About Us
Kardigan is a heart health company working to make cardiovascular disease preventable, curable and no longer the leading cause of death in the world.
It is Kardigan’s mission to develop multiple targeted treatments in parallel that bring people with cardiovascular diseases to the cures they deserve.
Led by Tassos Gianakakos, Jay Edelberg, M.D., Ph.D., and Bob McDowell, Ph.D., Kardigan’s co-founders have reunited after leading MyoKardia to discover and develop mavacamten, the first cardiac myosin inhibitor, resulting in an acquisition by Bristol Myers Squibb in 2020.
We have a cutting-edge discovery and translational research platform, a pipeline of late-stage candidates, and an industry-leading team that is driven to improve the lives of patients.
At Kardigan, we are motivated by our values which guide how we work, interact, and achieve our goals. Driven by patients and their families, we are deeply committed to improving the lives of patients and prioritizing their needs above all else. We believe in being authentic—leading with truth to bring out the best in others by creating an environment where every person knows they will be fully accepted. With an eagerness to learn, we encourage the highest levels of curiosity and are open to changing our minds. We are committed to winning as a team with urgency, excellence, and intention, and support each other no matter what role we play or where we sit. Lastly, we strive to enable the impossible because patients are counting on us. We are not afraid to take risks to unlock innovation and advance scientific discoveries.
These values are the foundation of our work, empowering us to make a real difference, every day.
Position Title: Director, Facilities
Department: Facilities
Reports To: Executive Director, Real Estate & Facilities
Location: South San Francisco, CA – On-site 4 days per week (Mon to Thurs)
Job Overview
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.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Site Operations & Delivery
- 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
Systems & Operational Excellence
- 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
Security, Risk & Compliance
- 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
AI & Automation
- 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
Executive & Cross-Functional Leadership
- 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
Workplace & Culture
- Own workplace experience, including space utilization, visual standards, and organization
- Drive consistency across sites to support a cohesive employee experience
Qualifications and Preferred Skills
- 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
- Experience with automation, analytics, or AI-enabled workflows (preferred)
- 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