Role Summary

The Sr. Manager, Facilities Strategy & Operations is both the strategic architect and operational backbone of RV Tech's Palo Alto HQ and global sites - owning long-term real estate strategy and infrastructure while ensuring day-to-day operations are safe, functional, and exceptional. This is a foundational hire: many of the frameworks, vendor relationships, tools, and processes this role owns either don't exist yet or are being built in real time, so we're looking for a self-starting leader who brings equal parts vision and execution - someone who can define the strategy on Monday and be hands-on solving a facilities problem on Tuesday. You'll partner closely with Engineering, Finance, IT, People, executive leadership and counterparts at Rivian and will be a key voice in how RV Tech scales its physical footprint as the company grows. This role is onsite 5 days a week in our Palo Alto, Ca office.

Responsibilities

• Strategy & Real Estate
  
  • Own RV Tech's multi-year global facilities strategy and real estate transaction lifecycle (site search and selection, LOIs, lease negotiation/administration, lease administration), including build vs. outsource decisions
  • Lead site planning and space strategy as well as facility design/construction and new site openings, including an NSO checklist ensuring day-one operational readiness
  • Build BI dashboards/frameworks for real-time visibility into facilities performance, spend, and capacity; drive continuous improvement via benchmarking
  
  Operations & EHSS
  
  • Own day-to-day operations across sites (maintenance, janitorial, space management, safety, vendor services and utilities management) and coordinate a network of internal team, site contacts and vendors
  • Build operational plans: preventative/reactive maintenance, SLAs, CMMS, ticketing, escalation, and emergency response
  • Own EHSS: OSHA/environmental compliance, incident management, physical security (guards, SOC, access, TISAX/ISO 27001), coordinating with Rivian at shared sites
  • Manage the Small Works program for post-occupancy improvements
  
  Vendor & Budget Management
  
  • Build and manage global vendor network (janitorial, EHS/security, catering, HVAC, electrical, landscaping, etc.); run competitive bidding with Procurement and work with Rivian to establish our own vendor base
  • Own 5-year CapEx and annual OpEx budgets; financial modeling for site decisions; forecasts/actuals reporting to leadership
  
  Leadership & Stakeholders
  
  • Build and lead a small, high-performing internal team plus outsourced partners
  • Serve as primary point of contact for facilities needs/escalations; align with Rivian/VW Group counterparts on shared standards

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• 10+ years facilities management experience, with both strategic program-building and hands-on operational ownership (not just inheriting existing programs)
• Track record managing budgets, financial models, and vendor negotiations / management
• Proven team leadership - hiring and retaining talent
• Deep technical knowledge of building systems (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire)
• Comfortable with data/AI tools, dashboards, KPI frameworks, translating data into executive insights
• Strong communication skills for senior/cross-functional audiences
• Experience with CMMS (Fexa, Archibus, or similar); MS Office/Google Workspace
• Willingness to be on-site, travel up to 25%, and respond to critical incidents off-hours

Preferred Qualifications

• High-growth tech, automotive, or EV company experience
• Experience with R&D/engineering-heavy facilities
• Sustainability, energy management, or workplace experience background
• CFM or FMP certification
• BI tools (Tableau, Looker) and/or space platforms (Robin, Envoy)
• PM tools: Smartsheet, Airtable, Confluence; using AI tools

Total Rewards

Full-time positions include base salary, eligibility for an annual performance bonus, and eligibility for equity.

In addition to base salary, Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies offers benefits tailored to the local market. For more information on the benefits available for full-time employees, check out our Global Benefits Site.

External candidates can apply for this role through the Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies careers site (https://rivianvw.tech/#careers). If you are a current employee, please apply through our internal job board.