Facility Director
Pilgrim
Location
Redwood City, CA
Employment Type
Full time
Location Type
On-site
Department
Operations
As the Facility Director at Pilgrim, you will take ownership of the operational performance of our R&D facility. You will keep the wet lab, machine shop, prototyping areas, and electronics benches organized, stocked, and fully functional. This is a hands-on role responsible for eliminating friction, maintaining order, and optimizing the workspace so the technical team can operate at full speed. You will work closely with engineers and scientists to understand the tools, components, chemicals, and instruments they rely on, and ensure the environment consistently supports high-tempo development and testing.
Responsibilities
Maintain operational readiness across the wet lab, machine shop, 3D printing/prototyping areas, and EE benches, ensuring each zone stays organized, clean, and configured for efficient work.
Work with engineers and scientists to identify upcoming needs and handle procurement end-to-end—sourcing, purchasing, receiving, and staging tools, components, reagents, and equipment.
Own consumables and materials: define stock levels, track usage, and reorder reagents, PPE, tooling, electronics components, and general supplies proactively.
Manage facility equipment by tracking status and calibration schedules, coordinating service or repairs, and ensuring instruments remain operational.
Maintain core safety infrastructure, including PPE stations, eyewash units, extinguishers, chemical storage, and routine lab/shop safety checks.
Design and implement organizational systems for tools, chemicals, components, and equipment across all technical zones.
Maintain and improve these systems by reorganizing as projects evolve, removing outdated items, and refining layouts and workflows for maximum productivity.
Coordinate facility-related administration such as vendor communication, service scheduling, equipment documentation, and facility spend tracking.
Qualifications
Experience managing organized technical environments such as labs, makerspaces, machine shops, hospital/clinical facilities, pharmacies, academic research labs, or manufacturing lines
Ability to build and maintain structured organizational systems for tools, chemicals, components, and equipment, including labeling, storage logic, and workflow layout
Familiarity with hands-on technical equipment such as basic lab instruments (pipettes, centrifuges, incubators, microscopes), additive/subtractive manufacturing tools (FDM/SLA 3D printers, CNC mills/lathes, laser cutters), and general electronics/mechanical shop tools
Competence with inventory management, including tracking usage, setting stock levels, cycle counting, and working with inventory/ERP software
Strong operational discipline and attention to detail; able to maintain clean, orderly, high-functioning spaces across multiple technical zones
Ability to learn new categories of materials or instruments quickly and organize them effectively—even without prior domain exposure
Comfortable with physical work such as equipment movement, bench resets, reorganization projects, and basic facility upkeep
Clear, reliable communication skills for coordinating with engineers, scientists, vendors, and service providers