Commercial Cleaning Area Manager [s]

CBRE - Government & Defense; Coralville (IA); On-site; USD 72,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Well-being programs

Financial planning

Short-term incentives

Job summary

CBRE - Government & Defense is seeking an Area Manager to lead custodial operations across multiple client sites in a metropolitan region, spending significant time in the field to audit quality, coach teams, and resolve issues before they reach the client.

You will own the region’s budget and labor plan, set operating standards, supervise site leaders, and drive safety, compliance, and cost control while coordinating start-ups and transitions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 5 years of job-related experience.
• At least two years supervising staff; multi-site experience preferred.
• Valid driver’s license for daily travel between sites.
• Microsoft certifications a plus.

Responsibilities

• Supervise site supervisors and cleaning staff across locations.
• Set regional operating standards and staffing models.
• Manage regional budget, labor forecasting, and P&L.
• Conduct quality audits and drive KPI/SLAs.
• Coordinate travel and field inspections.
• Lead client meetings and resolve escalations.
• Ensure safety and compliance across locations.

Skills

Leadership

Budgeting

Staffing

Coaching

Multi-site ops

Quality audits

Safety compliance

P&L management

MS Office

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

As a CBRE, Government Services Commercial Cleaning Area Manager, you will lead custodial operations across multiple client sites within an assigned region, typically five to 10 locations in a single metropolitan area. You will set the operating standard for the region, manage the site supervisors and leads who run each location, own the region's budget and labor plan, and serve as the senior point of contact for client leadership at every site. You will spend most of your time in the field, moving between locations to audit quality, coach teams, and resolve issues before they reach the client.

Primary Job Functions

• Provide formal supervision for site supervisors, leads, and cleaning staff across assigned locations, including performance management, coaching, hiring, and onboarding.
• Establish regional operating standards, staffing models, work schedules, and task calendars, holding site leadership accountable for execution.
• Manage the regional operating budget and P&L, including labor and supply forecasting, payroll, purchase orders, and variance review.
• Maintain adequate staffing coverage across locations through workforce planning and cross-training.
• Serve as the senior point of contact for client leadership, leading meetings, addressing escalations, and supporting contractual and service-related matters.
• Conduct quality audits, monitor KPIs/SLAs, and ensure corrective actions are implemented and closed.
• Standardize processes, training, tools, and best practices across the region to ensure consistent service delivery.
• Resolve cleaning-related complaints and recurring operational issues by identifying and addressing root causes.
• Ensure safety and compliance requirements are followed across all assigned locations, including incident investigation and reporting.
• Manage regional equipment, supplies, inventory, and vendor relationships to support service delivery and cost control.
• Support new site startups, contract transitions, and scope changes, including staffing, training, and equipment mobilization.
• Lead by example and model behaviors consistent with organization values while influencing stakeholders to achieve business objectives.
• Identify and resolve complex operational issues affecting multiple sites.

What you'll need:

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree
• In lieu of a degree, a combination of experience and education will be considered

Experience

• Required: Minimum of 5 years ofjob-related experience
• Relevant experience in commercial cleaning or facilities operations, including at least two years supervising staff. Multi-site or area-level responsibilitypreferred.

License/Certification

• Required: Valid driver's license with an acceptable driving record. Required for daily travel between sites.
• Preferred: Microsoft certifications
• Any relevant certifications in maintenance, safety, or facilities operations are a plus

Working Conditions:

• Work is performed across multiple client sites within the assigned region, with regular travel between locations. Exposure to cleaning chemicals, noise, wet floors, and varying indoor and outdoor conditions. The schedule follows site operations and includes early mornings, evenings, weekends, and on-call response to emergencies or staffing gaps.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Fulfill the physical requirements associated with this role. This includes stooping, standing, walking, and climbing stairs. Must be able to lift/carry heavy loads of 50 lbs. or more.
• Experience in the areas of staffing, selection, training, development, coaching, mentoring, measuring, appraising, and rewarding performance and retention preferred.
• Ability to guide the exchange of sensitive, complicated, and difficult information, convey performance expectations and handle problems.
• Leadership skills to motivate team impact on quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of the job discipline and department.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office products. Examples include Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.
• Extensive organizational skills with a strong inquisitive mindset.

Travel Requirements

• Up to 50% local and regional travel between sites within the assigned region. A valid driver's license and reliable transportation are required.

Why CBRE

When you join CBRE, you become part of the global leader in commercial real estate services and investment that helps businesses and people thrive. We are dynamic problem solvers and forward-thinking professionals who create significant impact. Our collaborative culture is built on our shared values — respect, integrity, service and excellence — and we value the diverse perspectives, backgrounds and skillsets of our people. At CBRE, you have the opportunity to chart your own course and realize your potential. We welcome all applicants.

Disclaimer

The base salary range for this position is $72,000 - $120,000. The compensation that is offered to a successful candidate will depend on the candidate’s skills, qualifications, and experience. This position may also be eligible for a wide range of competitive benefits that can include but not limited to: medical, well-being, financial planning and short-term incentives benefits.

We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing.

Due to compliance requirements imposed by a federal contract, this position may be filled by U.S. Persons only. U.S. Persons includes: U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents, individuals granted refugee status in the U.S., and individuals granted asylum in the U.S.

This description is not intended to be an “all inclusive” list of the accountabilities of the job described. Rather, it describes the general nature of the job. In addition, some aspects of this job may change over time, according to business needs, and these changes may not be recordedimmediately.The requirementsstatedrepresent the minimum levels of knowledge,skillsand/or abilities to qualify and satisfactorily perform this job.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.