Director of Facilities

About Neurophos

The demand for new data centers and AI compute is rapidly outpacing the planet's energy capacity. Digital solutions are hitting a power wall as we approach the physical limits of traditional silicon. Conquering this bottleneck means rethinking the fundamental architecture of inference compute. The industry's current path can't meet the need, so we're taking a different approach.

Instead of traditional electronic circuits, we use silicon photonics and an active, programmable metasurface to perform matrix multiplications at the speed of light. Our optical cells are 10,000x smaller than traditional photonic components, enabling unprecedented density. By using photonics instead of electricity, our chips become more efficient as they scale. This architecture will deliver up to 100 times the energy efficiency of existing solutions while significantly improving performance for large-scale AI inference.

We’ve assembled a world-class team of industry veterans and recently raised a $110M Series A led by Gates Frontier. Participants include M12 (Microsoft’s Venture Fund), Carbon Direct Capital, Aramco Ventures, Bosch Ventures, Tectonic Ventures, Space Capital, and others.

Join us and shape the future of computing!

Location: Austin, TX. Full-time onsite position.

Reports To: Chief Financial Officer

FLSA Status: Exempt

Position Overview

Neurophos is seeking a Director of Facilities to take full ownership of the physical infrastructure and site operations of our first testing and product facility. In this role, you will be directly responsible for managing our primary production building, directing facility fit-outs, overseeing the installation and hookups of specialized equipment, and leading vendor/contractor relationships. Additionally, you will serve as the primary authority for Environmental Health & Safety and regulatory compliance across all site activities. You will build and enforce a robust safety culture while ensuring our operations remain fully compliant with OSHA, EPA, local building codes, and municipal ordinances.

Key Responsibilities

• Direct the end-to-end execution of multi-million-dollar building improvement and greenfield site expansion projects.

• Serve as the primary owner for general contractors, architectural/engineering firms, MEP contractors, and trade specialists from design review through commissioning.

• Manage facility project budgets, master schedules, permitting processes, and site delivery milestones.

• Oversee the construction, commissioning, and validation of cleanrooms, electro-optical test environments, and specialized metrology spaces.

• Manage critical utility installation and upkeep, including high-capacity utility service, dedicated high-power DC supply systems, process cooling water/chilled water loops, bulk process gases, and DI water systems.

• Manage the physical facility layout, space planning, rigging, and MEP tool hookups for high-precision capital equipment and test stations.

• Partner with equipment vendors to design and execute factory and site acceptance testing programs.

• Build, implement, and lead the site Environmental Health & Safety program, maintaining strict compliance with OSHA, EPA, local ordinances, and municipal codes.

• Establish protocols for the handling, storage, and disposal of hazardous materials.

• Oversee laser safety compliance protocols for specialized Class 4 laser test labs.

• Lead routine safety audits, emergency response planning, and regulatory permitting renewals.

• Manage facility operations, building access control, physical security, routine maintenance, and vendor SLAs.

• Implement preventive maintenance strategies for all core facility systems (HVAC, continuous power supply, backup generators, process cooling).

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive facilities management and leadership experience within high-tech hardware, semiconductor, microelectronics, optics, or advanced cleanroom manufacturing environments.

• Exposure to high-precision optical and micro-electronic packaging techniques, including free-space optical sub-assemblies, active alignment, and wafer-level integration.

• Proven track record of program managing major facilities projects and greenfield facility fit-outs with responsibility for multi-million-dollar budgets.

• Deep technical familiarity with cleanroom environments, precision HVAC, bulk N2/DI water systems, and rigorous hazardous chemical security.

• Demonstrated experience managing general contractors, MEP engineers, trades, and municipal inspection teams.

• Strong knowledge of local building codes, zoning regulations, and environmental permitting processes.

• Direct experience leading Health & Safety programs with accountability for workplace safety, hazardous chemical management, and municipal regulatory compliance.

Preferred Skills

• Professional certification in facilities management or safety.

• Experience overseeing facility requirements for laser/optics laboratories and ESD-sensitive environments.

• Familiarity with scaling facilities from initial greenfield construction to fully operational NPI/hardware validation centers.

What We Offer

This is an opportunity to play a pivotal role in an innovative startup redefining the future of AI hardware. Work on game-changing technology at the intersection of photonics and AI as part of a collaborative, brilliant team. You’ll contribute to a platform that redefines computational performance and accelerates the future of artificial intelligence. Come help us bring this transformative technology to the world.

Benefits

Join a team that invests in your future and your well-being. At Neurophos, we offer:

• 100% coverage of base health plan premiums for you and your dependents, plus HSA contributions.

• Unlimited PTO. No rigid vacation banks, just a focus on delivery.

• 401(k) matching and stock option opportunities to ensure our success is your success.

• Full suite of voluntary benefits, including Dental, Vision, Life, Hospital, Critical Illness, and Accident insurance.

• Personalized Benefits. Choose the plans that fit your life and take the cash back for those that don’t.