Director, Facilities

Lila Sciences is looking for a strategic, hands‑on Director of Facilities to lead the day‑to‑day and long‑term management of multiple facilities. You’ll own a scalable facilities strategy, drive safety and compliance across sites, and oversee budgets, capital planning, vendor governance, and KPI reporting. This role is a cross‑functional, cross‑site leadership position with real responsibility for building and growing a world‑class facilities team that scales with our growth and supports our scientific mission.

• Define and execute a comprehensive facilities strategy across multiple sites that aligns with company growth, science programs, and operational risk posture.
• Build, mentor, and lead a high‑performing facilities organization. Establish clear career paths, succession plans, and a culture rooted in safety, reliability, and continuous improvement.
• People & Team Management
  • Directly manage and develop facility managers, supervisors, and support staff; create a positive, collaborative culture with a strong focus on employee experience and professional growth.
  • Foster cross‑functional collaboration with BD, tech, finance, legal, and HR to drive decisions and improvements.
• Safety, Compliance, and Quality
  • Set and uphold enterprise‑wide safety standards and facilities compliance across all sites; guide audits and corrective actions.
  • Lead capital planning, lifecycle management, and EOL decisions for critical equipment using ROI‑driven analyses.
• Oversee multi‑site budgets, long‑range capital planning, and KPI achievement; optimize total cost of ownership.
• Own the vendor management lifecycle, including RFPs, contract negotiations, SLAs, and performance reviews.
• Operations & Process Excellence
  • Standardize and optimize maintenance processes with documentation, digital tools, and scalable playbooks; champion improvements with a strong emphasis on the employee and occupant experience.
  • Implement governance, risk management, and compliance controls; ensure audit readiness and transparent reporting.
• Be the primary touchpoint with clients, senior leadership, Facilities Org, and key business teams; translate facilities strategy into tangible business value.
• Partner with HR on workforce planning, safety training, and employee engagement initiatives.
• Lead major projects (renovations, expansions, high‑impact maintenance) from scoping to closeout; manage schedule, budget, and risk.
• Align cross‑site efforts to ensure consistent service levels and performance metrics.
• Performance Measurement & Improvement
  • Define and track key metrics (safety, reliability, lifecycle spend, uptime, cost‑to‑serve, work‑order throughput, client satisfaction) and use data to drive improvements.
  • Nurture a culture of continuous improvement; lead post‑implementation reviews and share learnings across sites.

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Business, or a related field. An advanced degree or professional certifications (e.g., FMP, CFM, CPM) are a plus.
• 8–15+ years of facilities management experience, with a track record of leading multi‑site operations in life sciences, physical sciences, or related industries.
• Proven ability to design and implement scalable facilities strategies and to lead through ambiguity and rapid growth.
• Experience managing large budgets, capital plans, and vendor ecosystems; strong ROI and financial acumen.
• Demonstrated track record of cultivating a safety‑first culture, robust reporting, and effective cross‑functional collaboration at the executive level.
• Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills; able to influence and mobilize diverse teams.

• Direct experience in environments blending physical science and life sciences.
• Familiarity with regulatory standards (OSHA/EHS, environmental compliance) and enterprise facilities software.

Lila Sciences is the world’s first scientific superintelligence platform and autonomous lab for life, chemistry, and materials science. We are pioneering a new age of boundless discovery by building the capabilities to apply AI to every aspect of the scientific method. We are introducing scientific…