
Director of Workplace Experience UK & EMEA at Xero (London, United Kingdom)
Xero· London, United Kingdom·
Role details
Xero at a glance
Cloud accounting and financial-management software for small businesses and their advisors.
Xero is cloud-based accounting software for small businesses and the accountants and bookkeepers who serve them. It automates invoicing, bank reconciliation, bill and expense capture, reporting and cash-flow forecasting, and connects to more than 1,000 third-party apps. Its newer AI agent, JAX, automates routine tasks and answers plain-language questions about a business's finances.
Job description
The role & impact
The UK and EMEA region represents a critical and expanding part of Xero's global operational landscape. As Director of Workplace Experience, you will take ownership of the regional workplace strategy, establishing human-centred physical environments and operational structures across multiple markets to support our growing workforce. You will act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, driving complex real estate projects, integrating new business additions, and using custom AI solutions to transform daily workflows. In this role, you will lead a team of dedicated practitioners, directly influencing how our people connect and experience work every day. Your leadership will ensure our workplaces maintain strong compliance, deliver commercial efficiency, and actively reflect Xero's values. The team & how they connect You will lead a high-performing regional workplace experience team that works closely with the UK and South Africa Senior Leadership Teams, as well as global property and people functions. The team focuses on creating vibrant, efficient, and safe office environments across diverse geographies. Together, you will operate collaboratively, sharing tools and insights to raise workplace standards globally. Initially, the role will focus on:
- Leading major capital projects end-to-end, including office fit-outs, relocations, and workplace transformations across the UK and EMEA.
- Designing and embedding custom AI workflows and automations to increase operational efficiency across the regional function.
- Managing vendor contracts, property leases, and regional budgets with strong commercial rigour.
- Guiding regional workplace integration for new business acquisitions while maintaining full health, safety, and regulatory compliance.
Where and how you can work This role offers a hybrid working model based out of our UK office locations. You will spend time in the office collaborating with key stakeholders, guiding your team, and visiting sites during major projects, alongside flexible options for remote work. Here are some of the things we are looking for
- Experience leading regional workplace operations, real estate strategy, or facilities management across multiple international sites.
- Proven track record delivering complex office fit-outs, relocations, and capital projects from initial brief through to completion.
- Demonstrated ability to build trusted partnerships with executive stakeholders and lead diverse teams through coaching and development.
- Practical familiarity with building custom AI tools, prompts, or automated workflows to solve operational challenges.
- Strong commercial acumen across budget management, vendor negotiations, and landlord relations.
- Sound knowledge of local health and safety regulations, compliance requirements, and human-centred design principles.
Xero is a Great Place to Work UK accredited. Apply even if your experience isn't a perfect match! At Xero, we hire based on your skills, passion, and the unique perspective you can bring to enhance our culture and team.
Why work at Xero
- Culture: Values-driven, human-centric organisation with a focus on making a tangible impact on small businesses globally.
- Flexibility: Emphasises a flexible environment and time for what matters most (remote/hybrid policy not explicitly stated but implied).
- Perks & benefits:
- One paid day off per year for volunteering (Community Connect programme).
- Free access to Sumday carbon accounting app for employees.
- Financial literacy resources and mentorship programmes.
- Engineering & innovation: Dedicated Engineering and Data & AI teams (open roles visible on careers page). Global collaboration across 7+ countries.
- Diversity & inclusion: Indigenous inclusion initiatives (te ao Māori in NZ, Reconciliation Action Plan in Australia), support for Indigenous communities.
- Sustainability focus: Employees can contribute to environmental goals through company-wide initiatives.