Senior Lease Administrator

Description What you’ll do as a Senior Lease Administrator Lease Negotiation & Acquisition Lead negotiations for new office leases, renewals, expansions, and terminations across a multi-location national portfolio, including locations supporting classified programs. Coordinate with brokerage partners, landlords, and others to structure lease terms that minimize cost and organizational risk while meeting operational and security requirements. Conduct market analysis and financial modeling (net effective rent, NPV, TI allowances) to support lease decision-making and executive approvals. Document cost reasonableness as part of our government audit support package. Evaluate prospective sites for suitability as SCIF or other secure facility buildouts, coordinating with Security and Facilities Engineering as appropriate. Portfolio & Lease Administration Maintain authoritative lease abstracts and a centralized location directory for all active, expired, and pipeline properties. Track and manage critical date calendars for options, rent escalations, renewal notices, and lease expirations across the entire portfolio. Initiate and approve rent payments, reconcile operating expense (OPEX/CAM) statements, and manage tenant improvement (TI) allowance drawdowns in coordination with Accounts Payable and Finance. Serve as the primary point of contact for landlord communications and ensure timely resolution of lease disputes, default notices, and holdover situations. Administer subleases and license agreements where applicable, ensuring compliance with master lease terms; coordinate billing requirements. Responsible for office registration and CAGE administration in SAM.gov. ASC 842 Lease Accounting Compliance Own the data integrity and completeness of lease records in the company’s lease accounting software, Visual Lease. Work with Accounting Staff to ensure accurate classification, measurement, and disclosure of right-of-use (ROU) assets and lease liabilities under ASC 842. Partner with Accounting Staff and external auditors to support quarterly and year-end close processes, including variance analysis and disclosure schedules. Monitor and facilitate implementing regulatory updates to ASC 842 guidance and internal accounting policy as required. Coordinate with Finance to align lease commencement, modification, and termination events with proper accounting treatment and journal entry support. SCIF & Secure Facility Coordination Support leasing of locations that require SCIF accreditation or other secure facility designations, including coordination with DSS/DCSA, Security Officers, and landlords on construction and operational requirements. Review lease language for SCIF-specific provisions (access control, construction addenda, government right-of-entry clauses) and escalate issues to Legal as needed. Maintain records of accredited facility locations and support renewals or modifications that may affect SCIF status. Reporting & Process Improvement Develop and maintain portfolio dashboards and management reports covering occupancy costs, lease obligations, expiration schedules, and headcount-per-location metrics. Identify and implement process improvements to the lease administration function, including system enhancements, workflow automation, and documentation standards. Support integration of acquired companies’ lease portfolios following M&A activity. Senior Lease Administrator Requirements Bachelor’s degree in Real Estate, Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, or a related field. Minimum 6 years of commercial lease administration experience, with demonstrated responsibility for a multi-location portfolio (50+ leases preferred). Strong lease abstraction and critical date management skills with meticulous attention to detail. Working knowledge of commercial real estate concepts: NNN vs. gross leases, CAM reconciliations, TI allowances, holdover provisions, subordination/non-disturbance/attornment (SNDA) agreements. Ability to read, interpret, and negotiate lease language in coordination with senior management. Working knowledge of SAM.gov for office registrations and CAGE code administration Proficiency in Microsoft Excel (financial modeling), Word, and PowerPoint. Senior Lease Administrator Preferences Experience supporting real estate for a federal government contractor or in a defense/aerospace environment. Hands-on experience with ASC 842 / IFRS 16 lease accounting standards and lease accounting software implementation or ongoing administration. Proficiency with Visual Lease, or similar software. Familiarity with SCIF accreditation processes, ICD 705 standards, or secure facility lease requirements. Certified Lease & Finance Professional (CLFP), Real Property Administrator (RPA), or MCR (Master of Corporate Real Estate) designation. Experience with post-M&A lease portfolio integration. Exposure to FAR/DFARS indirect cost allocation as it relates to facilities and occupancy costs. Applied Research Associates, Inc. Company Information: Applied Research Associates, Inc. is a 100% employee-owned international research and engineering company recognized for providing technically superior solutions to complex and challenging problems in the physical sciences. We invite you to visit our website to learn more about who we are , what we do , the excellent careers and benefits we offer and explore some of our featured offices . Qualifications Skills Behaviors Preferred Team Player : Works well as a member of a group Innovative : Consistently introduces new ideas and demonstrates original thinking Functional Expert : Considered a thought leader on a subject Detail Oriented : Capable of carrying out a given task with all details necessary to get the task done well : Motivations Preferred Self-Starter : Inspired to perform without outside help Goal Completion : Inspired to perform well by the completion of tasks Ability to Make an Impact : Inspired to perform well by the ability to contribute to the success of a project or the organization : Education Preferred Bachelor of Business Administration or better. Experience Preferred Continuous improvement mindset with comfort in ambiguous, fast-growing environments Discretion and judgment with sensitive facility and program information High degree of organization and deadline management across a complex portfolio Cross-functional collaboration (Operations, Finance, Legal, Contracts, Security) Negotiation and vendor/landlord relationship management Analytical thinking and financial acumen