Director, Facility Operations

Overview

Arcellx is a public, clinical-stage biotechnology company reimagining cell therapy by engineering innovative immunotherapies for patients with cancer and other incurable diseases. We believe that cell therapies are a forward pillar of medicine and our mission is to destroy cancer and advance humanity by developing cell therapies that are safer, more effective, and more broadly accessible.

Our team members are made up of talented innovators and dreamers working from our offices in Rockville, Maryland, and Redwood City, California. At Arcellx, we hire exceptional people and create a fun, diverse, supportive, and informal environment that allows everyone to do their best work.

What Matters to Us

Living our core values is essential to maintaining a work environment that is high-performing, inclusive, and collaborative. We look for candidates who demonstrate strong values alignment and bring different backgrounds, viewpoints, and abilities to the team.

Arcellx Core Values

• Start with authenticity: We foster an inclusive environment where each person can bring their authentic self to work.
• Think ‘we’ before ‘me’: We prioritize collective success, collaborating and supporting one another to achieve our shared goals.
• Embrace the challenge: We deliver exceptional results by working with shared determination and a commitment to doing what’s right.

The Director, Facility Operations will lead the strategic and facility operational management of our state-of-the-art clinical manufacturing facility in Redwood City. You will help operationalize our GMP facility, scale critical infrastructure, institutionalize robust systems, and drive seamless facilities operations across clinical manufacturing, testing labs, and administrative functions.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership to proactively build and ensure reliable, compliant, and uninterrupted facility operations.
• Drive efficiency and robustness across all facility functions. Proactively anticipate facility operational and strategic needs and drive actions to fill those gaps.
• Develop and lead enterprise-wide facilities and engineering strategies to support business growth, capacity expansion, and risk mitigation.
• Mentor and manage team members, ensuring alignment of day-to-day operations with broader organizational objectives.
• Champion a proactive safety culture. Oversee EH&S programs and ensure compliance with internal policies and external regulations.
• Provide leadership to ensure timely execution and resolution of Deviations, CAPAs, Change Controls, and Risk Assessments.
• Oversee end-to-end management of GMP and non-GMP facilities, including infrastructure, critical utilities, space planning, interaction with landlord facility team and technical projects.
• Ensure readiness to support dynamic operational needs, including construction and qualification of new or modified spaces.
• Negotiate contracts with third-party service providers to secure favorable terms and alignment with budgetary constraints.
• Manage facilities budget, identify opportunities to streamline vendor operations and reduce costs through process improvements and technology adoption.
• Own and drive long-term asset management strategies, including preventative and predictive maintenance, calibration programs, and lifecycle oversight of all critical infrastructure.

Skills and Experience We Look For

• Bachelor’s degree in chemical, bioengineering, mechanical or electrical engineering, or a related field (or equivalent combination of education and experience).
• 10+ years of facilities and engineering experience in the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry, including people leadership experience.
• Advanced knowledge of facilities systems and strong knowledge/ understanding of FDA regulations (GMP’s) and industry standards.
• Solid knowledge of cGMP Quality systems (change management, deviation management and validation).
• Ability to manage shifting priorities to meet critical deadlines in a fast paced and dynamic, growing environment.
• Excellent leadership, communication skills and ability to influence across multiple functions to get the job done.
• Strong problem solving and critical thinking…