Role description
Workplace & Facilities Lead (West Coast)
CognitionWe are an applied AI lab building end-to-end software agents.
We're the makers of Devin, the first AI software engineer.
Our team is extremely talent-dense. Among our founding team, we have world-class competitive programmers, former founders, and leaders from companies at the cutting edge of AI including Scale AI, Palantir, Cursor, Waymo, Tesla, Lunchclub, Modal, Google DeepMind, and Nuro.
Building Devin is just the first step—our hardest challenges still lie ahead. If you’re excited to solve some of the world’s biggest problems and build AI that can reason on real-world tasks, apply to join us.
About the role
We’re hiring a Workplace & Facilities Lead to manage our West Coast workplace and the facilities team that keeps our San Francisco office running.
This is a senior, hands-on leadership role. You’ll own facilities operations end to end, manage and grow the existing facilities team, and make sure the office runs smoothly every day, including Friday nights and weekends when the team is still here. As we scale quickly, you’ll build the systems, vendors, and team structure that let our workplace keep up.
What You’ll Do
Lead the facilities team
Manage, coach, and grow the existing facilities team, with clear ownership and expectations
Build staffing and coverage plans across weekdays, evenings, and weekends
Hire for new roles as the team and office footprint grow
Own facilities operations
Own building operations, maintenance, security coordination, and space readiness
Manage key vendor relationships (custodial, security, maintenance, culinary), including contracts, SLAs, and performance
Build and manage the facilities budget and track spend against plan
Set up preventive maintenance, issue tracking, and escalation paths so problems get fixed before people notice them
Scale the workplace
Partner with Jeff on splitting workplace responsibilities and designing the team structure as we grow
Plan ahead for headcount growth: space planning, moves, build-outs, and new space readiness
Partner with Employee Experience, Recruiting, Security, and Finance on shared workplace needs
Support large events and offsites from a facilities and logistics standpoint
Raise the bar on the employee experience
Set the standard for what a well-run Cognition office looks and feels like, and hold the team to it
Use employee feedback and data to decide what to fix and improve next
Step in personally during high-traffic days, major events, and incidents
What we’re looking for
8+ years in workplace, facilities, or real estate operations, including 3+ years managing teams
Experience running facilities at a fast-growing tech company or in a high-end hospitality environment
Strong vendor management and contract negotiation skills
Comfortable owning a budget and making tradeoffs
Calm, decisive leader who can handle incidents and competing priorities
Flexible schedule, including some Friday nights and weekends
Experience opening new offices or managing build-outs is a plus
Why this role matters
Our office is where our team builds, meets candidates, and hosts customers. As we grow, the workplace has to scale with us without losing what makes it feel like Cognition. This role owns that: you’ll lead the team that keeps our San Francisco office running, set the standard for how it operates, and build the foundation for our next phase of growth.
Our Commitment
Equal Opportunity. Cognition is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of any protected characteristic under applicable law. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities throughout the hiring process - please let us know if you need any. Cognition also considers applicants with criminal histories consistent with the SF Fair Chance Ordinance and similar local laws.
Data Privacy and Arbitration: By submitting your application, you agree to our Global Applicant and Job Candidate Privacy Notice. For US applicants, by submitting your application, you agree to the Applicant Arbitration Agreement.