Director, Facilities

Overview

Neurodegenerative diseases are one of the largest medical challenges of our time. Denali Therapeutics is a biotechnology company dedicated to developing breakthrough therapies for neurodegenerative diseases through our deep commitment to degeneration biology and principles of translational medicine. Denali is founded on the collaboration of leading scientists, industry experts, and investors who share the vision that scientific discovery energetically applied to translational medicine is the key to delivering effective therapies to patients.

We invite you to consider an opportunity with Denali to help achieve our goal of delivering meaningful therapeutics to patients.

• Develop and lead Denali’s integrated facilities strategy, including maintenance, operations, space planning, lab infrastructure, and environmental sustainability.
• Provide hands-on technical oversight of site-wide building systems (HVAC, electrical, plumbing, compressed gases, BMS, emergency power), including system performance review, troubleshooting, and risk mitigation to ensure business continuity and operational uptime.
• Lead and mentor a multidisciplinary team across multiple levels; foster a collaborative, accountable, and high-performance culture.
• Direct and technically review capital improvement projects, tenant improvements, renovations, and equipment installations including design review, contractor engineering approaches, commissioning and turnover; manage project scope, timelines, and budgets.
• Serve as the technical authority for facilities and lab infrastructure, providing engineering judgement, reviewing designs and changes, and ensuring solutions meet operational, safety, and regulatory requirements.
• Serve as the primary liaison for external vendors, contractors, landlords, and key internal partners across Legal, Finance, Lab Ops, EH&S, and IT.
• Ensure full compliance with safety standards, building codes, and applicable regulations; partner with EH&S on audits, documentation, and training programs.
• Manage departmental budgets, forecasts, and procurement strategies; oversee contracts, service agreements, and vendor performance.
• Lead facilities planning for headcount growth, workplace strategy, and space utilization in partnership with HR and business leaders.
• Champion continuous improvement through the implementation of facilities technologies (e.g., CMMS, BMS, digital platforms) and process enhancements.
• Represent Facilities leadership at cross-functional meetings and support executive-level communication and reporting.
• Lead direct report(s) through annual goal setting, growth planning, adherence to company policies, maintain training compliance and provide ongoing feedback on growth, development and areas of improvement.

• Bachelor’s degree in Facilities Management, Engineering, Business, or a related field (required); advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of facilities management experience, including 8+ years of people leadership and vendor oversight in a complex, regulated environment (biotech or pharma preferred).
• Proven expertise in building operations, infrastructure planning, and lab environment support.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience with engineering design, construction, or commissioning of complex facilities; background as a General Contractor or in electrical/mechanical engineering strongly preferred.
• Technical expertise in facility systems (HVAC, BMS, CMMS, electrical, mechanical), including the ability to evaluate designs, diagnose issues, and guide corrective actions.
• Demonstrated success managing capital projects, budgets, and vendor contracts.
• Exceptional leadership and communication skills; ability to build strong relationships across technical and non-technical teams.
• Experience with strategic space planning, emergency preparedness, and sustainability initiatives.
• Comfortable navigating fast-paced, evolving organizations with a proactive and adaptable mindset.
• Proficiency in relevant facilities software and systems (e.g., CMMS, BMS, AutoCAD, digital permitting tools).

Salary Range: $ to $. Compensation for the role will depend on a number of factors,…