Head of Workplace Operations

Outset; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Outset is seeking a senior leader to build and scale global workplace operations across San Francisco and New York, owning strategy, execution, and a high-performing office team.

You will manage facilities, real estate, vendor relationships, event logistics, space utilization, and budgets to ensure productive, welcoming offices. This role is 5 days onsite in SF, with leadership across locations.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in workplace operations, facilities management, office management, or real estate administration.
• Experience leading teams and scaling operations in tech startups.
• Experience managing multiple office locations and cross-geography operations.
• Expert vendor and contract management; negotiate with landlords and service providers.
• Budget ownership: forecasting, tracking, and optimizing operational spend.
• Strong project management for renovations, moves, and events.
• Excellent communicator and stakeholder manager across departments.
• Background in capital projects and compliance with safety codes.

Responsibilities

• Hire and mentor a workplace operations team.
• Scale processes as the team grows.
• Oversee day-to-day office operations across SF and NYC; facilities, maintenance, and supplies.
• Manage vendor relationships and contracts (janitorial, IT, security, utilities).
• Direct office equipment and tech management (AV, conferencing, WiFi, procurement).
• Ensure safety, building codes, and accessibility compliance across locations.
• Lead lease administration: renewals, rent escalations, landlord communications.
• Plan and optimize space utilization and growth needs.
• Lead office renovations and improvements; manage contractors and budgets.
• Manage real estate budgets and capital expenditures across offices.
• Coordinate office events and visits; manage meeting room scheduling.
• Source and manage office amenities and wellness programs.
• Own workplace operations budget and drive cost savings.
• Track metrics: occupancy, costs, vendor performance, KPIs.
• Develop and execute long-term workplace strategy aligned with growth.

Skills

Workplace operations

Facilities management

Leadership

Vendor management

Budgeting

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Strategic planning

Job description

Outset invented a better way to do research: AI-powered user interviews.

Global brands like Hubspot, Microsoft, Uber and Nestle use Outset to achieve deeper, qualitative insights about their users at unprecedented speed and scale.

The research industry is massive (>$140B and growing) and ripe for disruption. Incumbents are outdated, slow, and burdened by high-cost services. That's our opportunity.

Outset is backed by top Silicon Valley investors and raised a $30M Series B in December 2025—less than six months after our Series A—led by Radical Ventures with participation from M12 (Microsoft’s venture arm), 8VC, Y Combinator, and Adverb Ventures.

The raise follows a breakout year, with our business growing 8x as enterprise customers across industries adopt our category, AI‑moderated research, as the new standard for understanding people.

We’re a tight-knit team serving some of the world’s largest enterprises.

You'll lead and scale Outset's global workplace operations function. You own the strategy, execution, and team behind our physical office experience - managing our San Francisco and New York offices, overseeing facilities, real estate, vendor relationships, event logistics, and day-to-day operational logistics across multiple locations. You'll hire, develop, and lead an Office Manager based in San Francisco and build a world-class operations team. You're accountable for ensuring Outset's offices are productive, well-maintained, and welcoming environments.

This role is 5 days onsite in SF

Responsibilities

• Hire, onboard, mentor, future workplace operations team members
• Build a strong operations culture and scale processes as the team grows
• Oversee day-to-day office operations across SF and NYC: supplies inventory, maintenance scheduling, cleanliness standards
• Manage vendor relationships: janitorial, IT support, maintenance, security, utilities, and negotiate contracts
• Direct office equipment and technology management: conference room setups, AV systems, WiFi, hardware procurement and troubleshooting
• Ensure compliance with safety, building codes, and accessibility standards across both locations
• Manage lease administration: renewals, amendments, rent escalations, landlord communications, and strategic real estate decisions
• Plan and execute space utilization: monitor occupancy, identify expansion or reduction needs, optimize desk/meeting room allocation
• Lead office renovations and improvements: gather requirements, manage contractors, ensure on-time and on-budget delivery
• Manage real estate budgets and capital expenditures across both offices; forecast and track spending
• Coordinate office events: all-hands, team celebrations, client visits, conferences and off-sites
• Manage meeting room scheduling and booking systems; oversee room setups for events and presentations
• Source and manage office amenities: coffee, beverages, snacks, wellness programs, workplace culture initiatives
• Own workplace operations budget: forecast, track spending, identify cost savings opportunities, and drive efficiency
• Track and report on operational metrics: occupancy, square footage costs, vendor performance, incident reports, and team KPIs
• Develop and execute long-term workplace strategy aligned with company growth and culture

Qualifications

• 7+ years in workplace operations, facilities management, office management, or real estate administration, with at least 2+ years in a leadership or management role
• Experience managing or supporting a growing tech company (startup or scale-up) through multiple growth phases
• Proven experience managing teams and building scalable operations
• Experience managing multiple office locations or scaled workplace operations across geographies
• Expert vendor and contract management; comfort negotiating with landlords, service providers, and cross-functional partners
• Budget ownership: experience forecasting, tracking, optimizing operational spend, and managing capital projects
• Project management skills: ability to coordinate multiple initiatives (renovations, moves, events) simultaneously
• Strong organizational and attention to detail; comfort with both strategic planning and tactical execution
• Excellent communicator and stakeholder manager; ability to partner with leadership across departments and levels
• Background in capital project management (office buildouts, renovations, fit-outs)
• Familiarity with OSHA, ADA, or building code compliance
• Experience with cross-functional strategic planning and organizational change management