Director of Facilities

Massachusetts Historical Society; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Flexible spending accounts

Paid holidays

Vacation leave

Retirement match

Job summary

The Massachusetts Historical Society seeks a Director of Facilities to oversee the 48,000 square foot Back Bay building, ensure safety, and protect collections. This on-site role manages a facilities team, vendors, and cross-department projects while maintaining building performance and emergency readiness.

Requirements include a bachelor’s degree (preferred) and 10+ years in facilities management; strong budget, scheduling, and safety experience are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree strongly preferred; associate degree or equivalent accepted.
• Minimum ten years of progressively increasing facilities management experience.
• Experience with project management, budgeting, vendor and staff supervision.
• Strong communication across departments and teams.
• Experience with computerized building management systems.

Responsibilities

• Oversee maintenance, repairs, and safe operation of the 48,000 sq ft facility.
• Lead facilities staff and manage vendor performance to ensure service quality.
• Collaborate with Collections staff on preservation-related facility needs.
• Plan and schedule work, prioritize tasks, and manage projects cross-department.

Skills

Ten+ years facilities mgmt

Project management

Budget oversight

Vendor management

Staff supervision

Collaborative communication

Maintenance basics

On-site responsiveness

Safety inspections

Education

Bachelor’s degree strongly preferred

Associate’s degree or equivalent certifications

Tools

Building management systems

Job description

The Massachusetts Historical Society, founded in 1791, is America’s oldest historical society. Located in the Back Bay of Boston, in a 48,000 square foot historically registered building, the MHS is home to priceless documents, art, and artifacts that pre-date the Revolutionary War, and which continue up to the present day.

The Director of Facilities manages and maintains the MHS facility to ensure the safety of staff, researchers, the public, and to protect the Society’s collections and environment. The Director is responsible for ensuring optimal building performance in support of the Society’s mission. The position works closely with facilities team members to assist with maintenance, repair, and general operation of the building including supervising staff and vendor performance to ensure the highest quality service and value, recommending improvements to operations, and planning and scheduling work. The position also collaborates with Collections staff on aspects of facilities management that overlap with the preservation of the Collection. The position requires the ability to manage projects, prioritize work, and solve problems collaboratively across departments.

The Society’s historically registered building is headquartered in the Back Bay of Boston, and consists of 48,000 square feet, six floors and basement, with occupancy and capital budgets to be managed by the Director.

This position is on call 24/7 for alarms, emergencies, facilities staff outages, and event coverage. The Director is the first person on the call list for alarms, emergencies, and off-hours calls, and has the responsibility to either respond or delegate the response directly, while managing all follow-up.

While the Society’s regular work week is Monday-Friday, 8:00AM-5:00PM, the building opens and closes outside of these hours and is open on Saturday. Earlier and later work hours will be required to meet the needs of the Society. Exclusive of special events, building hours include: Monday-Thursday, close at 6:00PM, Friday, close at 5:00PM, Saturday hours 8:00AM-3:00PM.

This role works on site, 100% of the time.

A full copy of the job description is available upon request. The successful candidate will possess the following skills and experience:

• Bachelor’s degree strongly preferred; Associate’s Degree or equivalent management or technical certifications and trainings accepted;
• At least ten (10) years of progressively increasing facilities management experience is required.
• Strong project management, budget oversight, vendor management, and staff supervisor
• Collaborative communication with ability to successfully manage projects that span multiple departments
• Experience managing computerized building management systems
• Experience performing basic maintenance work: carpentry/painting, plumbing, painting, minor electrical
• Residence in sufficient proximity to Boston to be able to respond onsite on a 24/7 basis to alarms and other emergencies
• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Ability to lift 25-50 pounds regularly, and 50 pounds or more with assistance from other Facilities department and/or MHS staff.
• Ability to work on site full time.
• Ability to travel throughout facility as required to conduct safety inspections, including ability to use stairs, and ability to access attic, basement, or other spaces with narrow confines. Frequent climbing, kneeling, stooping, turning, reaching, pushing, pulling, carrying, shoveling, sweeping, using a ladder, and using hand and power tools are all essential functions of this position.
• Ability to travel to and from and be present on-site during trainings or any emergency.
• Ability to conduct in-person and virtual trainings, including evacuation trainings, workplace safety training, and emergency drills

Pre-Hire Requirements

As part of its offer process, MHS will conduct a reference, education verification, and criminal background check for any finalist. We are not able to sponsor visas.

Compensation and Benefits

Annual pay: $85,000.00-$115,000.00 year, depending on experience. Full-time employees are eligible for benefits on their first day of work. The MHS offers a generous benefits package, including:

• Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance
• Medical and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• Vacation starting at three weeks plus 12–14 paid holidays per year
• Generous sick time
• Retirement benefits with an employer match of up to 4%
• Pre-tax commuter benefits and a monthly public transportation incentive
• Reciprocal entrance to local education and cultural institutions

Equal Opportunity Statement

The MHS is an equal opportunity employer committed to hiring and maintaining a workforce in accordance with Massachusetts and federal law. Applicants need not meet 100% of all job qualifications in order to be considered as candidates. Interested candidates in need of accommodation in the application process may contact our HR Director, Erika Barrie, at [e-mail] or 617-646-0581.