Jansen Oblena

Key Accomplishment - Delivered dual, mission-critical milestones concurrently: Directed the rigorous design-build and delivery of a new 25,000 SF hub within an aggressive 7-month timeline, while simultaneously orchestrating the full operational readiness and rapid reactivation of the 75,000 SF Global Headquarters in just three weeks, ensuring zero disruption to business continuity.

Strategic Real Estate & Global Expansion

• Spearheaded global real estate strategy for a portfolio of 150,000 RSF across Oakland, DC, NYC, and London, managing site selection, lease negotiations, and high-complexity relocations for a rapidly scaling organization.
• Directed a $12M capital budget for design and construction, delivering projects on time and under budget while aligning physical space with the company’s long-term growth goals.

Financial Stewardship & Operational Efficiency

• Controlled a $3.5M annual operating budget, successfully identifying and realizing $500k in annual savings through data-driven contract negotiations, strategic vendor consolidation (RFPs), and rigorous site evaluations.
• Partnered with C-Suite, Finance, and People Ops to build annual operating expense models, ensuring workplace initiatives were financially viable and supported organizational KPIs.

Workplace Experience & Hospitality

• Architected a "Hospitality-First" workplace culture, integrating white-glove service standards into facilities operations, events, and visitor management to drive employee engagement and retention.
• Oversaw global EHS and Physical Security, implementing comprehensive safety onboarding, badge access systems, and compliance protocols to ensure a secure environment for staff and visitors.

Team Leadership & Systems

• Built and mentored a high-performing workplace team, fostering a culture of accountability and career progression while managing cross-functional vendor relationships to ensure service excellence.
• Optimized service delivery, asset management, and Workplace activity by implementing and utilizing CAFM and IWMS together to consistently meet SLAs, record assets, maintain budget and adapting to fluctuating office occupancy needs.

Strategic Real Estate & Capacity Planning

• Optimized a 100,000 RSF portfolio for a growing headcount, advising executive leadership on capacity forecasting and long-term real estate strategies to ensure space agility.
• Led Change Management initiatives for space planning and workplace evolution, partnering with hiring managers to translate evolving team requirements into high-performance work environments.
• Managed landlord and property management relations, overseeing permit applications and architectural modifications to ensure rapid project delivery and lease compliance.

Operational Excellence & Financial Control

• Directed daily workplace operations utilizing CAFM and IWMS systems to streamline service requests, asset tracking, and maintenance schedules.
• Initiated and managed annual RFP processes across major service lines (catering, janitorial, landscaping, office supplies) to secure market-leading pricing and elevate service standards.
• Managed a diverse suite of vendors and support staff, ensuring strict quality control and seamless execution of facility services.

Employee Experience (EX) & Hospitality

• Partnered with the Chief of Staff, HR, and IT to deliver a unified workplace strategy that supported organizational culture, employee retention, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Designed and executed an experience-focused events strategy, managing large-scale organizational milestones that reinforced company values ("joy, success, and hospitality") and strengthened peer-to-peer bonds.
• Owned the Onboarding Experience, serving as the cultural ambassador for all new hires to ensure a seamless and welcoming transition into the organization.

EHS, Safety & Compliance

• Spearheaded Safety & Risk Management programs, serving as a key member of the Safety Committee to review incident reports (IRs) and implement process improvements.
• Managed Emergency Notification Systems (ENS) and egress protocols, acting as the primary liaison with UCSF EHS staff to ensure rigorous compliance and lab/office safety standards.

Key Achievement: Hyper-Growth Scaling

Orchestrated a massive portfolio expansion, scaling the real estate footprint from 3,500 RSF to 55,000 RSF to accommodate a headcount surge from 16 to 86 employees. Managed all aspects of the transition, from lease renegotiation and design-build to final relocation, with zero downtime for critical lab operations.

Real Estate Development & Lab Operations

• Directed end-to-end Tenant Improvements (TI) and complex lab installations, overseeing equipment procurement, safety validation, and architectural design to create high-performance R&D environments.
• Maintained rigorous compliance standards, ensuring all laboratory and office spaces met OSHA regulations and infectious disease operating procedures (IDOPs) at all times.
• Managed strategic relationships with property owners, leveraging trend analysis and organizational growth trajectories to negotiate favorable lease terms and secure future space inventory.

Operational Strategy & Crisis Management

• Established the Workplace Operations function from the ground up, designing scalable workflows for facilities, vendor management, inventory, and hybrid/remote work programs.
• Served as the COVID-19 Response Director, developing and implementing business continuity protocols that prioritized employee safety while enabling essential scientific work to continue uninterrupted.
• Led emergency response and restoration projects, acting as the primary point of command for facility emergencies to minimize business risk and operational impact.

Culture & Employee Experience

• Revitalized the workplace culture, shifting the focus to "Service Excellence" to inspire staff and nurture engagement during periods of rapid organizational change.
• Designed data-driven space planning solutions, analyzing utilization trends to deliver flexible office layouts that supported cross-functional collaboration and the company’s evolving scientific needs.

• Ensuring quality execution and timely completion of projects involving office layouts, office expansions, test fixture installations, equipment procurement, and ensuring a safe lab for all engineers.
• Safeguarding the office with communication reminders, FOB & entryway audits, walk-throughs, property signage, and all tools available to prevent threats or damages from occurring.
• Notifying all employees of incidents and executing preventative action plans.
• Being available 24/7 for any emergency.
• Facilitating a delightful employee experience by maintaining and exceeding customer service standards, timely & effective facility maintenance execution, and compiling data to improve operations.
• Planning and organizing various events including holiday parties, happy hours, press releases, board meetings, global all-hands meetings, and celebrations.
• Providing visiting candidates, investors, and guests a memorable experience by delivering a well maintained office that tells the story of Zola Electric's journey and the people it serves every day.
• Procuring devices for various positions, managing those devices on Meraki MDM, and assigning appropriate logins & licenses.
• [FTE 9/2018-3/2020; Contractor 04/2020-10/2020]

Key Achievement: Talent Retention & Cultural Turnaround

Architected a comprehensive onboarding and training curriculum that transformed the employee lifecycle, slashing the 9-month turnover rate by over 75%. This initiative saved significant recruiting resources and stabilized service delivery for a high-profile asset.

Operational Leadership (24/7 Environments)

• Directed a cross-functional workforce of 28 employees across security, logistics, maintenance, and concierge departments, ensuring seamless 24/7 operations for a premier 120,000 SF amenity portfolio serving 1,800 residents.
• Oversaw complex building systems, managing BMS utilization, physical security infrastructure (CCTV, Access Control), and emergency response protocols to ensure the safety and comfort of a high-density population.
• Scaled business services and amenities to adapt to a rapidly changing resident population, maintaining operational agility in a fast-paced, high-utilization environment.

Data-Driven Service Strategy

• Redefined service deliverables by establishing static OKRs and analyzing quarterly resident/employee survey data. Used these insights to implement targeted improvements that elevated satisfaction scores, engagement, and retention.
• Championed a White-Glove hospitality culture, aligning team performance with core values to maintain the property’s reputation as a premier asset in the San Francisco market.

Vendor Management & Financial Control

• Managed a diverse vendor ecosystem (catering, janitorial, security), leading contract negotiations and enforcing strict insurance/SLA requirements to maximize value and service quality.
• Optimized front-of-house and logistics operations, streamlining package management and global communications to handle high-volume throughput efficiently.