Facility And Building Systems Project Manager
etched
Job Score
80 ptsFacility and Building Systems Project Manager
About Etched
Etched is building AI chips that are hard-coded for individual model architectures. Our first product (Sohu) only supports transformers, but has an order of magnitude more throughput and lower latency than a B200. With Etched ASICs, you can build products that would be impossible with GPUs, like real-time video generation models and extremely deep & parallel chain-of-thought reasoning agents.
Job Summary
Etched is scaling fast, and we’re building out our facility operations team to support it. This role owns the operations and maintenance side of our buildings: taking the handoff of lab and rack infrastructure from our capital projects team, running it long-term, and keeping every day-to-day service flowing, from utility billing and trash to porter, catering, and emergency response. This is a startup. We move fast, prioritize ruthlessly, and get our hands dirty. The right person walks into a building and figures out how to make it work, not someone who walks in and writes a list of everything that’s wrong.
Key responsibilities
Serve as first responder for building and critical system issues: triage, troubleshoot, and drive resolution within agreed SLAs. Develop the SLAs where they don’t exist yet.
Conduct ongoing system performance reviews and trend analysis to identify risks before they become failures.
Develop, maintain, and execute SOPs and MOPs for all critical systems.
Take handoff of lab and rack infrastructure delivered by the capital projects team, and own its long-term operation: chilled water, compressed dry air, generators, UPS, and controls.
Build and run preventative maintenance programs for all building systems: HVAC/VRF, electrical distribution, plumbing, fire/life safety, elevator, generators, chillers, and roof. Hold vendors accountable and keep the records.
Own day-to-day building services: PG&E and other utility account management and billing, trash and recycling, porter, catering coordination, janitorial, landscaping, parking lot maintenance, pest control, window cleaning, alarm/security monitoring, and emergency repair trades.
Lead utility planning and coordination, including PG&E service work, backup generator strategy, and capacity planning as the site grows.
Operate building controls and BAS day-to-day: alarms, trend analysis, and catching drift before it becomes a failure.
Keep us aligned with applicable codes, environmental requirements, and hazardous materials handling. Track permits, certificates of occupancy, and inspection cycles. Flag the things that need architect or city involvement before they become problems.
Manage light construction oversight on the ops side: smaller buildouts, tenant alterations, and retrofit work end-to-end. Partner with capital projects on larger work where systems and construction overlap.
Surrender condition planning: keep our buildings in the shape we need to hand them back in, year over year.
Budget ownership for facilities operating expenses across the portfolio.
You may be a good fit if you have (Must-have qualifications)
5+ years of hands-on building systems management experience, ideally in an environment where you carried the full O&M load rather than calling a landlord.
Startup experience, or a clear track record of working in resource-constrained, fast-moving environments. You’re comfortable wearing multiple hats and don’t need a perfect process to get started.
A builder’s mindset. You walk into a problem and figure out how to solve it with what you have. You don’t lead with what’s wrong with the building, the budget, or the prior decisions. You lead with what you’re going to do about it.
Working knowledge of commercial HVAC/VRF, electrical distribution, plumbing, fire/life safety, and roofing systems, enough to evaluate vendor work, not just dispatch it.
Experience developing and executing SOPs and MOPs for critical systems.
Construction experience: you’ve managed contractors and subs through buildouts, retrofits, or TI work, and you know how to hold a schedule.
Experience standing up preventative maintenance programs from scratch, not just inheriting them.
Comfort with utility coordination, particularly PG&E and similar large-scale service planning, and ownership of utility billing.
Track record managing a stable of trade and soft-service vendors (janitorial, porter, catering, landscaping, trades) and holding them to quality and timeline.
Familiarity with permit processes, certificate of occupancy requirements, and California commercial real estate compliance.
Calm under pressure. Things will break at 2am. You’ll need to triage, decide whether it can wait, and get the right people moving if it can’t. Comfortable with on-call rotation.
Willing to be on-site, in the building, doing the work. This is not a desk job.
Strong candidates may also have experience with (Nice-to-have qualifications)
Direct experience operating mission-critical facilities (data center / colo, biotech / pharma, or semiconductor / high-tech fab).
Hands-on experience with chilled water (CHW), compressed dry air (CDA), and HVAC/VRF systems at the operator level.
Proficiency reading and working from MEPF and controls drawings and schematics.
NFPA 70E trained and current.
Experience with building controls / BAS platforms; Tridium / Niagara a strong plus.
Reliability testing or commissioning exposure.
Plant or facility management exposure.
Direct experience managing PG&E service requests, capacity expansions, or MV gear projects.
Operating engineering or contractor licenses (e.g., Electrical or Mechanical Journeyman, CFC Universal or Type II).
OSHA 30 trained and current.
A CFM, FMP, or similar credential.
Representative projects
Own the operational handoff of a new lab from capital projects through commissioning into long-term reliable operation.
Stand up the preventative maintenance program and vendor stack for a new site from scratch.
Lead 24/7 response to a critical infrastructure failure (e.g., overnight power loss) so the engineering teams stay productive.
Consolidate and renegotiate utility and soft-service contracts to reduce cost and improve service levels.
Build the on-call playbook and SLA framework for building and lab systems.
Benefits
Full medical, dental, and vision packages, with generous premium coverage
Housing subsidy of $2,000/month for those living within walking distance of the office
Daily lunch and dinner in our office
Relocation support for those moving to San Jose (Santana Row)
How we’re different
Etched believes in the Bitter Lesson. We think most of the progress in the AI field has come from using more FLOPs to train and run models, and the best way to get more FLOPs is to build model-specific hardware. Larger and larger training runs encourage companies to consolidate around fewer model architectures, which creates a market for single-model ASICs.
We are a fully in-person team in San Jose (Santana Row), and greatly value engineering skills. We do not have boundaries between engineering and research, and we expect all of our technical staff to contribute to both as needed.
About Project Management
Project Management is essential to ensure strategic initiatives are delivered on time, within scope, and with quality. PM professionals coordinate teams, manage risks, and communicate with stakeholders.
Key methodologies include PMBOK, PRINCE2, Scrum, and Kanban. Tools like Jira, Asana, Monday, and MS Project are widely used in daily work.
Certifications like PMP and PgMP are important differentiators in the market, with growing demand in technology and consulting companies.
Discover Other Areas
Understand the scope of work, key skills, and tools used in different career areas.
About Copywriting
The Copywriting area is responsible for creating persuasive, creative, and strategic texts for various communication channels. Copywriting professionals transform ideas into words that engage, convert, and build brand voice.
Key skills include advertising copywriting, script writing for videos and podcasts, persuasive writing, tone of voice, and editorial guidelines. Knowledge of SEO writing, Grammarly, and text productivity tools is a differentiator.
Copywriting professionals in technology companies are highly valued, especially those who master copy for landing pages, email sequences, and funnel content. The field offers opportunities from junior copywriter to head of copy, with a focus on creativity, persuasion, and performance.
About Systems Analyst
The Systems Analyst is the professional responsible for analyzing, designing, and implementing technology solutions that meet business needs. They act as a bridge between business areas and the development team, ensuring that systems deliver real value to the organization.
Key skills include requirements gathering and analysis, process modeling (BPMN), data modeling, technical and functional documentation, system integration (APIs, microservices), and knowledge of ERPs and CRMs. Tools like Jira, Confluence, Visio, and project management platforms are essential.
Systems Analysts in technology companies are highly valued, especially those who master agile requirements analysis (user stories, backlog), system integration, and solution architecture. The field offers opportunities from junior analyst to solution architect, with a focus on efficiency, quality, and technological innovation.
About Advertising
The Advertising area is aimed at the planning, creation, and delivery of communication campaigns to promote brands, products, ideas, or services. Professionals in the sector work in advertising agencies or in-house marketing departments in creative fields (art direction, copywriting), strategic planning, account management, and media buying.
About Finance
The Finance area in technology companies combines traditional financial knowledge with advanced digital tools. FP&A, controlling, and corporate finance professionals are essential for the organization's financial health.
Key skills include financial modeling, metrics analysis (MRR, ARR, LTV, CAC), ERP (SAP, Oracle), and BI tools. Certifications like CFA and CPA-20 are differentiators.
The financial sector offers stable opportunities with competitive salaries, especially in fintechs and large technology companies.
About Content
The Content and Social Media area is essential for building digital presence and audience engagement. Professionals create content strategies, manage social networks, and develop impactful brand narratives.
Key skills include copywriting, storytelling, community management, metrics analysis, audiovisual production, and knowledge of each platform algorithms.
With the growth of influencer marketing and social commerce, this area continues to generate new career opportunities.