Senior Director, Facilities (R4677)

Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed deep-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube. 
Job Description:Shape the global footprint behind the future of autonomous defense. In this role, you will lead Shield AI’s worldwide facilities strategy—scaling secure offices, R&D labs, manufacturing sites, and classified environments to power rapid growth and mission execution. From site selection and ground-up builds to SCIF delivery and international expansion, you’ll create secure, high-performance workplaces that enable our teams to build and deploy cutting-edge autonomous systems around the world.

What you'll do:

• Strategic Leadership & Planning:
• --Own and evolve Shield AI’s global facilities strategy across corporate offices, R&D labs, production/manufacturing sites, and SCIFs. 
• --Develop long-range capacity models aligned to program growth, production scaling, and workforce expansion. 
• --Lead site selection, lease negotiations, expansions, consolidations, and ground-up build-outs aligned to program needs, talent density, and government/customer proximity. 
• --Oversee capital planning and the Annual Operating Plan (AOP) for Facilities, including leases, FF&E, workplace standards, and infrastructure investments. 
• --Manage significant facilities spend with a focus on cost optimization, vendor strategy, and long-term financial efficiency. 


• Secure & Compliant Environments:
• --Partner closely with Security, IT, Legal, and Operations to deliver compliant, secure, and export-controlled environments. 
• --Lead the design and management of SCIFs and classified program spaces in accordance with U.S. government requirements. 
• --Ensure global compliance with safety, regulatory, and security standards across all sites. 
• --Proactively assess and mitigate site-related risks (e.g., safety, crime exposure, infrastructure constraints). 


• Global Expansion & Operational Scale:
• --Oversee the build-out of newly leased international sites, including London, ensuring alignment with security requirements and operational needs. 
• --Address space constraints and growth challenges in major hubs such as Frisco and San Diego. 
• --Lead the development of production-capable facilities, including new ground-up manufacturing sites. 
• --Scale facilities operations globally, including maintenance, workplace systems, badging/access (e.g., Envoy), move management, and EHS programs. 


• Workplace Experience & Operational Excellence:
• --Deliver a thoughtful, mission-aligned workplace experience across domestic and international offices. 
• --Establish global workplace standards that balance security, productivity, and employee engagement. 
• --Stay ahead of infrastructure and capacity risks before they impact operations. 
• --Build and lead a high-performing global facilities team.

Required qualifications:

• 12+ years of progressive facilities leadership experience, including global oversight. 
• Experience supporting production or manufacturing environments, ideally within aerospace, defense, robotics, or other hardware-centric industries. 
• Deep expertise in building secure environments, SCIFs, and export-controlled spaces. 
• Demonstrated success managing significant capital budgets and optimizing large-scale facilities spend. 
• Experience leading international expansions and navigating regional regulatory requirements. 
• Strong financial acumen and ability to align facilities strategy with business performance.

Preferred qualifications:

• Executive presence and strong judgment—polished communicator with discretion appropriate for sensitive environments. 
• Ability to operate strategically while remaining hands-on in high-growth, fast-moving environments.

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Full-time regular employee offer package:Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
Temporary employee offer package:Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of em