Director of Plant Operations - Luxury Senior Living Community

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

The Variel at Woodland Hills | Luxury Senior Living Community

Salary: Competitive Based on Experience + Bonus Opportunity + Comprehensive Benefits

Lead the Team. Protect the Asset. Deliver an Exceptional Environment.

The Variel at Woodland Hills is seeking an experienced Director of Plant Operations to lead facilities, maintenance, housekeeping, and janitorial operations for our flagship 350-unit luxury senior living community.

Opened in 2021, The Variel is a large, sophisticated senior living environment offering Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Memory Care. With extensive resident apartments, common areas, amenities, building systems, and operational spaces, maintaining the community requires an experienced leader who understands both the technical side of building operations and the service expectations of a luxury residential environment.

We are looking for a hands-on leader who takes ownership of the physical environment, develops strong teams, anticipates problems before they become emergencies, and takes pride in maintaining a community at an exceptional standard.

If you are an experienced facilities leader who understands that great plant operations are about much more than fixing things—they are about safety, reliability, presentation, resident satisfaction, and protecting a significant physical asset—we would love to meet you.

About The Variel

We believe the later chapters of life deserve to be lived with purpose, comfort, and connection. The Variel is a modern senior living community in the heart of Woodland Hills, built on a simple conviction: exceptional senior living should offer the same warmth, quality, and attention to detail found in a luxury hotel.

Our residents are more than customers; they are our neighbors, friends, and community. Every interaction, experience, and detail matters—from the care we provide to the appearance of our building and the way we welcome residents and their families each day.

At The Variel, we value genuine hospitality, teamwork, compassion, and accountability. We treat each other the way we wish to be treated in return, and we are committed to creating an environment where our residents and our team members can thrive.

About the Location

Set at 6233 Variel Avenue in the Warner Center district of Woodland Hills , The Variel offers a vibrant setting surrounded by shopping, dining, entertainment, and the best of the West San Fernando Valley.

With Westfield Topanga, local farmers markets, parks, and everyday conveniences just minutes away, our community provides residents with a comfortable and connected lifestyle. Designed with modern living in mind, The Variel combines thoughtful amenities, inviting spaces, and exceptional service to create an environment that feels welcoming, sophisticated, and distinctly like home.

Position Summary

The Director of Plant Operations is responsible for the overall leadership and management of The Variel's physical plant and environmental services operations.

This position oversees maintenance, housekeeping, and janitorial services and is accountable for preventive maintenance, building systems, life safety, emergency preparedness, resident service requests, vendor management, regulatory compliance, department staffing, budget performance, and the overall cleanliness and physical presentation of the community.

The Director works closely with the Executive Director and community leadership team to ensure the building is safe, reliable, well-maintained, and consistently presented at the standard expected of a premier luxury senior living community.

The ideal candidate is a visible, hands-on leader who can manage a complex physical plant, develop and hold teams accountable, build strong vendor relationships, prioritize competing operational needs, and respond calmly and effectively when unexpected issues arise.

What You'll Do

Lead Plant Operations & Preventive Maintenance

• Provide overall leadership for the maintenance and physical plant operations of a 350-unit senior living community.
• Develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive preventive maintenance program for building systems, equipment, utilities, resident apartments, common areas, and grounds.
• Oversee HVAC, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, lighting, building automation, security, and other critical building systems.
• Conduct routine building inspections and proactively identify maintenance, safety, and capital needs.
• Ensure resident apartments are maintained to established standards and prepared appropriately for move-ins.
• Monitor work orders and resident service requests to ensure timely, professional resolution.
• Maintain accurate maintenance, inspection, repair, and preventive maintenance records.

Lead Housekeeping & Environmental Services

• Provide leadership and oversight for the community's housekeeping and janitorial operations.
• Ensure resident apartments, common areas, public spaces, restrooms, offices, flooring, and other areas consistently meet luxury hospitality standards.
• Establish cleaning schedules, quality standards, inspection processes, and accountability measures.
• Monitor sanitation, infection-prevention practices, chemical safety, and appropriate use of cleaning products and equipment.
• Conduct regular community walkthroughs and address cleanliness, appearance, repair, or safety concerns promptly.

Build & Develop Your Team

• Recruit, supervise, schedule, coach, and develop maintenance, housekeeping, and janitorial team members.
• Establish clear expectations for performance, productivity, professionalism, responsiveness, and resident service.
• Conduct regular team meetings, training, coaching, and performance evaluations.
• Maintain appropriate staffing and scheduling to support a large, seven-day-a-week residential operation.
• Create a culture of accountability, teamwork, safety, and pride in the community.
• Partner with Human Resources on recruiting, employee relations, performance management, training, and workforce planning.

Drive Life Safety & Regulatory Compliance

• Oversee fire and life-safety systems, emergency generators, emergency preparedness programs, and required inspections.
• Coordinate required fire drills, emergency exercises, safety training, and disaster preparedness activities.
• Maintain required permits, inspection reports, testing records, certifications, and regulatory documentation.
• Support compliance with applicable federal, state, local, OSHA, RCFE, fire/life-safety, and company requirements.
• Participate in community safety initiatives and help lead the community's Safety Committee.
• Respond appropriately to building emergencies and coordinate vendors, contractors, emergency services, and leadership as needed.

Manage Vendors, Projects & Asset Preservation

• Manage outside contractors and vendors and hold service partners accountable for quality, responsiveness, safety, and contractual performance.
• Obtain and review proposals for repairs, maintenance services, equipment replacement, and building projects.
• Partner with community and corporate leadership on capital projects and major repairs.
• Monitor the condition and useful life of major building systems and equipment.
• Identify emerging capital needs and provide recommendations before failures become emergencies.
• Protect the long-term condition, appearance, functionality, and value of the community's physical assets.

Manage Department Operations & Budget

• Develop and manage Plant Operations, housekeeping, and related departmental budgets.
• Monitor labor, supplies, repairs, contracts, utilities, and other operating expenses.
• Manage inventory, equipment, tools, repair parts, cleaning supplies, and department purchasing.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and control costs without compromising safety, quality, or resident experience.
• Maintain organized vendor contracts, warranties, service agreements, inspection records, and operational documentation.
• Participate as an active member of the community leadership team and serve as Manager on Duty as scheduled.

  Why Join The Variel?

The Variel is not simply another building to maintain. As Momentum Senior Living's flagship community, its size, amenities, resident population, and luxury service standards make Plant Operations an essential part of the overall resident experience.

This is an opportunity for an experienced facilities leader to take ownership of a significant operation, lead multiple service teams, protect a modern physical asset, and have a visible impact on the experience of hundreds of residents, families, and team members every day.

If you are a knowledgeable, hands-on facilities leader who takes pride in developing strong teams, maintaining exceptional environments, solving complex problems, and delivering outstanding service, we encourage you to apply.

Join The Variel and lead the team responsible for keeping one of Southern California's premier senior living communities safe, beautiful, reliable, and operating at its best.

Benefits

• Competitive Salary
• Bonus Opportunity
• Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance
• 401(k) with Company Match
• Paid Time Off
• Paid Holidays
• Employee Assistance Program
• Professional Development & Continuing Education
• Career Growth Opportunities
• Supportive Executive Leadership Team

Requirements:

• Minimum of five years of progressive experience in facilities management, plant operations, building engineering, maintenance, or a related field.
• Minimum of three years of leadership or supervisory experience overseeing maintenance, facilities, housekeeping, environmental services, or similar operational teams.
• Strong working knowledge of HVAC, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, building automation, fire/life-safety systems, and preventive maintenance programs.
• Experience managing vendors, contractors, service agreements, and maintenance projects.
• Experience managing departmental budgets, labor, purchasing, and operating expenses.
• Strong leadership, organizational, problem-solving, communication, and customer-service skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities within a large, active residential environment.
• Current and valid California driver's license with an acceptable driving record.
• Ability to respond to after-hours building emergencies as needed.
• Ability to work occasional evenings, weekends, and holidays based on operational needs.

Preferred

• Associate's or Bachelor's degree or equivalent technical education in Facilities Management, Engineering, Construction Management, Building Systems, or a related field.
• Experience leading plant operations within senior living, luxury hospitality, healthcare, multifamily residential, hotel/resort, or another large complex property .
• Previous responsibility for housekeeping or environmental services teams.
• Experience working within California RCFE or other regulated healthcare/residential environments.
• Experience with computerized maintenance management systems and building automation systems.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work indoors and outdoors in varying environmental conditions.
• Ability to walk and stand for extended periods throughout a large multi-unit community.
• Ability to climb ladders, bend, stoop, kneel, crouch, reach, push, and pull as necessary.
• Ability to lift and carry up to 50 pounds independently; heavier items require appropriate equipment or assistance.
• Ability to safely operate or supervise the use of hand tools, power tools, maintenance equipment, and testing devices.
• Ability to wear required personal protective equipment and safely access mechanical and building-service areas.
• Ability to respond promptly during building, safety, or operational emergencies.