Senior Manager, Facilities and Workplace Experience

job purpose:  

The Senior Manager, Facilities and Workplace Experience owns the physical workplace at fairlife's corporate headquarters and partners with plant leadership on the office and common areas at our manufacturing sites. This role is responsible for making our spaces safe, functional, and worth coming to. It combines hands-on building operations with the softer work of shaping how people experience the workplace day to day. 

responsibilities:  

Facilities and Building Security 

• Manage daily operations of the Chicago headquarters, including maintenance, janitorial, HVAC, security, access control, and space readiness. 

• Serve as the primary point of contact for landlord, property management, and building engineering relationships. 

• Own space planning, seat assignments, moves, and reconfigurations in partnership with People & Culture and IT. 

• Lead office construction, renovation, and furniture projects from scope through punch list. 

Workplace Experience 

• Define and deliver a workplace experience standard that supports collaboration, focus work, and in-person connection. 

• Manage front of house, reception, visitor experience, and internal hospitality, including pantry and food service programs. 

• Gather employee feedback on the workplace and translate it into a prioritized improvement plan 

• Partner with Internal Communications on signage, wayfinding, and brand presence in the space. 

• Implement protocols in partnership with IT and communications on company/site large event room and AV requirements. 

Events and Moments 

• Plan and execute events including all employee meetings, celebrations, and key stakeholder visits. 

• Coordinate logistics for cross site gatherings held at headquarters. 

• Partner with Communications team to develop and execute community partnership roadmap. 

• Lead a "one team" strategy and execution around celebration moments across the organization. 

Vendor, Budget, and Compliance Management 

• Source, negotiate, and manage facilities and hospitality vendor contracts, holding partners to service levels 

• Own the facilities operating budget, forecast accurately, and identify cost savings without degrading experience. 

• Maintain compliance with life safety, building code, and applicable OSHA requirements, and keep emergency response and business continuity plans current. 

• Partner with EHS and site leaders to align corporate practices with plant safety standards. 

• Lead office space expansion activities in partnership with project management, as needed. 

Team leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop the facilities and workplace team. 

• Build clear service processes, response expectations, and metrics. 

skills/qualifications required: 

Required: 

• 8 or more years in facilities, real estate, corporate services, or workplace operations, including 3 or more years leading people or vendor teams. 

• Experience managing a corporate office with a multi-site manufacturing footprint, including budget ownership. 

• Track record running office projects, moves, or build outs on time and on budget. 

• Strong vendor negotiation and contract management skills. 

• Sound judgment in urgent situations, including outages, weather events, and security concerns. 

• Comfortable working across corporate and manufacturing environments. 

Preferred: 

• Bachelor's degree in facilities management, business, hospitality, or a related field. 

• Experience in food and beverage 

• Familiarity with CMMS, space management, or workplace technology platforms. 
   

working conditions and physical requirements: 

• Ability to lift up to 25 lbs. 

• Occasional after-hours and weekend availability for events, projects, and building emergencies 

At fairlife, we believe in better — and that includes how we support our people. We offer a comprehensive suite of benefits and wellbeing resources designed to support you physically, emotionally, socially, and financially, both in and out of work. 

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, effective day one! 

• Supplemental health plans (hospital indemnity, accident, and critical illness insurance) 

• Paid Time Off to recharge and support work-life balance 

• Paid parental leave & adoption assistance (up to $10,000) 

• Parental support & family care benefits, including childcare resources and lactation support 

• 401(k) to support retirement planning with up to 9% in employer match