Head of Facilities

About the role

We are seeking a Head of Facilities to own and scale the operations of our combined business office and manufacturing facility in Hawthorne. This role is responsible for ensuring that our physical environment enables world-class engineering and manufacturing—reliable, safe, compliant, and built to scale rapidly. You'll lead all aspects of facility operations, infrastructure, compliance, and expansion.

Key Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end operations of our combined business office and manufacturing facility, ensuring safety, reliability, and operational excellence across all building systems.
• Oversee maintenance of critical infrastructure (HVAC, electrical, plumbing, fire and life safety) with strong preventive maintenance programs and rapid response.
• Manage HVAC and environmental systems to maintain required operating conditions for engineering and production while optimizing energy efficiency.
• Oversee utilities (power, water, gas), including uptime, redundancy planning, capacity forecasting, and cost control.
• Ensure proper storage systems and compliance for materials, equipment, and regulated items.
• Oversee physical security and access control systems, ensuring a safe and controlled environment.
• Manage parking, site traffic flow, and logistics for employees, visitors, and vendors.
• Ensure clean, well-maintained, and fully functional workspaces, including offices, restrooms, and common areas.
• Partner with external project management firms, contractors, and architects on construction, renovations, and site expansion.
• Lead facility build-outs from concept through execution, including budgeting, permitting, and timelines, ensuring all projects meet operational, safety, and compliance standards.
• Ensure full compliance with OSHA, building codes, fire regulations, and environmental standards, and own audit and inspection readiness across all regulatory bodies.
• Implement and maintain emergency preparedness plans and incident response protocols, and serve as the around-the-clock emergency point of contact for facility-related issues.
• Build and manage a high-performing, lean facilities team (technicians, custodial, and others) with clear accountability and performance standards.
• Manage third-party vendors (janitorial, maintenance, security, and others), establishing SLAs and ensuring high-quality, cost-effective service, and lead vendor selection, contract negotiation, and ongoing performance management.

Basic Qualifications

• 8+ years operating facilities or infrastructure in high-performance environments (e.g., advanced manufacturing, aerospace, defense, energy).
• Proven track record of supporting hardware production, testing, or industrial operations.
• Deep understanding of building systems—power, HVAC, utilities—and their impact on production and manufacturing.
• Experience leading facility build-outs, expansions, or rapid reconfigurations.
• Strong working knowledge of OSHA, ADA, safety systems, and regulatory requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to operate hands-on in fast-paced, ambiguous environments.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with a customer-service mindset.
• High level of organization with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Comfortable working both independently and as part of a team.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience standing up or scaling a manufacturing site from early stage.
• Experience with high-power or specialized infrastructure environments.
• Prior General Contractor license or experience.
• Familiarity with CMMS or reliability engineering practices.
• Experience in ITAR and export control environments.