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.

UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement

At UL Research Institutes (ULRI) and UL Standards & Engagement (ULSE), we expand the boundaries of safety science to create a more secure and sustainable world. For more than a century, we have studied the unintended consequences of innovation, designed solutions to mitigate risk, created new safety standards and shared our findings with academia, scientists, manufacturers, and policymakers across industries. We identify critical safety and sustainability issues, asking the tough questions because we believe a safer world begins with knowledge.

What you’ll learn and achieve:

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 eternal 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.

What you’ll experience working at UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement:

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 values, we inspire the trust essential to fulfilling our mission and foster the partnerships that enable us to pursue a beneficent future in which we all can thrive.

• Total Rewards All employees at UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement are eligible for bonus compensation based on the level of the position. We offer comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans and a generous 401k matching structure of up to 5% of eligible pay. Moreover, we invest an additional 4% into your retirement saving fund after your first year of continuous employment. Depending on your role, you may be able to discuss flexible working arrangements with your manager. We also provide employees with paid time off, including vacation, holiday, sick, and volunteer days.

What makes you a great fit:

While no single candidate will embody every quality, the successful candidate will bring many of the following professional competencies and personal attributes

• Executive leadership skills with the ability to lead complex, cross‑functional portfolios in a matrixed organization.

• Strategic thinking with the ability to align infrastructure, capital investments, and safety priorities with long‑term organizational goals.

• Deep understanding of facilities and real estate strategy, laboratory and technical facility development, and lifecycle asset management.

• Strong knowledge of environmental health and safety principles, regulatory compliance, hazard identification, and risk mitigation.

• Proven ability to establish governance, manage risk, and deliver results across large‑scale, high‑impact initiatives.

• Financial and commercial acumen, including capital planning, cost controls, and contract negotiation.

• Positive, collaborative interpersonal skills with the ability to influence and build trust across diverse stakeholders.

• Engaging and approachable leadership style that sets high standards for accountability and performance.

• Ability to operate at both strategic and operational levels, with attention to detail and a strong bias toward execution.

• Demonstrated ability to grow and lead geographically distributed high performing teams.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to provide clear, decision‑ready guidance to executive leadership.

Professional education and experience requirements for the role include:

• Minimum of 15 years of progressive leadership experience in facilities, real estate, capital project delivery, and/or environmental health and safety, preferably within research, laboratory, industrial, or other regulated environments.

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree in engineering, architecture, environmental science, safety, business, or a related field strongly preferred.

• Demonstrated experience leading large capital programs and facilities portfolios with strong governance and compliance requirements.

• Demonstrated experience setting and overseeing enterprise‑level safety and environmental programs in complex operating environments.

About UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement

UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement are nonprofit organizations dedicated to advancing safety science research through the discovery and application of scientific knowledge. We conduct rigorous independent research and analyze safety data, convene experts worldwide to address risks, share knowledge through safety education and public outreach initiatives, and develop standards to guide safe commercialization of evolving technologies. We foster communities of safety, from grassroots initiatives for neighborhoods to summits of world leaders. Our organization employs collaborative and scientific approaches with partners and stakeholders to drive innovation and progress toward improving safety, security, and sustainability, ultimately enhancing societal well-being.

To learn more, visit our websites UL.org and ULSE.org.

Salary Range:

$211,276.86-$290,505.68

Pay type:

Salary