Director / Senior Manager of Site Operations

Constellation; Berkeley (CA); On-site; USD 250,000 - 350,000; Full time

Job summary

Constellation seeks an exceptional operational leader to oversee all site services for its Berkeley research center, owning direction, budgets, and performance for IT, Security & Safety, Site Operations, and Catering. As Director / Senior Manager of Site Operations, you will lead ~11–15 staff, shape cross-functional processes, and ensure alignment with the mission to enable world-class AI safety research.

This in-person, player-coach role demands strategic vision, hands-on execution, and the

Qualifications

• 10-15 years of progressive operational leadership experience.
• 3-5 years leading teams; coaching into people management.
• Experience owning strategic planning and budgets of $1M+.
• Leadership across IT, security, facilities or hospitality functions.
• Technical depth with strong business judgment.

Responsibilities

• Set strategic vision and roadmap for IT, security, facilities, and catering; own planning cycles and budgets.
• Make strategic decisions on team growth and resource allocation across priorities.
• Drive cost optimization while maintaining operational excellence; build ROI cases.
• Lead and develop 4+ direct reports and build cross-domain coordination frameworks.
• Establish KPIs and reporting to drive data-driven decision making.

Skills

Operational leadership

Budget ownership

Strategic planning

People management

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

About the role

We're seeking an exceptional operational leader to oversee all site services for Constellation's research center. This role owns the strategic direction, planning, budgets, and performance for IT, Security & Safety, Site Operations, and Catering. These functions share a common purpose: enabling world-class AI safety research through excellence in our physical and digital environment.

As Director / Senior Manager of Site Operations, you'll define priorities and allocate resources across your portfolio. (Alternative titles for this role: Director / Senior Manager of Workplace Services, or of Infrastructure Operations.) You'll have high autonomy to shape how these teams work together, with direct accountability for strategic alignment with broader organizational goals. This is a leadership role that requires both strategic altitude and hands-on engagement. You’ll coach domain leads, shape organizational systems, and remain close enough to operational reality to make high-judgment decisions that scale with the mission. Your work directly influences Constellation’s ability to scale programs, host exceptional people, and create an environment where complex work can flourish. You will integrate four mission-critical operational domains into one coherent system. The systems, standards, and culture you establish now will define how Constellation grows over the next several years.

You’ll lead a team of ~11 (growing to ~15+ over the next 1-2 years), with four direct reports. Given our size and growth trajectory, this is a true player-coach role: you’ll set direction and standards while also engaging directly where doing so strengthens judgment, accelerates execution, or ensures quality.

Key responsibilities

Strategic Direction, Planning & Resource Allocation

• Set the strategic vision and roadmap for IT, security, facilities, and catering; own regular planning cycles to define priorities, allocate budgets, and set performance targets
• Make strategic decisions on team growth and resource allocation across competing priorities
• Drive cost optimization while maintaining operational excellence; build business cases for major investments
• Partner with executive leadership to ensure infrastructure and workplace services support organizational priorities and create an environment where high-impact work can flourish

Budget & Resource Ownership

• Own and manage the budget across all infrastructure functions
• Make strategic resource allocation decisions balancing competing priorities across IT, security, facilities, and catering
• Drive cost optimization while maintaining operational excellence and mission alignment
• Build business cases for major investments; communicate ROI and strategic rationale to leadership

Leadership, Integration & Team Development

• Lead and develop 4+ direct reports who own distinct operational domains: Site Operations Lead, IT Lead, Security & Safety Lead, and Executive Chef (who manages kitchen team of ~8 staff)
• Create forums and frameworks for these domain leads to coordinate effectively and identify synergy opportunities across traditionally siloed functions (e.g., unified access control strategy, integrated emergency response, coordinated space and technology planning)
• Build bridges between technical and non-technical domains, ensuring seamless collaboration across physical, digital, safety, and hospitality functions
• Serve as the voice of operations in executive discussions on organizational strategy, risk, and investment priorities; translate organizational strategy into concrete operational priorities and communication
• Coach individual contributors as they transition into people management roles as their teams expand; support the Executive Chef in leading and developing the catering team
• Build a collaborative culture that integrates all operational functions into a coherent system
• Create performance frameworks and success metrics for each function and role

Performance & Impact

• Own measurable outcomes for infrastructure operations: system uptime, security posture, user satisfaction, incident response times, budget performance
• Establish KPIs and reporting mechanisms; drive continuous improvement through data-driven decision making
• Hold leaders accountable for execution while providing strategic guidance and removing blockers

Risk & Compliance Leadership

• Own enterprise-wide risk management for cybersecurity, physical security, workplace safety, food safety, and facilities compliance
• Set security standards for a high-trust, high-traffic environment; ensure compliance with regulatory and best-practice requirements
• Serve as organizational point of contact for security matters with external stakeholders, auditors, and emergency services

Skills & experience

You may be a good fit if:

• You have 10-15 years of progressive operational leadership experience with demonstrated growth in scope and impact.
• You have 3-5 years leading teams; experience coaching individual contributors into people management roles.
• You have experience owning strategic planning and budget ownership: Multi-year direction-setting, managing significant budgets ($1M+), delivering measurable results.
• You have experience leading multiple operational domains (IT, security, facilities, or related functions) in high-autonomy environments.
• You have technical depth with business judgment: Engage credibly on technical details while maintaining strategic perspective; comfortable as both strategist and hands-on operator.

Domain Expertise

• Deep expertise in at least two of: IT operations, information security, facilities management, or hospitality operations
• Understanding of physical security, workplace safety, and emergency preparedness
• Experience in high-growth, fast-paced environments (startup, scale-up, or innovation-focused organizations strongly preferred)
• Familiarity with compliance frameworks and regulations for physical workplaces

Leadership & Management Skills

• Coaching and organizational design: Develop leaders, make strategic decisions about team structure and role definition, and determine where to invest in growth
• Strategic communication and influence: Build alignment across the organization, influence senior leadership, and communicate complex operational topics clearly to technical and non-technical audiences
• Performance management and talent development: Set high standards, deliver constructive feedback, drive accountability, and create environments where exceptional people thrive

Personal Attributes

• Strategic thinker: Sees the forest and the trees; connects operational details to organizational mission
• Sound judgment: Makes sound decisions with incomplete information in ambiguous, high-stakes situations
• Mission alignment: Genuine connection to Constellation's work in AI safety; understands why operational excellence matters for our mission. Cares deeply about enabling an environment where ambitious, high-impact work can happen reliably and safely
• Executive presence: Confident representing operations in leadership forums; credible with technical experts and non-technical stakeholders alike
• Systems orientation: Naturally sees interconnections and opportunities for integration across domains
• Bias to action: Balances thoughtful planning with decisive execution; doesn't get stuck in analysis

Practical Requirements

• Based in Berkeley, CA with ability to work on-site five days a week (this is an in-person, leadership role)
• Occasional work on evenings or weekends for urgent facility or security issues
• Comfortable in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment where priorities can shift rapidly