Director, Facilities

Kardigan•South San Francisco, CA

11d•Onsite

About The Position

Kardigan is seeking a strategic, hands-on Director of Facilities to lead our South San Francisco headquarters. This role is responsible for reliable day-to-day site operations while building scalable, data-driven systems across Facilities and Physical Security. The Director will oversee infrastructure, capital projects, security, shipping/receiving, and vendor management. This role also drives operational maturity through standardization, automation, and clear executive reporting.

Requirements

10+ years of facilities management experience in biotech or similar environment
Experience operating complex, research-adjacent facilities
Strong vendor and project management capability
Proven ability to build systems and scale operations in a growing organization
Strong communication skills, including ability to support executive decision-making
Hands-on, detail-oriented, and comfortable operating in a fast-paced environment
Familiarity with EH&S and regulated environments

Nice To Haves

Experience with automation, analytics, or AI-enabled workflows

Responsibilities

Lead all day-to-day facility operations (HVAC, utilities, life safety, building systems)
Oversee construction, renovations, and tenant improvements end-to-end
Ensure a high-functioning, well-maintained workplace environment
Build and scale repeatable Facilities systems (work orders, vendor management, workplace standards)
Establish KPIs and dashboards to track performance, cost, and service levels
Implement proactive inspection and issue tracking to reduce reactive work
Own site physical security, including access control, badging, and visitor management
Implement structured security governance and audit practices (SOX-aligned where applicable)
Maintain a live risk register with defined mitigation plans and ownership
Identify and deploy automation and AI-enabled solutions to improve efficiency and reliability
Redesign manual workflows to reduce administrative burden and improve outcomes
Partner with IT to implement and measure impact of new tools
Provide clear, concise updates to leadership (progress, risks, decisions needed)
Partner with IT, HR, EHS, and Real Estate on integrated site operations and planning
Support portfolio standards and alignment across sites
Own workplace experience, including space utilization, visual standards, and organization
Drive consistency across sites to support a cohesive employee experience