Facilities & Grounds Supervisor

Facilities & Grounds Supervisor

Chamberlain - Meriden, CT 06451; Ames - Meriden, CT 06451

Overview

Position Type Full Time Job Shift Day

Description

First Shift hours

POSITION SUMMARY

The Facilities & Grounds Supervisor owns the physical property — everything that is not a production asset. Grounds and appearance, self-performed building repairs, small facilities projects, non-production building systems, and the management of defined outside contractors who come on site for facility related tasks.

This position is deliberately broad. It is distinct from Maintenance — Maintenance owns production equipment and uptime; this role owns the building, the grounds, and everything that falls between. It is hands-on daily, but it is not only hands: the person in this seat scopes work, gets competitive quotes, qualifies and controls contractors, tracks a budget, and keeps the site audit-ready and presentable to customers on any day without notice. Performance in the role determines how much facilities and capital-project responsibility it carries over time.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Broad by design. The role starts hands-on and grows into facilities ownership.

01 Grounds, Landscaping & Property Appearance

• Own the appearance of the entire property: lawns, beds, trees, mulch, edging, seasonal plantings, parking lots, sidewalks, fence lines, dumpster and trailer areas.
• Execute the annual grounds calendar in-house — mowing, trimming, spring and fall cleanup, and exterior weed and vegetation control.
• Lead winter operations: snow and ice removal for docks, lots, walkways, and emergency egress, with a documented pre-storm and post-storm checklist and on-call response.
• Maintain exterior signage, lighting, lot striping, curbs, and customer-facing entrances to a standard appropriate for a plant that hosts customers and auditors.
• Keep grounds compliant with GMP and SQF exterior requirements: no standing water, no harborage, vegetation set back from the building, waste areas controlled.

02 Building Repairs & Self-Performed Projects

• Self-perform work currently outsourced: wall patching and repair, painting, concrete and asphalt patching, masonry touch-up, door and hardware repair, ceiling tile, flooring, fixture replacement, and basic plumbing and carpentry.
• Build, modify, and install non-production items — racking, shelving, platforms, guarding, partitions, benches, signage, and office and locker-room fit-out.
• Maintain restrooms, locker rooms, break areas, offices, and the QA lab as finished spaces, not afterthoughts.
• Keep a visible punch list of open building defects with target dates; close items rather than carry them.
• Know the limits — identify work that legally or practically requires a licensed trade and hand it off with a clear, written scope.

03 Contractor & Vendor Management

• Own the contractor bench: source, qualify, and maintain approved vendors for landscaping, snow, roofing, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, boiler, paving, pest control, fire protection, and general construction.
• Scope work, obtain and compare competitive quotes, and make a documented recommendation before spend is committed under the direction of the Maintenance Director.
• Verify certificates of insurance, licensing, and vendor paperwork before any contractor enters the site.
• Control contractors on site: Sine (Digital) sign-in, GMP and allergen orientation, tool and glass/brittle-plastic control, lockout/tagout, hot-work permits, escort, and end-of-job inspection.
• Hold contractors to scope, schedule, and price; reconcile every invoice against the quote and approve only completed work.
• Reduce total outside facilities spend year over year by moving recurring work in-house and consolidating vendors.

04 Non-Production Building Systems & Assets

• Own the condition and service schedule of building systems outside production: roof, gutters and drains, dock doors and levelers, overhead and personnel doors, interior and exterior lighting, building HVAC, sanitary plumbing, sumps and floor drains, and the building envelope.
• Maintain the preventive-maintenance calendar in MaintainX for these assets in the same system Maintenance uses, so nothing falls between the two functions.
• Manage fire protection and life-safety inspections — sprinkler, extinguishers, alarms, emergency lighting, and exit signage — scheduled, documented, and current.
• Support utility and energy work: lighting retrofits, insulation, metering, and compressed-air leak surveys, with documented savings.
• Maintain a facility asset list and condition assessment; flag deferred items before they become emergencies.

05 Safety, Compliance & Audit Readiness

• Keep the site inspection-ready every day — exterior, non-production interior, and documentation — without a pre-audit scramble.
• Support SQF, customer, regulatory, and insurance inspections for all facility and grounds elements; own and close the resulting corrective actions.
• Maintain facility compliance records: fire and life safety, storm water, backflow inspection, waste and recycling, hazardous-materials storage, permits, and contractor documentation.
• Follow and enforce plant safety programs — lockout/tagout, hot work, confined space, fall protection, PPE, ladder and lift safety — for yourself, temporary labor, and contractors.
• Work with pest control on the exterior and structural conditions driving activity, and close the physical root causes.

06 Planning, Budget & Project Support

• Maintain a rolling 12-month facilities plan covering recurring services, seasonal work, planned repairs, and candidate projects.
• Own the facilities operating budget line; track actual against plan monthly and explain variance.
• Support capital planning through the plant's project framework — drive assigned tasks to completion and feed scoped, quoted projects into the gate process for approval.
• Provide accurate scopes, quotes, measurements, and drawings so capital requests are decision-ready rather than rough estimates.
• Keep site drawings, utility maps, asset locations, and service records current and accessible.

Qualifications

JOB REQUIREMENTS

Education & Experience

• High school diploma or GED required; trade school, apprenticeship, or technical certification preferred.
• 5+ years in facilities, general maintenance, grounds, or construction, including work performed independently with minimal direction.
• Demonstrated experience scoping work and directing outside contractors.
• Manufacturing, food plant, or other regulated environment strongly preferred.

Knowledge & Certifications

• Working competence across multiple trades: carpentry, drywall, paint, concrete and asphalt patch, basic plumbing, basic electrical, doors and hardware, and general repair.
• Valid Connecticut driver's license with a clean record.
• Ability to safely operate mowers and grounds equipment, skid steer, forklift, and scissor or boom lift; certification provided if not already held.
• Connecticut commercial pesticide applicator certification for turf and ornamental, or willingness to obtain within the first year.
• OSHA 10 or 30, lockout/tagout, hot work, confined space, and fall protection awareness, or ability to obtain within the first year.
• Familiarity with GMP and food-plant rules governing contractors and maintenance work; SQF exposure a plus.
• Comfortable using a phone or tablet for work orders, photos, PM records, quotes, and email.

Skills & Attributes

• Self-directed — sees what needs doing and does it without being assigned.
• Practical judgment on build-versus-buy and when a licensed trade is required.
• Holds contractors accountable without drama; will push back on price, scope, and quality.
• Organized enough to keep a list, a budget, and a record — this role is not only hands.
• Takes visible pride in how the property looks and how the building runs.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to lift 50 lbs, climb ladders, work at height, kneel, crouch, and