Assistant Facilities Director

University of Wisconsin; Madison (WI); On-site; USD 67,000 - 81,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Wisconsin–Madison is seeking a Facilities Manager to lead building operations with hands-on troubleshooting and maintenance. The role requires coordinating preventive programs, safety compliance, and emergency response while overseeing a team of facilities staff.

This 100% FTE position emphasizes leadership, collaboration with researchers and campus partners, and a proactive approach to maintaining critical infrastructure.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of progressively responsible experience in facilities management or related trades.
• Ability to communicate effectively with diverse stakeholder groups in a complex environment.
• Familiarity with environmental health and safety, ADA accessibility, and fire/life safety.
• Hands-on work including troubleshooting, inspections and routine maintenance.

Responsibilities

• Minimizes institutional liability regarding regulatory compliance and environmental protection.
• Ensures staff performance meets university standards and expectations.
• Responds to facility emergencies and urgent issues outside normal hours.
• Prioritizes mechanical/electrical services and administers preventive maintenance.
• Coordinates or supervises emergency and routine maintenance campus-wide.
• Coaches and develops facilities staff, promoting teamwork and accountability.
• Maintains protection systems, power, and safety equipment per standards.
• Works with procurement on bid specs and vendor estimates for projects.
• Builds strong relationships with faculty, staff, researchers, and partners.

Skills

Facilities management

Regulatory compliance

Hands-on maintenance

Communication

Education

High School Diploma (Required)

Associates Degree (Preferred)

Job description

Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process.

Job Category:

Academic Staff

Employment Type:

Regular

Job Profile:

Facilities Manager

Job Summary:

This is a working management position that requires both administrative leadership and active participation in facility operations. The incumbent is expected to perform hands‑on troubleshooting, repairs, inspections, and maintenance activities as needed. Duties may include the use of hand tools, power tools, testing equipment, ladders, and other maintenance‑related equipment while supporting building operations, project execution, and emergency response activities.

This position will be 100% FTE (40 hours per week).

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Minimizes institutional liability regarding the university's compliance with federal regulations and regulations governing environmental protection, the handling of hazardous materials and hazardous waste, and the use of chemical substances and materials (15%)

• Ensures that the work performance of employees in the area of responsibility and maintenance zones or sections as a whole meet university standards and expectations (10%)

• Be available to respond to facility emergencies and urgent operational issues outside of normal business hours (5%)

• Establishes priorities for scheduled mechanical and electrical services within the area of responsibility, administering preventive maintenance programs for facilities, inspecting facilities to determine repair or replacement needs, and supervising the performance of emergency and routine maintenance on campus facilities within the area of responsibility (15%)

• Coordinates and sometimes directly supervises the performance of emergency and routine maintenance on campus facilities (10%)

• Provide coaching, mentoring, and professional development to facilities staff while promoting a culture of teamwork, accountability, and customer service (5%)

• Ensures all protection systems such as fire panels, smoke/heat detectors, sprinkler systems, and pumps are maintained in accordance with the regulatory requirements and industry standards and ensures all emergency generators/power systems, rigging systems, and elevators are properly maintained in accordance with industry standards and are operational at all times (15%)

• Works with procurement services and planning, design and construction as appropriate in developing bid specifications and contract documents for contract work to be performed, obtaining, reviewing, and analyzing estimates from reputable vendors, and preparing the bid tabulation sheets and associated paperwork to support the request (15%)

• Serve as an approachable, visible facilities leader who builds strong relationships with faculty, staff, researchers, clinicians, and campus partners. (10%)

Department:

SVM Administration, Facility Services

Compensation:

The minimum salary for the position is $74,000 annually. Compensation will be based on qualifications and experience.

Required Qualifications:

• 3-5 years of progressively responsible experience in facilities management, building operations, maintenance, construction management, or related trades
• Ability to communicate effectively with diverse stakeholder groups and respond to operational issues in a complex research and academic environment
• Familiarity with regulatory compliance requirements, including environmental health and safety, ADA accessibility, and fire/life safety standards
• Demonstrated ability and willingness to perform hands‑on facilities work, including troubleshooting mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and building systems; operating hand and power tools; conducting inspections; and assisting with maintenance and repair activities in support of departmental operations

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in higher education, healthcare, research facilities, veterinary facilities, laboratory environments, or other complex institutional settings

Education:

High School Diploma (Required)

Associates Degree (Preferred)

Additional Information:

This position has been identified as a position of trust that includes access to property.The selected candidate will be required to pass an initial criminal background check to be eligible for employment and then every four years thereafter.

Please note that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without the need of employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment.

Contact Information:

For questions regarding the application process, please contact Anne Kaldunski, HR Coordinator, [e-mail]. For questions regarding the position, please contact Mark Thomas, Facilities Director, [e-mail]

Institutional Statement on Diversity:

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW‑Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin‑Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

The University of Wisconsin‑Madison is an Equal OpportunityEmployer.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgroundsand encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.

To request a disability or pregnancy‑related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre‑employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR)in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment.

The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on‑campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW‑Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department.