Director of Facilities & Campus Operations

University of Holy Cross; New Orleans (LA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Holy Cross in New Orleans, LA seeks a Director of Facilities & Campus Operations to provide strategic and hands-on leadership for safe, reliable, and welcoming campus operations.

The role leads facilities staff and external partners, develops preventive maintenance, manages budgets and contracts, and collaborates with campus leadership to support academic programs and the institution's Catholic mission.

Qualifications

• Five to eight years of facilities, building operations, or campus operations experience.
• At least three years of direct people-management experience.
• Experience with preventive maintenance, work orders, vendors, contracts, and budgets.
• Working knowledge of HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and life-safety systems.
• Strong written, verbal, interpersonal, and customer-service skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead facilities staff and external partners, set expectations, and ensure safety.
• Develop and manage preventive maintenance programs and asset records.
• Oversee budget, contracts, and supplier performance.
• Coordinate campus operations for events and seasonal needs.
• Serve as liaison to academic departments and leadership on facilities matters.

Skills

People leadership

Proactive maintenance

Operational judgment

Service orientation

Financial discipline

Mission alignment

Education

Bachelor’s degree in facilities management or related field

Tools

CMMS

Building automation systems

Energy management systems

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job Title: Director of Facilities & Campus Operations

Department: Administration / Operations

Reports To: Dr. Stanton McNeely, President

FLSA Status: Exempt

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

Role Overview

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.

Core Competencies

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

Core Responsibilities

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

Proactive Maintenance

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

Operations and Assets

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

Budget, Vendors, and Projects

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

Safety, Compliance, and Resilience

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

Campus Partnership

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

Ideal Candidate Attributes

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