Site Lead

Nooks; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

Nooks is seeking a Principal Site Lead in Arlington, VA to own the daily operations and hands-on expansion of secure spaces, reporting to the VP of Operations. You will lead a cross-functional team across Security, IT/Cyber, Facilities, Finance, Hospitality, Customer Success, and Growth to deliver a premium, secure user experience.

You will manage both ongoing operations and the construction/launch of new secure workspaces, aligning with quarterly occupancy targets and collaborating with HQ for

Qualifications

• Active U.S. Government Top Secret/SCI clearance or ability to obtain one.
• 7+ years in physical/industrial operations in defense, aerospace, hospitality or government sectors.
• Led multi-disciplinary teams in fast-paced, operations-heavy environments with measurable results.
• Experience with site-level budgets or P&L and translating operations into financial outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily operations and launch execution for the facility and expansion of secure spaces.
• Ensure 99.9% uptime and secure, immaculate facilities.
• Manage cross-functional team and partner with HQ for support and decisions.
• Maintain budget, audit-readiness, and compliance with security policies.
• Represent Nooks at defense industry events and government forums.

Skills

Clearance

Operations leadership

Business acumen

Startup agility

Technical aptitude

Job description

About Nooks

Nooks is pioneering Classified-Infrastructure-as-a-Service (CIaaS) — designing, building, and operating Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIFs) and other secured, classified environments for the defense and national security community. We work with the agencies, contractors, and mission-driven organizations that keep the nation safe, delivering the physical infrastructure that makes classified work possible. We’re growing fast, operating across multiple markets, and building a company that takes both the mission and the business seriously.

About Nooks

Nooks is pioneering Classified-Infrastructure-as-a-Service (CIaaS) — designing, building, and operating Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIFs) and other secured, classified environments for the defense and national security community. We work with the agencies, contractors, and mission-driven organizations that keep the nation safe, delivering the physical infrastructure that makes classified work possible. We’re growing fast, operating across multiple markets, and building a company that takes both the mission and the business seriously.

About The Role

You will own the physical, operational, and financial success of a Nooks secure facility. Reporting directly to the Vice President of Operations, you serve as the localized executive and single point of accountability for your site. You do not just manage a building; you lead a resident, cross-functional team of Security, IT/Cyber, Finance, Hospitality, Customer Success, Growth, and facilities professionals to deliver a premium, secure user experience. In this role, you will hold dual-accountability for both the ongoing high-fidelity daily operations of active facilities and the hands-on construction, launch, and physical expansion of new secure workspaces on the ground. At Nooks, we move fast. While you’ll have clear ownership over your core responsibilities, startup life means priorities can shift. We’re looking for a proactive problem-solver who is comfortable with ambiguity and ready to lean in wherever the team needs them most to drive us forward.

Key Responsibilities

Launch & Site Operations

• Own both daily operations and launch execution at your facility, leading both active customer operations and contributing to the physical construction, launch, and expansion of new secure spaces.
• Keep the facility running smoothly every day—ensuring the physical space is immaculate, utilities are completely reliable, and secure shared office environments (SCIFs) maintain 99.9% operational availability.
• Drive the site's local feedback loop, talking directly with members to gather product and operational input and translating those insights into immediate, proactive improvements to our product and customer experience.
• Remove customer friction instantly, stepping in as the primary local problem-solver to resolve IT, security, hospitality, or facility hiccups before they interrupt mission-critical work.

Matrix Leadership & HQ Collaboration

• Lead the resident cross-functional team—including Security, IT/Cyber, Facilities, Finance, Hospitality, Customer Success, and Growth—holding team members accountable to site performance and service standards without owning their corporate reporting lines.
• Partner with corporate HQ teams to ensure your site gets the support it needs, and clarify who makes the final call on daily decisions so local operations never stall.
• Streamline secure IT infrastructure by partnering with the IT/Cyber Team on deployments, verifying that local network installations meet 100% of defense partner technical requirements prior to tenant move-in.
• Cultivate daily, high-trust relationships with partner defense contractors, visiting government officials, and local government leadership.
• Represent Nooks externally at defense industry days, local government forums, and security recruiting events to expand the site's customer pipeline and support strategic facility growth.
• Drive localized hiring and onboarding alongside the People Team and cross-functional partners, scaling your facility's operational staff in direct alignment with quarterly tenant occupancy growth targets.

Financial Ownership & Compliance

• Own your site's operational budget and local P&L in close partnership with the VP of Operations and the CFO—maintaining operational spend within strict quarterly targets and directing capital expenditure toward high-yield initiatives.
• Maintain a constant state of audit-readiness, enforcing the physical, security, and IT/Cyber policies set by the CSO and VP of IT/Cyber so the site passes government inspections with flying colors.
• Deliver a site culture that marries strict classified security compliance with a premier hospitality mindset, ensuring visitors feel both highly secure and genuinely welcomed.

The Skillset

• Clearance: You hold or are capable of maintaining an active U.S. Government Top Secret/SCI security clearance.
• Operational Domain Expertise: You bring 7+ years of experience managing physical and industrial operations within the defense, aerospace, hospitality or government sectors.
• Operations Leadership: You've led, developed, and managed a multi-disciplinary team in a fast-paced, operations-heavy environment and you have the results to show for it.
• Business Acumen: You've owned or contributed heavily to a site-level operational budget or P&L and understand how operational decisions translate to financial outcomes.
• Startup Agility (Preferred): Prior experience in a venture-backed startup or high-growth operating environment is a meaningful plus.
• Technical Aptitude (Preferred): Familiarity with enterprise IT network infrastructure or high-end corporate hospitality models is a plus.

Eligibility & Clearance

Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States, and U.S. citizenship is required. A U.S. government Top Secret/SCI security clearance—or immediate eligibility to obtain and maintain one on day one of employment—is required for this role given daily oversight of classified facilities. All candidates must be eligible for and committed to obtaining and maintaining a U.S. government security clearance as a condition of employment.

Location-Specific Addendums

Our Arlington, VA (National Landing) and El Segundo, CA facilities are currently navigating a dual-lifecycle phase: both sites feature fully operational secure environments alongside active construction, launch, and physical expansion efforts. As the Principal Site Lead, you will be responsible for both maintaining high-fidelity daily operations and hands-on coordination of physical space buildouts and scaling. Travel to other sites for cross-site learning and coordination is expected at roughly 10–20%.

Salary Range for all departments

Salary Range: $150,000 USD - $175,000 USD