Director of Facilities & Campus Operations

Job Description

Job Title: Director of Facilities & Campus Operations  

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Department: Administration / Operations  

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Reports To: Dr. Stanton McNeely, President  

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FLSA Status: Exempt  

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Location: On-site - University of Holy Cross, 4123 Woodland Drive, New Orleans, Louisiana 70131

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Role Overview

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The Director of Facilities & Campus Operations provides strategic and hands-on leadership for the safe, reliable, attractive, and efficient operation of the University of Holy Cross campus. The Director leads facilities personnel and external service partners while building a proactive, service-oriented facilities program that anticipates needs, protects institutional assets, and supports the University’s academic mission and Catholic values.

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Core Competencies

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• Proactive stewardship-  Notices emerging needs, acts early, and uses inspections and data to prevent service failures rather than merely responding to them.
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• People leadership - Builds trust, develops staff capability, sets clear expectations, and holds the team accountable with fairness and consistency.
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• Operational judgment- Balances safety, urgency, cost, campus impact, and long-term asset condition when establishing priorities.
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• Service orientation- Communicates respectfully, follows through, and treats facilities work as a direct contributor to the student and employee experience.
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• Financial discipline - Makes resource-conscious decisions, manages contracts carefully, and distinguishes immediate repairs from strategic capital needs.
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• Mission alignment- Demonstrates respect for the University’s Catholic identity and supports a welcoming, community-centered campus environment.
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Core Responsibilities

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Facilities Leadership

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• Lead, coach, schedule, evaluate, and develop facilities, maintenance, grounds, custodial, and other assigned operations staff.
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• Establish clear performance expectations, safety practices, work standards, communication routines, and accountability for staff and contractors.
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• Foster a collaborative, service-minded team culture that treats faculty, staff, students, visitors, and vendors with professionalism and respect.
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• Assess staffing, skill, coverage, and training needs; participate in recruitment, onboarding, performance management, and succession planning.
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• Maintain a regular, visible presence throughout campus and model a proactive, solutions-oriented approach to facilities service.
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Proactive Maintenance

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• Develop, implement, and continuously improve a preventive and predictive maintenance program for campus buildings, grounds, utility systems, equipment, and life-safety systems.
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• Conduct routine campus and building inspections to identify deferred maintenance, safety hazards, operational risks, appearance issues, and repair needs before they become urgent.
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• Establish work-order priorities, service-level expectations, tracking practices, and follow-up procedures that improve response time and stakeholder communication.
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• Maintain accurate records for maintenance history, warranties, inspections, equipment inventories, asset condition, and planned replacements.
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• Use a computerized maintenance management system or similar tools to track work, analyze trends, plan labor and materials, and report on outcomes.
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Operations and Assets

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• Direct the maintenance, repair, and operational oversight of campus buildings, building systems, grounds, walkways, parking areas, furnishings, and related equipment.
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• Oversee HVAC, electrical, plumbing, roofing, building envelope, fire/life-safety, access, and other critical systems through internal staff and qualified contractors.
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• Coordinate seasonal, weather-related, and special-event preparation, including readiness for classes, campus gatherings, public events, and holidays.
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• Partner with campus leaders to support space utilization, furniture needs, office and classroom moves, minor renovations, and operational logistics.
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• Maintain attractive, safe, accessible, and welcoming campus conditions that reflect institutional standards and community pride.
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Budget, Vendors, and Projects

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• Prepare and manage the annual facilities operating budget, including labor, supplies, utilities, maintenance contracts, equipment, and contingency needs.
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• Develop multi-year forecasts for deferred maintenance, equipment replacement, capital renewal, and campus improvement priorities.
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• Source, evaluate, negotiate, and manage vendors and service contracts; ensure work is competitively procured when appropriate, properly documented, completed to standard, and within budget.
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• Develop scopes of work, specifications, bid materials, and cost estimates in collaboration with Finance, Procurement, and external technical resources.
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• Lead or coordinate small to mid-sized renovation, repair, renewal, and capital projects from planning through closeout.
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• Monitor contractor performance, site safety, workmanship, schedule, insurance, warranties, and final documentation.
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Safety, Compliance, and Resilience

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• Maintain compliance with applicable building, fire, environmental, occupational safety, accessibility, and public-health requirements.
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• Oversee routine testing, inspection, recordkeeping, and corrective action for applicable life-safety systems and facilities-related compliance obligations.
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• Partner with University leadership, security, risk management, and emergency-response stakeholders to maintain and improve emergency preparedness, business continuity, and incident-response plans.
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• Establish facilities readiness plans for hurricanes, severe weather, flooding, utility disruptions, and other events relevant to the New Orleans area.
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• Promote safe work practices, including appropriate training, personal protective equipment, contractor safety expectations, and incident reporting.
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• Identify energy-conservation, water-efficiency, waste-reduction, and sustainability opportunities that reduce operating cost and strengthen campus stewardship.
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• Comparable facilities roles assign accountability for life-safety systems, regulatory compliance, emergency planning, environmental practices, energy management, and continuity planning.[5]
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Campus Partnership

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• Serve as the primary facilities liaison to academic departments, student-facing offices, events, administrative departments, and senior leadership.
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• Communicate facilities priorities, planned disruptions, project status, emergency updates, and service expectations clearly and promptly.
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• Translate technical issues into practical recommendations that enable leadership to make informed operational and financial decisions.
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• Develop key performance indicators and regular reports covering work-order performance, preventive-maintenance completion, asset condition, budget performance, project status, and customer service.
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• Perform other related duties consistent with the needs of a small, mission-driven university.
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Ideal Candidate Attributes

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• Bachelor’s degree in facilities management, construction management, engineering, business, operations, or a related field; relevant combination of education, technical training, and progressively responsible experience may be considered.
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• Five to eight years of progressively responsible facilities, building operations, maintenance, construction, or campus operations experience.
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• At least three years of direct people-management experience, including supervision of maintenance, custodial, grounds, operations, or skilled-trades personnel.
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• Demonstrated experience managing preventive maintenance, work orders, vendors, contracts, budgets, and operational projects.
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• Working knowledge of building systems, including HVAC, plumbing, electrical, fire/life-safety, building envelope, and grounds operations.
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• Demonstrated ability to inspect facilities, identify risks and deficiencies, prioritize work, and make sound operational decisions.
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• Strong written, verbal, interpersonal, organizational, and customer-service skills.
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• Ability to respond to after-hours emergencies and support weather or other campus emergency operations as needed.
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• Experience in education, healthcare, hospitality, or another multi-building, customer-facing environment.
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• Familiarity with CMMS, building automation systems, energy management systems, and Microsoft Office or comparable business tools.
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• Experience with Louisiana building, fire, safety, accessibility, and environmental requirements.
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• Relevant professional credential, such as Certified Facility Manager, Facilities Management Professional, Project Management Professional, or trade licensure/certification.
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