Facilities Manager

About the Role

The Facilities Manager partners with the VP of Operations and Strategy to deliver Phase 2, Capital Preservation and Activation: transforming a contracted, generic shell into a fully operational warehouse ready for systems-live handoff. While the VP sets strategy and allocates capital, and the Director of Program Operations and Director of Warehousing Operations manage Phase 3 operations, the Facilities Manager works alongside the VP to bring each facility from executed lease to systems-live readiness—then ensures its ongoing operation. The role spans two key mandates:

• Buildout: Partner with the VP to manage tenant improvements, permitting, general contractors, engineering, infrastructure, and site activation to a hard readiness date, then hand off a custom-fit, systems-live facility to the operations teams.
• Ongoing Facilities Support: Serve as the primary point of contact for building systems, landlord relations, and vendor management at every site in the network post-launch.

Responsibilities

Phase 2 Intake & Project Setup

• Accept the executed lease, defined tenant-improvement (TI) split, and financial model from the VP.
• Validate DCSL’s TI responsibilities versus the landlord’s.
• Confirm the TI budget in the financial model.
• Build the project schedule against lease key dates and establish the facility folder of record.

General Contractor & Vendor Selection

• Define the scope of work from the tenant-responsible portion of the TI split.
• Solicit a minimum of three comparable bids for the same scope.
• Evaluate bids on cost, timeline, relevant experience, and references.
• Route the selected proposal to finance for sign-off against the TI budget before award.

Permitting & Landlord-TI Oversight

• Hold the general contractor (GC) accountable for the permit timeline; the GC owns permit submission end-to-end.
• Confirm subcontractor-registration sequencing (e.g., Fort Worth) before assuming the permit clock has started.
• Run weekly landlord-TI progress meetings against lease commitments.
• Escalate material permit or landlord-TI delays to the VP.

TI Construction Management

• Oversee the GC to ensure adherence to scope, budget, and milestone schedule.
• Conduct or delegate weekly site walks; review and route change orders within delegated authority.
• Flag deviations greater than one week and require a written recovery plan.
• Track landlord TI progress in parallel.

Engineering & Infrastructure Execution

• Coordinate structural and floor-load requirements, including clearance sign-off.
• Engage civil and geotechnical teams for outdoor pads and soils reports.
• Oversee outdoor concrete pad design, permitting, and construction.
• Manage overhead crane installation, including structural, power, and permitting.
• Ensure 3-phase power and utility activation at required capacity.
• Verify ESFR sprinkler-system compliance, dock-door configuration, and equipment specifications.

New Site Activation

• Coordinate utility setup and transfer (electric, gas, water) with local providers; confirm capacity and service readiness.
• Arrange internet/telecom installation to meet operational needs.
• Manage signage design approval, ordering, and installation.
• Schedule and oversee initial and recurring janitorial/cleaning services.
• Specify and install site security infrastructure: perimeter fencing (minimum 8 feet), gates, access control, cameras, and monitoring hardware; maintain and administer post-launch.
• Order long-lead building-infrastructure items (e.g., security, perimeter fencing) at the earliest trigger.
• Prepare outdoor and IOS yard areas for readiness.
• Ensure fire/life safety compliance and coordinate inspections or permits.

Certificate of Occupancy & Readiness Gate

• Receive the Certificate of Occupancy (C/O) upon issuance and coordinate final inspection with the GC.
• Trigger facility-opening insurance binding.
• Run final readiness verification (systems-ready gate): construction complete, utilities live, security infrastructure installed and active, floor grid and WMS configured with the Director of Program Operations, insurance bound.
• Compile the building record (warranties, O&M manuals, as-builts, equipment registrations, vendor contacts) and hand it to the Director of Program Operations at the gate.
• Recommend Phase 2 to Phase 3 handoff to the VP for sign-off, then hand off the systems-live facility to the operations teams.

Buildout & Facility Safety

• Own buildout and construction safety during Phase 2 within DCSL’s OSHA program.
• Ensure facility infrastructure is delivered to spec and safe to operate before handoff.
• Enforce safety standards for DCSL crews and GC/subcontractor crews during buildout.

Phase 2 Budget Execution

• Manage spend against TI and activation budgets with change-order discipline.
• Escalate overages to the VP and finance before committing.
• Deliver final TI spend reconciliation at handoff.

Landlord & Lease Coordination

• Serve as the primary point of contact with landlords throughout the lease term, from activation to ongoing operations.
• Coordinate initial lease payment setup, CAM charges, and billing logistics with landlords and internal finance.
• Track lease-related deliverables and TI items through completion.
• Flag and escalate lease compliance or landlord-responsiveness issues.

Vendor & Project Management

• Source, negotiate, and manage relationships with recurring vendors (cleaning, security, signage, telecom) across markets.
• Maintain a project tracker for each site opening with clear timelines, owners, and budgets.
• Manage multiple site activations and buildouts concurrently across U.S. markets.
• Identify and resolve bottlenecks that could delay operational readiness.

Community & Local Engagement

• Serve as the local face of the company with municipal officials, neighboring businesses, and community stakeholders.
• Build relationships with local government (permitting offices, fire marshals, code enforcement) to support smooth inspections and future expansion.
• Address neighbor concerns proactively (noise, traffic, truck routing, site appearance).
• Represent the company at local business association or chamber of commerce events.
• Coordinate with landlords and officials on community-facing site improvements (landscaping, signage aesthetics).

Ongoing Facilities Support (Post-Opening)

• Respond to and resolve day-to-day maintenance issues (HVAC, electrical, plumbing, dock doors/levelers, lighting, roof leaks, pest control).
• Coordinate repair vendors and technicians; manage preventive maintenance schedules for building systems and equipment.
• Monitor and maintain life-safety systems (fire suppression, alarms, extinguishers) to ensure code compliance.
• Manage recurring vendor contracts (janitorial, landscaping/snow removal, security, waste removal) and renew/renegotiate as needed.
• Serve as the ongoing point of contact with landlords for lease administration and facility-related disputes.
• Track facilities-related spend per site and flag budget overruns.
• Conduct periodic site walk-throughs to proactively identify issues.
• Respond to urgent/emergency facility issues (power outages, water intrusion, security breaches) that could impact operations, including after-hours.
• Help build and refine a standardized site-activation and site-maintenance playbook as the company scales.

Boundaries & Crossover

This role owns, in partnership with the VP of Operations and Strategy:

• Phase 2 buildout: TI, permitting, GC/vendor selection, engineering/infrastructure, and site security installation.
• Phase 2 to Phase 3 readiness gate and facility certification.
• Utility and internet accounts, building services, and ongoing facility maintenance at every site.
• Landlord relationships and lease administration across activation and operations.
• Buildout safety and Phase 2 budget execution.

This role does not own:

• The lease, deal, or site selection (VP, Phase 1).
• The digital foundation (WMS, equipment digital twin, customer-facing reporting platform; Director of Program Operations, Phase 3).
• The physical operation of the warehouse (layout, equipment, rigging, on-the-ground handling; Director of Warehousing Operations, Phase 3).
• Lease economics, enterprise pricing, or master commercial terms.

At the Phase 2 to Phase 3 gate, the Facilities Manager hands off a certified, systems-live facility to the operations teams, who jointly sign off on Phase 3 readiness. Post-handoff, the Facilities Manager remains the point of contact for building systems, landlord relations, and facility maintenance while the operations teams run customer operations.

Qualifications

• 5–10 years in facilities management, construction/project management, commercial real estate, or multi-site operations (e.g., retail, restaurant, or industrial “new location opening” roles), including direct buildout, TI, and general-contractor management.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple vendors and contractors simultaneously, ideally across multiple geographic markets.
• Working knowledge of commercial lease terms (CAM, NNN, tenant improvements); comfortable reading and acting on lease provisions.
• Hands-on coordination of structural, civil, crane, and power infrastructure to spec.
• Budget and CapEx execution against a defined project budget.
• Vendor negotiation experience (utilities, telecom, cleaning, security, signage).
• Proficiency with project tracking tools (e.g., Smartsheet, Asana, Monday.com) or willingness to learn.
• Working knowledge of core building systems (HVAC, electrical, plumbing, dock equipment) sufficient to triage issues and coordinate vendors.

Leadership & Operating Style

• A