Head of Facilities

About the role

This role owns and scales the combined office and manufacturing site in Hawthorne to enable engineering and manufacturing. The Head of Facilities operates at the intersection of strategic planning and hands-on execution for a fast-scaling nuclear energy team. Success requires partnership with engineering and manufacturing to keep facilities on the critical path of operations. The position demands ownership of the full lifecycle of the physical environment, ensuring that infrastructure directly supports the company's ambitious mission. You will be responsible for transforming strategic objectives into tangible, operational realities for the site. The role requires a proactive mindset that anticipates needs before they become critical issues. Ultimately, this position is about removing friction so that the engineering and manufacturing teams can focus on innovation and execution.

Key facts

What you'll do

Processes safeguard operational integrity while advancing resource efficiency.

This protects inventory, maintains organization, and supports safe workflows.

This protects personnel, assets, and sensitive operations.

This improves safety, efficiency, and on-site experience.

This aligns facility changes with operational needs and timelines.

This delivers projects on schedule and within regulatory requirements.

This mitigates risk and maintains lawful operations.

This sustains resilience and rapid response during disruptions.

You will manage the end-to-end lifecycle of facilities, from initial concept through execution and optimization.

You will oversee the maintenance of critical building systems to ensure maximum uptime and reliability.

You will coordinate with engineering and manufacturing leadership to forecast and plan for future space and infrastructure needs.

You will implement rigorous safety and security protocols to protect people, equipment, and sensitive information.

You will manage relationships with external vendors and contractors to ensure service levels and cost efficiency.

You will drive continuous improvement initiatives to reduce waste and enhance the operational efficiency of the facility.

Requirements

8+ years operating facilities or infrastructure in high-performance environments such as advanced manufacturing, aerospace, defense, or energy.

Proven track record of supporting hardware production, testing, or industrial operations in demanding settings.

Deep understanding of building systems including power, HVAC, and utilities and their impact on production and manufacturing.

Experience leading facility build-outs, expansions, or rapid reconfigurations with strict attention to safety and compliance.

Strong working knowledge of OSHA, ADA, safety systems, and regulatory requirements relevant to manufacturing and industrial sites.

Demonstrated ability to operate hands-on in fast-paced, ambiguous environments while maintaining high standards.

Clear written and verbal communication skills with a customer-service mindset toward internal stakeholders and external vendors.

High level of organization to manage multiple priorities simultaneously under tight timelines.

Comfortable working independently and within a team in a highly cross-functional, owner-operated culture.

Based in or willing to relocate to Hawthorne, CA.

U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency is required.

A Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience is necessary for this role.

The candidate must be authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship.

Practical notes

U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency is required.

The role may include occasional travel within the Hawthorne site and to partner locations as needed.

Typical interview steps

Leadership hiring usually includes a strategy case, a people scenario, and a values conversation. Candidates may be asked to turn around a struggling team or plan for growth. Past results are examined closely, especially how decisions were made. Interviewers dig into specific decisions you made and their consequences. Preparing two or three decision stories with numbers and lessons is the best use of time.

Good to know

Facilities leadership in advanced energy and manufacturing settings often requires rapid context switching between strategic planning and operational execution.

General familiarity with high-power electrical systems and specialized infrastructure is valuable in roles supporting advanced manufacturing and research.

Reliability engineering concepts and CMMS tools commonly support uptime and maintenance workflows in industrial environments.

Cross-functional collaboration with engineering, operations, and safety teams is central to maintaining a reliable and scalable physical infrastructure.

Career growth

Leadership careers move from manager to senior manager, director, and executive roles. Each step adds more scope and more responsibility for outcomes. The best leaders keep learning how to delegate, communicate, and decide. Leadership careers reward a record of building and developing people. The higher you go, the more your communication shapes the whole organization.