Office Manager

About the role

We're opening a new self-managed Houston office for Gridmatic and need someone to own it end to end. This is a hands-on role for a person who likes being the reason an office runs well — the go-to for everything from a broken badge reader to a new hire's first day. You'll own our new office’s day-to-day operations for a growing team of 20 employees. Because this is our own space rather than a serviced/co-working office, you'll directly manage the vendors and systems that keep it running and set the standard going forward. You'll wear a variety of hats: mainly office manager (facilities, vendors, the physical space) with some support as an HR coordinator (onboarding, people operations, culture). You're the first friendly face people see and the person who quietly makes the office work.

Rough split of where your time goes (it flexes with what the office needs):

• 60% — Office & facilities: the day-to-day running of the space, plus sourcing and managing vendors and the office budget.
• 30% — HR coordination: onboarding, HR admin, and recruiting logistics.
• 10% — Employee experience: events, celebrations, and the in-office experience.

What you'll do

Office & facilities operations

• Own the day-to-day running of the Houston office: reception, mail and couriers, supplies, kitchen, and the general "is everything working" of the space.
• Manage building access, badges, and security systems; be the point of contact with building management.
• Keep the office safe and compliant: fire safety, first aid, emergency procedures, and health & safety basics.
• Triage and resolve facilities issues quickly, escalating the big ones and handling the rest yourself.
• Partner closely with the Facilities team in our Cupertino, CA office to align on processes and keep a high, consistent standard across both offices.

Vendors & budget

• Manage the vendors that keep a self-managed office running: cleaning, utilities, waste, catering/snacks, plants, HVAC and maintenance.
• Source, negotiate, and hold vendors accountable to their contracts and service levels.
• Own the office budget: track spend, flag variances, and find sensible ways to save.

People operations & HR coordination

• Run a great onboarding experience: equipment, accounts, desk setup, and a welcoming first day and first week for every new hire.
• Coordinate HR administration — offer paperwork, records, benefits enrollment support, and answering everyday "how does this work here" questions.
• Partner with the central People/HR team on policies, compliance, and employee questions specific to the Houston office.
• Support recruiting logistics: scheduling interviews, hosting candidates on-site, and making them feel welcome.

Employee experience

• Plan office events, team lunches, and celebrations that make people genuinely excited to come in.
• Own the in-office experience and be an early shaper of the Houston office's culture as it grows.

What you bring

Required

• 3+ years in office management, facilities, workplace experience, executive support, or a closely related operations/HR role.
• Based in or able to reliably commute to the Houston office five days a week.
• Experience directly managing vendors and/or a facilities budget (not just working within a serviced office).
• Strong organization and follow-through: you keep many small things moving without dropping them.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and sound judgment about when to handle, when to escalate, and when to keep something confidential.
• Comfort with standard workplace tools (Google Workspace or similar, plus basic HR/ticketing systems).
• Based in or able to reliably commute to the Houston office five days a week 

Bonus points

• Experience opening, moving, or standing up a new office space.
• Exposure to HR coordination, onboarding, or people operations.
• Familiarity with health & safety, building compliance, or vendor contracting.
• Interest in energy, power markets, or a fast-moving technical environment.