Director Plant Operations

Querencia; Texas; On-site; USD 92,000 - 127,000; Full time

Job summary

Lifespace Communities is seeking a Director of Plant Operations in Austin, TX. You will lead maintenance operations across residential areas, health center, and common spaces, directing renovations and managing budgets to deliver safe, welcoming environments for residents.

The role emphasizes team leadership, vendor management, and rigorous cost control, with a focus on safety, compliance, and resident-focused service in a multi-building senior living community.

Qualifications

• Experience leading plant operations, facilities management, engineering, or maintenance in multi-building environments.
• Strong budgeting, forecasting, and cost-control capabilities.
• Experience managing vendors/contractors and coordinating with safety and compliance teams.
• Solid technical knowledge of building systems: HVAC, electrical, plumbing, life safety.

Responsibilities

• Lead preventative maintenance programs for residential areas, health center, and common spaces.
• Own operating and capital budgets; build annual plans; participate in monthly reviews.
• Direct renovations and unit turnover from scope to handover, including timelines and contracts.
• Source and manage vendors; solicit bids and enforce high safety and quality standards.
• Ensure compliance and readiness for surveys under applicable codes.
• Address resident and apartment requests promptly and courteously.
• Oversee safety, emergency preparedness, and staff training; keep emergency plans current.
• Build and mentor a capable plant operations team with clear structure and accountability.
• Engage with the community by joining resident, quality, and safety conversations.

Skills

Facilities management

Budgeting

Vendor management

Building systems knowledge

Life safety

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering, facilities management, or related field

Tools

TELS

Life Safety Code knowledge

Job description

Community: Querencia at Barton Creek

Address: 2500 Barton Creek Blvd Austin, Texas 78735

Pay Range

$92,100.00-$126,800.00+ Annual

At Lifespace Communities, exceptional senior living starts with exceptional operations. As our Director of Plant Operations, you'll do more than oversee buildings, you'll create safe, welcoming, and beautifully maintained environments where residents can thrive, and team members can do their best work every day. This is an opportunity for a collaborative, hands-on leader who enjoys solving complex challenges, leading high-performing teams, and making a visible impact across an entire community. Whether your background comes from senior living, healthcare, hospitality, commercial facilities, or another complex facilities environment, if you're passionate about operational excellence, building strong teams, and delivering outstanding customer service, we want to meet you.

What your days look like

• Running the preventative maintenance program that keeps our residential areas, health center, common spaces, and all the systems behind them in great shape.
• Owning your operating and capital budgets: building the annual plan, forecasting, controlling costs, and sitting at the table for monthly reviews.
• Directing renovations and units turn from start to finish, including scope, timeline, budget, contractors and seeing them across the line.
• Bringing in and managing the right vendors: collecting bids, choosing partners, and holding everyone to a high standard for safety, quality, and schedule.
• Keeping us compliant, certified, and survey-ready year-round under all applicable codes.
• Making sure resident and apartment requests are handled promptly, courteously, and with a smile through TELS.
• Leading your team’s safety, emergency preparedness, and required training, and keeping our emergency plans sharp and practiced.
• Building and mentoring a plant operations team people are proud to be part of with clear structure, real standards, and shared accountability.
• Being present in the community: joining resident, quality, and safety conversations that touch your department.

What you bring

Experience leading plant operations, facilities management, engineering, or maintenance within healthcare, senior living, hospitality, commercial real estate, or other complex multi-building environments. Experience leading facilities or plant operations, including supervising maintenance teams and managing outside vendors and contractors. Real technical range across building systems and trades, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, carpentry, life safety, plus solid construction and renovation project-management chops. A head for numbers, budgeting, capital planning, and disciplined cost control. A genuine, resident-first spirit and responsiveness to match. Experience in a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF), and knowledge of Life Safety Code and regulatory survey requirements; preferred but not required. Valid driver's license and the ability to travel as needed.

Join a mission-driven organization where your leadership is valued, your expertise makes a difference, and your career has room to grow. Lifespace has successfully served older adults for 50 years, and this is just the beginning. With new opportunities, continued growth, and the support from your Lifespace team members, get ready to ignite your life and experience Our Space.

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Lifespace Communities, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is one of the nation’s largest nonprofit senior living organizations. For over 50 years, we have been dedicated to creating vibrant communities across the country where older adults are empowered to live their aspirations with purpose, independence, and peace of mind. Driven by a commitment to exceptional service, innovation, and meaningful connections, our team members work together to enrich the lives of our residents every day. At Lifespace, you’ll find more than a career, you’ll find an opportunity to make a lasting impact while growing professionally in a collaborative, mission-driven organization.

Equal Opportunity Employer To learn more about how our communities serve our residents, please visit lifespacecommunities.com