Lead - Site Management Operations

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies • Irvine, CA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Lead, Site Management Operations is the operational owner for Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies facilities in their region. The role oversees two Southern California buildings totaling approximately 102,610 square feet, including office spaces and R&D labs, and translates global facilities strategy into consistent day-to-day execution. The position is hands-on, keeping sites safe, functional, and running smoothly while managing preventative programs, vendors, and compliance. It works closely with site stakeholders, regional vendors, global facilities leaders, and Rivian at shared or co-located sites as RV Tech develops its vendor ecosystem.

The role is based onsite at the Irvine, California office five days per week and reports directly to the Sr. Manager - Global Facilities in the Finance Department. Responsibilities span workplace operations, facilities and lab management, EHS&S, regional vendor and budget management, and stakeholder coordination. The position requires travel across regional sites and availability to respond to critical incidents off-hours.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of facilities management experience, including hands-on, multi-site operational ownership.
• Track record managing vendors, budgets, and service level agreements.
• Working knowledge of building systems, including mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire systems, and of EHS&S and regulatory requirements.
• Experience with CMMS software such as Fexa, Archibus, or similar, and with MS Office or Google Workspace.
• Strong communication skills and comfort coordinating across site-level staff, regional stakeholders, and executive leadership.
• Willingness to travel across regional sites and respond to critical incidents off-hours.

Nice To Haves

• Experience at a high-growth technology, automotive, or EV company.
• Familiarity with Rivian or VW Group standards and systems.
• Experience with R&D or engineering-heavy facilities.
• Background in sustainability, energy management, or workplace experience.
• CFM, FMP, or CSP certification.
• Experience with BI tools such as Tableau or Looker, and/or space platforms such as Robin or Envoy.
• Experience with project management tools such as Smartsheet, Airtable, or Confluence.
• Experience using AI tools.

Responsibilities

• Own day-to-day workplace and facilities operations for assigned sites, including maintenance, janitorial services, space management, office set-ups and moves, safety, and vendor services.
• Oversee culinary services, local projects, events, employee programming, and transportation.
• Serve as the primary operational point of contact for facilities-related needs at each site.
• Execute operational plans for preventative and reactive maintenance, SLAs, CMMS ticketing, and emergency response.
• Manage the SLA between RV Tech and Rivian.
• Support facilities leaders with strategic and financial OpEx/CapEx planning and forecasting; anticipate site needs, upgrades, projects, and stakeholder requests.
• Steer site lab management, including serving as a point of contact for lab managers, monitoring utilization, reallocating space, processing space requests, and ensuring 5S compliance.
• Act as the regional escalation point for facilities issues, resolving them locally or routing them to the Global Lead.
• Execute site-level EHS&S programs and tactically own environmental, health, safety, and security matters, including compliance, incident management and reporting, equipment and process buy-off, and daily coordination.
• Conduct and document risk assessments, including job hazard analyses, pre-start and change management reviews, and ergonomic and high-voltage battery evaluations.
• Lead equipment buy-off to verify hazard controls before new or modified equipment, processes, or work areas are released for use.
• Support regional physical security through external vendors, including guard services, access provisioning, and visitor and contractor management.
• Coordinate with Rivian at shared or co-located sites and support emergency response planning, drills, and on-site incident response.
• Support regulatory compliance, including environmental reporting, permits, recordkeeping, and agency inspections.
• Drive corrective actions from risk assessments, incidents, site inspections, and audits through verified closure.
• Ensure OSHA compliance at US sites, including OSHA 300 recordkeeping, incident reporting, and coordination on waste management and environmental permitting.
• Manage regional vendors, including janitorial, EHS/security, catering, HVAC, electrical, landscaping, and other facilities providers; hold them accountable to scope and SLAs.
• Support competitive bidding and contract administration with Procurement and the Global Lead, and coordinate regional procurement and spending.
• Track regional OpEx/CapEx spend and support procurement from purchase request through purchase order, receipt, and invoicing; report forecasts and actuals to the Global Lead.
• Support construction or small works for post-occupancy improvements and provide input into site strategy and capital planning.
• Represent the global facilities team at assigned sites, ensuring alignment with global standards and a consistent employee experience.
• Provide functional, day-to-day direction to Site Managers within the region where applicable to the Vancouver and Belgrade roles.
• Represent the region in facilities planning and reporting to the Global Lead, proactively escalating risks and resource needs.
• Partner with country People/HR teams on matters involving Site Managers with shared or dotted-line reporting.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary.
• Eligibility for an annual company performance bonus program; payments are discretionary and not guaranteed.
• Eligibility for equity in the form of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), subject to board approval and applicable plan terms and vesting requirements.
• Comprehensive benefits package for full-time employees, including health coverage, retirement savings, time off, and family planning programs; offerings vary by country.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed