Facilities Manager (Public Works)

City of Palo Alto; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 127,000 - 191,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Attractive benefits

Job summary

The City of Palo Alto seeks an experienced Facilities Manager to lead a comprehensive municipal facilities program. Reporting to the Assistant Director of Public Works for Public Services, this role provides strategic leadership for operations, contract maintenance, and capital maintenance planning across the City.

The Facilities Manager will balance daily issues with long-term planning, manage a team of about 16 staff and a network of contractors, and partner with departments and Engineering

Qualifications

• Experience leading a municipal facilities program is preferred.
• Strong knowledge of building systems and contract management.
• Proven ability to translate needs into budgets and scopes.

Responsibilities

• Lead facilities operations, contract maintenance, and capital maintenance planning for City buildings.
• Manage day-to-day issues, contractor network, and service delivery across City departments.
• Collaborate with Engineering Services to prioritize larger facility investments and energy projects.

Job description

The City

Incorporated over 125 years ago with a staff of 1,110 full-time employees, an adopted budget of $1.03 Billion (2026), and is headed by City Manager Ed Shikada. The government of the City of Palo Alto exists to promote and sustain a superior quality of life in Palo Alto. In partnership with the community, their goal is to deliver cost-effective services in a personal, responsive, and innovative manner.

Values

• Quality: Superior delivery of services
• Courtesy: Providing service with respect and concern
• Efficiency: Productive, effective use of resources
• Integrity: Straight-forward, honest, and fair relations
• Innovation: Excellence in creative thought and implementation.

The city operates five libraries, 4,000+ acres of parks, preserves, and open spaces, a junior museum and zoo, an art center, three large community centers, a Municipal Golf Course, and 471 miles of streets, reflecting its community-oriented ethos. The city is governed by a seven-member elected City Council and an appointed City Manager.

The Department

The Public Works Department’s Public Services Division supports the reliable delivery of essential City services. Within the division, the Facilities team is responsible for the operation, maintenance, repair, security, and improvement of a diverse portfolio that includes public safety facilities, libraries, community and recreation centers, administrative offices, and other buildings supporting essential operations.

The Facilities Manager leads a facilities operations team of approximately 16 employees and directly oversees a Project Manager and an Engineering Technician. An extensive network of contractors and consultants supplements the team with specialized expertise in maintenance, inspections, building systems, and project delivery.

About the Position

The City of Palo Alto seeks an experienced Facilities Manager to lead a comprehensive municipal facilities program. Reporting to the Assistant Director of Public Works for Public Services, this position provides strategic leadership for facilities operations, contract maintenance, capital maintenance planning, and service delivery across the City.

The Facilities Manager will balance a demanding flow of day-to-day issues and contract activity with a broader, forward-looking approach to the City’s facilities portfolio. The position leads a talented team, manages an extensive contractor network, serves as a key Public Works partner to City departments, and works closely with the Engineering Services Division to plan and prioritize larger facility investments.

This opportunity calls for a leader who understands facilities operations and building systems, communicates well across departments, and can translate operational needs into sound priorities and long-term plans. The ability to connect maintenance, capital planning, energy performance, and the City’s Sustainability and Climate Action Plan (S/CAP) goals will be especially valuable.

The Ideal Candidate

Palo Alto seeks a practical, credible facilities leader who can manage immediate operational demands while elevating the program’s strategic focus. The ideal candidate will combine broad technical knowledge with well-developed people, contract, and project management skills and understand how to translate facility needs into sound budgets, scopes, contracts, schedules, and decisions.

The successful candidate will be visible, calm, collaborative, and comfortable serving as a key representative of Public Works across the organization. This individual will communicate clearly, set expectations, support and develop employees, create opportunities for internal growth, address performance issues directly and fairly, and earn trust across departments. Sound judgment, follow-through, and organizational awareness will be essential.

This role is well suited to someone who can move comfortably between day-to-day service priorities and long-term facilities planning. The next Facilities Manager will provide clear direction, strengthen coordination among staff, contractors, departments, and Engineering Services, and bring genuine interest to energy performance, electrification, and other forward-looking City goals.

• Salary range for this position is $127,150 to $190,736 annually.
• Salary supplemented by attractive benefits.
• First review of applications will be on Monday, November 30, 2026.
• The City of Palo Alto reserves the right to close this posting once a sufficient number of applications have been received.