Regional Operations Director

JLL empowers you to shape a brighter way.
Our people at JLL are shaping the future of real estate for a better world by combining world class services, advisory and technology for our clients. We are committed to hiring the best, most talented people and empowering them to thrive, grow meaningful careers and to find a place where they belong. Whether you’ve got deep experience in commercial real estate, skilled trades or technology, or you’re looking to apply your relevant experience to a new industry, join our team as we help shape a brighter way forward.
Regional Operations Director
Job Summary/Goals
Lead integrated facilities management operations across the APAC (including GC exc. West Asia) portfolio for a major multi-service corporate client, ensuring operational excellence, financial performance, risk compliance, and exceptional employee experience delivery across a portfolio exceeding 1.5 million square feet.
As the primary regional operational lead across 10+ countries, the role partners closely with the Regional Account Executive and cross-functional service line leaders to deliver contractual commitments, operational transformation, technology-enabled improvements, and strategic business outcomes while leading a regional team of 80 employees. The role reports to Regional Account Executive.
What Your Day-to-Day Will Look Like
● Own the operational heartbeat of the account: You'll oversee integrated FM service delivery across 1.5M+ sq. ft. spanning 10+ countries in APAC (including GC exc. West Asia), ensuring KPIs, Joint Business Plans, and compliance targets are consistently met.
● Be the trusted partner to senior client stakeholders: From day-to-day engagement to executive business reviews, you'll act as a strategic advisor, communicating performance, managing risks, and strengthening client partnership at every level.
● Lead and develop a regional team of 80: You'll coach, develop, and inspire a geographically dispersed, multicultural team, building capability, managing succession, and creating a high-performance culture across borders.
● Drive digital transformation and innovation: You'll champion the adoption of AI tools, smart building technologies, automation, and data analytics, leading change management to embed new ways of working across teams and vendors.
● Manage financial and commercial performance: From budgeting and forecasting to vendor governance and supply chain spending, you'll support financial targets and identify savings opportunities that deliver value for the client.
● Lead on risk, compliance, and governance: You'll own Health & Safety, engineering risk programmes, audit readiness, and incident reporting — fostering a risk-aware culture across all sites and service lines.
● Shape and execute the regional strategy: Working closely with the Regional Account Executive, you'll translate client priorities into operational action, driving consistency, best practice, and continuous improvement across the entire APAC (including GC exc. West Asia).
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Client & Operational Leadership
● Partner with the Regional Account Executive to maintain strong engagement with client stakeholders and ensure alignment between operational delivery and client business priorities.
● Lead the execution of the regional operational strategy and service delivery across the APAC (including GC exc. West Asia) portfolio.
● Drive a culture of service excellence, continuous improvement, and accountability across all sites and teams.
● Ensure delivery of contractual obligations, including achievement of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Joint Business Plan priorities, and Partnership Incentive Fund (PIF) objectives.
● Partner with Workplace Experience, Projects, Real Estate, Engineering, Risk, and other service line teams to ensure integrated and seamless service delivery.
● Oversee operational governance, reporting, systems, and data integrity to ensure compliance, consistency, and effective decision-making across the portfolio.
● Partner with Workplace Experience, Projects, Engineering, Real Estate, Risk & Compliance, and other service lines to deliver integrated workplace solutions and positive employee experience outcomes.
● Monitor Planned Preventive Maintenance (PPM) programs to ensure compliance with local regulations, client standards, and JLL operational requirements.
● Ensuring robust business continuity, crisis management, and emergency response procedures are implemented, maintained, and regularly communicated across all sites.
● Accountable for the regional success of the "autonomous operations" model (EPIC), including delivery, performance, and outcomes.
Digital and Innovation Leadership
● Drive operational innovation and digital transformation initiatives across the portfolio, leveraging technology, automation, AI-enabled tools, smart building solutions, and data-driven insights to improve operational efficiency, service quality, scalability, reporting, and employee experience.
● Partner with account leadership, technology teams, and service line leaders to strengthen digital adoption, operational analytics, and technology-enabled decision-making across the portfolio.
● Lead adoption and change management initiatives related to operational technologies, digital workflows, analytics platforms, and AI-enabled capabilities across regional teams and vendors.
Financial & Commercial Management
● Support the Regional Account Executive in achieving financial targets, operational efficiencies, savings initiatives, and commercial objectives across the portfolio.
● Oversee regional budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, and operational expenditure management.
● Provide governance oversight of vendor performance, supply chain expenditure, and commercial compliance activities, including contract changes and service performance management.
People Leadership & Talent Development
● Lead, Inspire and develop a regional team of 80 employees across geographically dispersed and multicultural sites, fostering a high-performance, inclusive, and accountable culture.
● Directly manage the professional development of all direct reports, providing regular coaching, feedback and career growth opportunities aligned to JLL’s talent framework. Ensure team members have clear objectives, professional development plans and participate in training and continuous learning activities.
● Prepare and maintain a robust Succession Plan for the account, identifying and developing high-potential talent to ensure business continuity and pipeline readiness in partnership with HR.
● Champion employee engagement and wellbeing across the regional team, modelling JLL behaviours for the team.
• Manage team resourcing and workload allocation to support effective and sustainable operations.
• Participate in remuneration and talent review processes as required.
Risk, Compliance & Governance
● Promote a strong risk-aware culture across the account and ensure compliance with client, local regulatory, and JLL Health, Safety, Environment, and Risk Management standards.
● Be accountable for regional Health & Safety and Engineering/Design/Risk program and its deliverables.
● Ensure all incidents are reported and managed in accordance with client and JLL procedures.
● Oversee operational risk mitigation activities and ensure appropriate escalation processes are in place across the region.
● Support audit readiness and ensure operational compliance documentation is maintained and accessible.
● Partner with internal risk, compliance, and safety teams to continuously strengthen governance standards and operational resilience.
Leadership & Stakeholder Management
● Act as a trusted advisor and operational partner to senior client stakeholders and internal leadership teams.
● Promote open, constructive, and collaborative relationships across client teams, JLL functions, and external vendors.
● Communicate operational priorities, performance outcomes, risks, and improvement initiatives clearly and effectively.
● Lead by example in demonstrating JLL values, ethical standards, professionalism, and inclusive leadership behaviours.
● Drive operational transformation and innovation initiatives that improve workplace experience, sustainability outcomes, and service efficiency across the portfolio.
Key Performance Measures
Performance will be measured through achievement of:
● Contractual KPIs
● Client satisfaction and employee experience outcomes
● Financial performance, budget management, and savings targets
● Operational consistency and service quality
● Compliance, audit, and safety performance
● Adoption and successful implementation of operational technology and innovation initiatives
● Improvement in operational efficiency, automation, reporting quality, or digital maturity outcomes
● Sustainability and operational efficiency objectives
● Timely and accurate operational and financial reporting
● Team engagement, capability development, and retention
Key Stakeholders
● Regional Account Executive
● Client Regional Leadership and Governance Teams
● Country internal Workplace Experience Teams and client-side leade