Workplace Strategist

Your Role 

As a Workplace Strategy Lead in Gensler's North Central Region, you will be a key partner in defining and executing the future of workplace strategy at the firm. You will lead complex programming, visioning, and strategic planning engagements for a diverse range of clients—from established institutions navigating hybrid work to high-growth companies reimagining their environments entirely. This is a player role: you will be deeply involved in the craft of strategy while helping to shape the practice itself. 

You are someone who can translate organizational ambition into spatial strategy with precision and conviction. You understand that great workplace strategy sits at the intersection of user insight, business performance, and design possibility—and you know how to move fluently between all three. You bring a point of view about the future of work, grounded in research and tested through execution, and you're eager to bring that perspective to bear on challenging, high-stakes client engagements. 

You will work closely with the Regional Strategy Director to build the NCR Strategy practice from the ground up—establishing credibility with clients and colleagues, developing emerging strategists, and defining what leading with strategy means in this region. You are as comfortable leading a workshop with 30 stakeholders as you are running space utilization scenarios or teaching a junior team member how to scope a discovery engagement. You thrive in environments that reward initiative, intellectual rigor, and a bias toward action. 

This role is based in Chicago and requires full-time presence in the office, with reasonable flexibility for personal needs. 

What You Will Do 

• Lead workplace strategy and programming engagements from discovery through implementation, including space calculations, scenario modeling, test fits, occupancy analytics, and strategic visioning 

• Design and facilitate workshops (virtual and in-person) for groups ranging from 10 to 100+ participants, translating organizational objectives into actionable spatial strategies 

• Synthesize research, data, and stakeholder input into compelling strategic narratives that inform design direction and client decision-making 

• Partner with architecture and design teams to ensure seamless integration of strategy into project execution, serving as the strategic voice throughout the design process 

• Build and maintain client relationships independently, serving as a trusted advisor on workplace transformation, real estate strategy, and organizational change 

• Develop methodology, tools, and frameworks that elevate the quality and consistency of the NCR Strategy practice's workplace offerings 

• Mentor and upskill junior strategists on programming, facilitation, strategic planning, and client engagement 

• Contribute to business development efforts, including proposals, pitches, and thought leadership that positions Gensler as the strategic partner of choice for workplace transformation 

• Collaborate with Strategy, Brand, Sustainability, Product, and Digital Experience teams to deliver integrated, cross-functional solutions 

• Represent the practice in internal and external forums, building the visibility and credibility of Strategy in the North Central Region 

Your Qualifications 

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in architecture, interior design, urban planning, organizational development, business strategy, or a related field 
• 7–10 years of professional experience executing workplace strategy, space programming, real estate portfolio strategy, or management consulting with a focus on the built environment 
• Deep technical fluency in workplace programming, including space standards, utilization analysis, scenario planning, test fits, and adjacency planning 
• Demonstrated ability to design and lead high-impact workshops and strategic engagements with senior stakeholders 
• Proven track record delivering strategic recommendations that have directly informed design outcomes and organizational decision-making 
• A strong portfolio (2–3 projects) demonstrating command of strategic communication, data visualization, and persuasive storytelling 
• A clear point of view on the future of work—not trends for trends' sake, but a grounded perspective on how organizations, technology, and space are evolving together 
• Experience working in or closely with architecture and design firms; fluency in how strategy and design intersect is essential 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex ideas into clear, compelling narratives for diverse audiences 
• Entrepreneurial mindset and comfort operating in an evolving, ambitious practice that is actively being defined 
• Self-motivated, highly organized, and capable of managing multiple projects and priorities simultaneously 
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop), Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Excel, Word), and digital collaboration tools (Miro, Microsoft Teams, etc.) 
• Comfort and skill integrating AI-powered research and synthesis tools into strategic workflows—whether for accelerating research, refining narratives, or generating insights at scale 
• Experience with data visualization tools (Tableau, Power BI) and workplace analytics platforms is a plus 
• Familiarity with IWMS platforms, workplace occupancy sensors, or real estate analytics tools is a plus 

To Be Considered 

Please submit a portfolio including 2–3 workplace strategy or programming projects that demonstrate your approach, craft, and impact. Additionally, include a brief statement (500 words or less) outlining your point of view on the future of work and how workplace strategy must evolve to meet it. 

Learn more about our Chicago team: https://www.gensler.com/offices/chicago 

This is not a remote role, we look forward to working with our new Strategy Leader in our incredible Chicago office. 

**The base salary will be estimated between $100,000 – $120,000 plus bonuses and benefits and is contingent on relevant experience.  To learn more about our compensation philosophy and full benefits offerings, please visit Great People, Great Rewards | Gensler 

About Strategy at Gensler 

Gensler's Strategy Practice is focused on exploring and defining how space, technology, services, and policy can create great experiences and support an organization's best work. We use in-depth user research and data to develop strategies that enable our clients to meet their business and organizational objectives. With our design teams in Chicago and around the world, we conceptualize and implement creative solutions that support our clients' needs. In parallel, we help our clients manage change to ensure new ideas take root and to build the capability that sustains. 

The North Central Region is actively reimagining what strategy can mean at Gensler—building a practice that integrates Strategy, Brand, Sustainability, and emerging disciplines in ways that deliver genuine transformation for clients. This is an opportunity to help define that future.