Showroom Director

About the role

This is the general-manager role for a physical venue that has never quite existed before. You will be the first senior hire and the person accountable for whether the building works: whether suppliers renew, whether engineers keep coming back, and whether the floor stays useful rather than becoming a showroom nobody visits.

You will inherit a fitted building, a founding cohort of exhibitors and a small team, and a great deal of latitude about how the place actually runs day to day.

What you'll do

• Own the P&L: occupancy, renewals, placement rates and the operating budget.
• Lead the on-floor team — technical leads, member experience, events and reception.
• Own senior exhibitor relationships, from founding-cohort negotiation through renewal.
• Decide the floor plan: which categories get how much space, and when an aisle is too crowded.
• Set the standard for the introductions our staff make — the thing the whole model rests on.
• Work with the founders on expansion: second floors, second cities, second formats.

What we're looking for

• You have run a physical commercial operation — a showroom, a trade venue, a large retail or distribution site, a manufacturing facility or a conference business.
• You are comfortable with industrial components. You do not need to be an engineer, but you should be able to hold a conversation about lead times and second-sourcing without bluffing.
• You have carried a commercial number and hit it.
• You have hired, trained and kept a small operating team.
• You are in the Bay Area or moving here. This job is not remote in any sense.

Nice to have

• Mandarin, Japanese, Korean or German.
• Experience with Asian manufacturing supply chains.
• You have opened something new rather than inherited something running.

Compensation

$165,000 – $210,000 + equity. The range is real and we will pay within it based on what you bring, not on what you earned before. Early hires also receive equity, explained with the maths shown. Medical, dental and vision are covered for you and your dependants.

The honest caveats

The building opens in 2027. Until then this job involves more planning, recruiting and spreadsheet work than floor work, and the floor work is the fun part. We are a small team, so job descriptions are indicative rather than exhaustive. And it is genuinely on-site — if you need remote flexibility, this role will make you unhappy.