Lead Manager, Facilities Operations and Building Security

University of South Florida in; Tampa (FL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 82,000; Full time

Job summary

University of South Florida in Tampa seeks a Lead Manager for Facilities Operations and Building Security within the Finance portfolio. You will lead day-to-day facilities activities, ensure safety and security, and collaborate with campus partners to align with university priorities.

The role emphasizes process improvement, space planning, and coordinating with central facilities, police, EH&S, and IT; salary range is $70,000 to $82,000, with opportunities to enhance campus operations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Operations, Facilities Management, Public Safety, or related field.
• Four years of progressively responsible experience in facilities operations, security operations, administration, building operations, or related areas.
• Degree Equivalency Clause referenced (SB 1310) allowing substitution of work experience for education requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate day-to-day facilities activities across assigned buildings and spaces to ensure operational continuity and alignment with college/university priorities.
• Monitor ongoing maintenance, custodial, access, event setup, space, and building-related needs; resolve issues with campus partners.
• Serve as primary point of contact for facilities-related concerns and triage requests with timely follow-through.
• Identify recurring operational concerns and implement practical improvements to reduce disruptions.
• Drive innovation and continuous improvement in facilities operations; develop SOPs, dashboards, and service standards.
• Support space planning, capital/minor projects, and facility improvements; coordinate with central facilities and vendors.
• Lead building security coordination, access control, and risk assessment; advise leadership on improvements and procedural changes.

Skills

Leadership

Coordination

Communication

Security operations

Facilities management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Lead Manager, Facilities Operations and Building Security (Finance)

Organizational Summary:

The College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Florida is a diverse, research active community of scholars, teachers, creators, and learners who believe that ideas should live both in the classroom and in the world. We bring together the sciences, social sciences, and humanities to tackle real problems through learning that involves doing, including fieldwork on Florida's coast, work in laboratories, data focused projects, and storytelling across digital and traditional media. Our faculty are nationally recognized researchers and dedicated mentors who open doors to significant opportunities such as undergraduate research, internships, fellowships, and global experiences. We are especially proud of our vibrant humanities and social sciences, where students connect big questions to real careers through funded experiential learning and projects that engage the community. Rooted in Tampa Bay and connected to global conversations, we see our campus as a living laboratory for studying the environment, society, culture, and technology, and we invite colleagues who share this spirit of curiosity, collaboration, and innovation focused on students to join us.

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Assistant Dean, Planning, Finance, and Administration, the Lead Manager, Facilities Operations and Building Security provides advanced operational leadership for the planning, coordination, security readiness, and continuous improvement of facilities within the assigned college or administrative area. This position serves as the primary day-to-day lead for College of Arts & Sciences facilities operations, helping ensure that academic, research, administrative, and student-facing spaces remain safe, functional, secure, welcoming, and aligned with institutional priorities.

The position plays a key role in coordinating facilities-related activities, supporting operational consistency, advising on building security needs, advancing innovation, improving service delivery, and strengthening communication with campus partners. The role helps identify emerging needs, resolve complex operational issues, support space optimization, assess building security risks, and implement practices that improve efficiency, accountability, safety, sustainability, and the overall user experience.

The hiring salary range for this position is $70,000 to $82,000.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Operations, Facilities Management, Public Safety, Project Coordination, Construction Coordination, Public Administration, or related field.
• Four years of progressively responsible experience in facilities operations, security operations, administration, building operations, maintenance requests, minor projects, space needs, access needs, space planning, building security concerns, or related areas.
• Degree Equivalency Clause: Four years of direct experience for a bachelor's degree. Senate Bill 1310- The Florida Senate (https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/1310) is conditional upon meeting all employment eligibility requirements in the U.S. SB 1310: Substitution of Work Experience for Postsecondary Education Requirements A public employer may include a postsecondary degree as a baseline requirement only as an alternative to the number of years of direct experience required, not to exceed: (a) Two years of direct experience for an associate degree; (b) Four years of direct experience for a bachelor's degree; (c) Six years of direct experience for a master's degree; (d) Seven years of direct experience for a professional degree; or (e) Nine years of direct experience for a doctoral degree Related work experience may not substitute for any required licensure, certification, or registration required for the position of employment as established by the public employer and indicated in the advertised description of the position of employment. Minimum Qualifications that require a high school diploma are exempt from SB 1310.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a higher education, research, academic, healthcare, government, or similarly complex institutional environment.
• Experience coordinating with central facilities, planning, construction, safety, environmental health, university police, access control, emergency management, or campus operations teams.
• Demonstrated ability to lead work through coordination, communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and operational expertise.
• Experience conducting building assessments, identifying operational or security risks, and recommending practical solutions.
• Experience developing procedures, reports, dashboards, tracking systems, security review tools, or operational improvement processes.
• Knowledge of space planning, maintenance workflows, access control practices, safety compliance, sustainability practices, emergency preparedness, and project coordination.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively with faculty, staff, administrators, vendors, central service units, and campus safety partners.

Working at USF

With approximately 16,000 employees, the University of South Florida is one of the largest employers in the Tampa Bay area. We are dedicated to cultivating a talented, engaged and driven workforce that strives to be bold. Employees excel in USF's rich academic environment, which fosters their development and advancement. In 2025, Forbes recognized USF as one of Florida's best large employers, ranked No. 1 among the state's 12 public universities. Our first-class benefits package includes

• medical, dental and life insurance plans
• retirement plan options
• employee and dependent tuition programs
• generous leave
• hundreds of employee perks and discounts

About USF

The University of South Florida is a top-ranked research university serving approximately 50,000 students from across the globe at campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota-Manatee and USF Health. USF is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a top 50 public university and the best value in Florida. U.S. News also ranks the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine as the No. 1 medical school in Florida and in the highest tier nationwide. USF is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), a group that includes only the top 3% of universities in the U.S. With an all-time high of $738 million in research funding in 2024 and as a top 20 public university for producing U.S. patents, USF uses innovation to transform lives and shape a better future. The university generates an annual economic impact of more than $6 billion. USF's Division I athletics teams compete in the American Athletic Conference. Learn more at www.usf.edu .

Compliance and Federal Notices

This position may be subject to a Level 1 or Level 2 criminal background check.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of South Florida is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on any characteristic protected by law. The University maintains programs for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities in accordance with all applicable federal and state laws.

Applicants for USF employment are entitled to request reasonable accommodation(s) in the application process. A request is to be made at least five (5) working days prior to the time the accommodation(s) is needed. Visit the Central Human Resources ADA Accommodations webpage for more information on requesting an accommodation during the application/interview process.

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

Facilities Operations and Day-to-Day Coordination - 20%

• Lead and coordinate day-to-day facilities activities across assigned buildings and spaces to ensure operational continuity, timely response to issues, and alignment with college and university priorities.
• Monitor ongoing maintenance, custodial, access, event setup, space, and building-related needs, working with appropriate campus partners to resolve issues efficiently.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for facilities-related concerns, helping triage requests, clarify priorities, coordinate follow-through, and ensure that issues are addressed in a timely and effective manner.
• Identify recurring operational concerns and recommend solutions that reduce disruptions to academic, research, administrative, and student-facing activities.

Process Improvement, Innovation, and Operational Standards - 20%

• Drive innovation and continuous improvement in facilities operations by identifying opportunities to streamline processes, improve communication, strengthen coordination, reduce response times, and enhance service delivery across assigned facilities.
• Develop, recommend, and help implement standard operating procedures, tracking tools, reporting methods, and service expectations that promote consistency and accountability.
• Evaluate current practices and recommend new approaches that improve efficiency, transparency, sustainability, security readiness, and the overall effectiveness of facilities operations.

Space Planning and Utilization Support - 15%

• Support space planning and utilization efforts by helping assess current and future space needs, identifying opportunities for improved use of existing space, and coordinating with college leadership, academic units, and central university offices.
• Assist with space data collection, occupancy reviews, moves, relocations, and space reassignments.
• Provide operational insight and analysis to help ensure that space decisions support instructional, research, administrative, security, and strategic priorities.

Capital, Minor Projects, and Facility Improvements - 15%

• Coordinate and support minor renovation projects, facility upgrades, moves, repairs, and improvement initiatives.
• Work with central facilities, campus planning, project managers, vendors, academic departments, and administrative units to help ensure projects are completed effectively and with minimal disruption.
• Track project status, communicate updates to stakeholders, identify potential risks or delays, and help resolve operational barriers.
• Ensure that facility improvements align with accessibility, safety, security, sustainability, and university standards.

Budget, Resource, and Service Coordination - 10%

• Assist with the development, monitoring, and analysis of facilities-related budgets, including maintenance needs, minor projects, equipment, furnishings, security-related improvements, and operational expenses.
• Identify cost‑saving opportunities, resource efficiencies, and areas where recurring issues may require strategic investment.
• Support the prioritization of limited resources by providing data, operational context, risk considerations, and recommendations to college leadership.

Building Security, Access, and Risk Assessment - 10%

• Lead building security coordination efforts for assigned facilities by conducting routine assessments of physical security conditions, access control practices, building entry points, after-hours access needs, exterior and interior lighting concerns, door hardware issues, signage needs, and other factors that may affect the safety and security of building occupants.
• Advise college leadership, departments, building occupants, and campus partners on building security practices, access procedures, risk mitigation strategies, and operational improvements.
• Coordinate with University Police, Facilities Management, Environmental Health and Safety, Information Technology, access control teams, and other university offices to address security concerns, support incident follow-up, and recommend appropriate corrective actions.
• Maintain awareness of recurring security concerns and emerging risks across assigned buildings.
• Support the development of building-specific security recommendations, access review processes, emergency communication practices, and procedures that strengthen preparedness while maintaining appropriate access for academic, research, administrative, and student-facing activities.

Health, Safety, Emergency Preparedness, and Compliance - 5%

• Support health, safety, environmental, and emergency preparedness efforts across assigned facilities.
• Coordinate with Environmental Health and Safety, Facilities Management, emergency management personnel, building contacts, and department representatives to help ensure compliance with university policies and applicable regulations.
• Help identify risks, communicate safety concerns, support emergency planning activities, and assist with follow-up actions related to inspections, incidents, or facility-related compliance matters.

Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement - 5%

• Serve as a key liaison between the college or administrative unit and central university partners, including Facilities Management, Campus Planning, Environmental Health and Safety, University Police, Information Technology, academic departments, research units, and administrative offices.
• Build strong working relationships with stakeholders, promote clear communication, and help ensure that facilities and building security services are aligned with the needs of faculty, staff, students, and visitors.