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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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 employment)

Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.

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Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.