Director of Facilities

Company Description Hampton Roads Academy is a Pre-K3 through 12th grade independent school located in Newport News, Virginia, serving families across the Hampton Roads region. The school is known for its inclusive community that emphasizes service, compassion, and respect. HRA prepares students to excel intellectually, artistically, physically, and morally, with a strong focus on readiness for higher education and life beyond the classroom. Faculty and staff collaborate to support a well-rounded educational experience in a safe and engaging learning environment. Role Description Hampton Roads Academy seeks an experienced, proactive, and highly organized Director of Facilities to oversee the operation, maintenance, safety, and long‑term care of the school's campus and physical assets. The Director of Facilities directs, coordinates and supervises facilities, maintenance and transportation staff. This individual will provide leadership and strategic oversight to ensure that all buildings, grounds, and facilities are maintained to the highest standards, supporting a safe, welcoming, and functional environment for students, faculty, staff, and visitors. The ideal candidate will be a collaborative, hands‑on leader with strong organizational skills, technical expertise, and a commitment to maintaining and enhancing the school's physical environment. Responsibilities Hires, schedules, and supervises all building, grounds maintenance, and transportation staff at the school. Responsible for department personnel management, including performance evaluation, salary administration, training and development, and discipline. Plans and manages the staffing and workload for all custodial facilities, grounds management, and transportation staff. Oversee the daily operations, maintenance, repair, and upkeep of all school buildings, grounds, athletic facilities, and campus infrastructure. Schedules and performs regular preventive maintenance on all building systems, including MEP, roofs, finishes, safety and monitoring systems, school vehicles, and other equipment. Ensures compliance with local, state, and federal regulatory requirements, including work safety regulations. Oversees inspections of all building systems as needed for compliance (boiler, fire alarms, elevators, etc.). Ensures all safety equipment is in working order, including extinguishers, alarms, smoke detectors, panic bars, exit signs, and emergency exits. Manages responses to all facility work orders originating from building users, using established processes and develops new processes as appropriate. Develops and executes strategy for maintenance and operation of the campus. Organizes, schedules, and supervises all repair and construction projects, with sensitivity to school seasonality and operational need. Collaborates with school leadership to understand special needs and maintain quality of support to the mission (e.g., academic leaders, food service, athletics, technology, security). Provides facilities support to campus events (e.g., setups and takedowns). Selects 3rd‑party maintenance contractors and manages the fulfillment of their contract obligations, including quality control of their work. Negotiates with vendors for the best pricing and service. Oversees regular cleaning of the school, supervises day custodians, and manages contracted cleaning services. Maintains high standards for campus cleanliness, functionality, and overall appearance. Creates annual operating budget and capital renewal (PPRRSM) budget for facilities department in conjunction with CFO and with advice of the Building and Grounds Committee, and controls facilities expenditures. Maintains records for all maintenance activity. Plan and coordinate the scheduling and routing of regular bus and special event transportation programs; conduct studies of traffic conditions, pupil load and distribution; make adjustments as necessary. Plan bus routes and scheduling; assign drivers to routes and buses; coordinate with administrators regarding changes in school transportation needs. Arrange for and schedule substitute bus drivers. Communicate with personnel, parents, and the public regarding the student transportation system; provide information, respond to complaints, and resolve issues. Prepare and maintain a variety of records including average daily attendance, bus trip data, driver route assignment and other related information; operate a computer terminal and printer. Supervise bus drivers in maintaining an orderly school bus environment; assure discipline is implemented as necessary. Participate constructively in the strategic development and management of the campus (e.g. master plan, zoning compliance, utilities services, energy management). Exhibits understanding and support of the mission and goals of Hampton Roads Academy in both personal conduct and management of others. Ability to read building plans Qualifications Five years of related work experience is required, within an educational or non‑profit setting preferred . Related experience could entail construction, plant engineer, grounds management or facility management. Proven personnel management skills and contractor management experience, with aptitude to judge quality of performance in all major technical trades and personal experience in at least one technical trade (carpentry, mechanical, electrical, structural). Technology user skills sufficient to prepare reports in Excel (or Google Sheets) and Microsoft Word (Google Docs). Ability to adapt behavior to function effectively in the school’s culture, including those specific to our school’s tradition. Availability to respond to campus emergencies and time‑sensitive maintenance issues outside normal working hours. College or trade school degree or equivalent experience required, preferably in one of the following disciplines: Industrial Management, Construction Management, Civil, Mechanical or Electrical Engineering, Architecture or Turf Management. Open and collaborative management style and the ability to inspire and motivate employees through positive encouragement. Effective interpersonal, oral, and written communication and listening skills and confidence in conveying information to all types of members of the community, including teachers, administrators, trustees, parents, and students. Sense of humor. Physical Requirements and Work Environment Frequently lift equipment and materials weighing 50 pounds or more. Crawl, climb ladders, twist, turn, and reach in completing a variety of job duties. Work outside in hot or cold conditions for extended periods of time. Work in a wide variety of environments as found in all areas of the school. Salary range: $70-80K, based on skills, experience, and academic credentials; comprehensive benefits package, including tuition remission. #J-18808-Ljbffr