignment, efficiency, and accountability.
• Lead other functions, projects, or activities as required.

We have pursued our mission of working for a safer, more secure, and sustainable world for nearly 130 years, embedding conscientious stewardship into everything we do.

• People
  :
  Our people make us special. You'll work with a diverse team of experts respected for their independence and transparency and build a network, because our approach is collaborative. We collaborate across disciplines, organizations, and geographies to build the global scientific response that today's global challenges require.
• Interesting work
  :
  Every day is different for us here. We see what's on the horizon and use our expertise to build the foundations of a safer future. You'll have the opportunity to push the boundaries of human understanding as part of a team working to advance the public good.
• Grow and achieve
  :
  We learn, work, and grow together through targeted development, reward, and recognition programs.
• Values
  :
  Four core values guide our work: collaboration, respect, integrity, and beneficence. By living our…