Senior Manager, Facilities

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 our mission to develop multiple targeted treatments in parallel that bring people with cardiovascular diseases to the cures they deserve. 

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: Senior Manager, Facilities (Associate Director-level candidates welcome to apply) 

Department: Facilities 

Reports To: Executive Director, Real Estate & Facilities

 

Job Overview 

Kardigan is seeking a strategic, hands-on Senior Manager of Office Management to lead our site operations in Princeton, NJ and support potential expansion into Chicago. This is a leadership position requiring strategic ownership of facilities and workplace experience across locations, reporting directly to the head of Real Estate and Facilities. This role is critical to our rapid growth as a bi-coastal biotechnology company and will be responsible for ensuring each site operates efficiently, safely, and in alignment with our company culture and scientific goals. 

This leader will develop and manage office infrastructure, vendor relationships, administrative staff, space planning, operational budgets, and employee experience programs across locations, with a focus on building scalable systems to support ongoing growth. 

  

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

Princeton Site Leadership (Primary Responsibility) 

• Oversee day-to-day operations of the Princeton office, ensuring a safe, productive, and professional work environment. 

• Manage office facilities, security, administrative services, reception, catering, and supplies. 

• Partner with IT, EH&S, HR, and scientific leadership to support cross-functional needs. 

• Lead office planning and logistics, including expansions and renovations. 

• Act as primary liaison to the Executive Committee on Princeton site operations, culture initiatives, and space planning. 

• Perform or coordinate hands-on facilities tasks typical of an office environment, including overseeing HVAC, lighting, plumbing, and basic furniture adjustments; managing vendor response to maintenance tickets; supporting office moves and workstation set-up; and troubleshooting day-to-day operational issues. 

Multi-Site Coordination 

• Establish standard operating procedures (SOPs) and scalable processes across sites. 

• Travel periodically to South San Francisco and, as needed, to new locations such as Chicago to ensure alignment and operational readiness. 

• Collaborate with Finance and Legal teams on vendor contracts, insurance, compliance, and budgeting issues across offices. 

• Order and manage general office supplies and snacks with alignment of sites in mind. 

• Strategic Planning and Culture 

• Lead office space strategy, including utilization analysis, growth modeling, site selection input, and relocation planning. 

• Own operational budgeting for site services and facilities planning in partnership with Finance. 

• Ensure offices reflect company values and support a high-performing, inclusive culture. 

• Coordinate onsite events, town halls, and employee engagement initiatives. 

 

Qualifications and Preferred Skills 

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree or certification in business, operations, or facilities management a plus. 

• 5-7 years of progressive experience in office, site, or facilities management, ideally in a high-growth biotech or life sciences environment. 

• Demonstrated experience managing multi-site operations or overseeing remote teams. 

• Strong project management skills and experience with vendor negotiations and facilities build-outs. 

• Excellent leadership, interpersonal, and communication skills. 

• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and scaling operations in a fast-paced, evolving environment. 

• Willingness to travel (~5–15%). 

• Biotech or life sciences industry exposure, especially early-stage or fast-growing companies preferred. 

• Familiarity with lab-adjacent office environments or hybrid lab/office operations preferred. 

• Experience with workplace technologies (e.g., Microsoft 365, OfficeSpace, Teams, Zoom, etc.) preferred.