The RoleWe're seeking a Head of Facilities to own and scale the operations of our combined office and manufacturing site 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. The work is highly cross-functional and requires both strategic planning and hands-on execution.
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.
You Will Be Successful in This Role If- You operate with extreme ownership, seeing problems and fixing them rather than routing them.
- You move quickly and prioritize what matters most for the business.
- You're comfortable being both operator and builder, switching fluidly between hands-on execution and strategic planning.
- You hold a high bar for safety, reliability, and execution across every system you touch.
- You understand that facilities are a critical path to operations, not a support function, and you partner accordingly with engineering and manufacturing.
- You communicate clearly and bring a customer-service mindset to internal stakeholders and external vendors alike.
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.
- Based in or willing to relocate to Hawthorne, CA.
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.
Salary$150,000-$220,000 USD
