Executive Director, Facilities & Campus Operations

Harvard University; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous paid time off

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Retirement plans with university match

Tuition assistance

Commuter benefits

Job summary

Harvard University seeks an Executive Director of Facilities and Campus Operations to provide strategic and operational leadership for HMS and associated facilities, overseeing millions of square feet of space and a large, diverse team.

The role reports to the Chief Campus Planning and Facilities Officer and shapes planning, maintenance, renewal, and sustainability programs to support teaching, research, and clinical environments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience in facilities management, engineering, business administration, operations management, public administration, or a related field.
• Ten or more years of progressively responsible experience in facilities management, campus or building operations, facilities engineering, or a related field.
• At least five years of experience in a supervisory or management capacity.

Responsibilities

• Oversee operation, maintenance, repair, and stewardship of buildings, utilities, grounds, custodial and housekeeping services, landscaping, snow removal, engineering systems, and infrastructure.
• Establish operational priorities, service standards, procedures, and performance expectations promoting safe, reliable, and efficient services.
• Monitor building, infrastructure, and system condition and performance; identify and prioritize operational, maintenance, renewal, and urgent infrastructure needs based on failure risk, life-safety impact, and system redundancy.
• Coordinate responses to facility issues and disruptions, balancing safety, continuity, priorities, and resources.
• Identify and implement opportunities to improve operational effectiveness, service quality, maintenance, and service delivery.
• Develop short- and long-range facilities plans aligned with HMS and HSDM missions.
• Assess conditions and recommend capital renewal, deferred maintenance, system upgrades, and other investments; sequence priorities against available budgets.
• Maintain understanding of critical infrastructure conditions and redundancies to inform renewal decisions.
• Lead facilities energy management, including procurement, utility optimization, conservation, and efficiency; sustainability programs related to greenhouse gas reduction, recycling, transportation, and operations.
• Oversee emergency preparedness, disaster response, life-safety systems, and continuity planning.
• Ensure compliance with safety standards, building, regulatory, and institutional requirements; monitor risks, implement corrective actions and continuous improvement.
• Oversee relationships with vendors, contractors, consultants, and service providers, including performance, quality, costs, and compliance.
• Negotiate, administer, and evaluate contracts and service agreements; establish performance, quality assurance, invoice review, and issue-resolution.
• Develop and manage operating and capital budgets with the CCPFO and institutional partners; analyze expenditures, forecasts, costs, and performance to support resource allocation and financial stewardship.
• Lead facilities management software, technology platforms, reporting tools, and operational systems; use data, KPIs, and dashboards for planning and decision-making.
• Lead and direct Facilities, establishing goals, priorities, policies, procedures, and expectations; supervise, develop, mentor, and evaluate direct reports and staff.
• Allocate resources; foster a collaborative, accountable, service-oriented environment.
• Champion continuous improvement through innovation, industry benchmarking, and evaluation of processes, systems, and services to drive efficiency, quality, and value.
• Serve as primary facilities liaison; maintain relationships with MATEP, leadership, faculty, administrators, staff, tenants, committees, affiliates, vendors, contractors, government agencies, and external partners.
• Engage faculty and leadership to understand and incorporate needs into planning and decisions; communicate priorities, project status, issues, and resource considerations
• Represent Facilities in institutional committees, meetings, planning activities, and cross-functional initiatives; address complex operational and stakeholder matters

Skills

Strategic leadership

Stakeholder management

Project management

Negotiation

Data-driven decisions

Education

Master's degree preferred

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Facilities management software

Energy management systems

Job description

Harvard University seeks an Executive Director of Facilities and Campus Operations to provide strategic and operational leadership for HMS and associated facilities, overseeing millions of square feet of space and a large, diverse team.

The role reports to the Chief Campus Planning and Facilities Officer and shapes planning, maintenance, renewal, and sustainability programs to support teaching, research, and clinical environments.