Maintenance Manager - Higher Education

Aramark; West Hartford (CT); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Aramark is seeking a Maintenance Manager to lead campus facilities maintenance across a higher education environment. You will direct HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and building automation systems, manage preventive programs, and ensure safety and regulatory compliance.

Your role spans facilities from academic buildings to residences and dining spaces, partnering with campus stakeholders to optimize reliability and student comfort.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of maintenance or facilities management experience.
• 3+ years of leadership experience supervising maintenance or technical teams.
• Strong knowledge of HVAC, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and building systems.
• Experience utilizing CMMS.
• Working knowledge of building codes, safety regulations, and compliance requirements.
• Strong communication, leadership, and organizational skills.
• Valid driver's license.

Responsibilities

• Direct daily maintenance activities for campus facilities, including HVAC, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, building automation, and general building systems.
• Develop and manage preventive and predictive maintenance programs to maximize asset performance and minimize downtime.
• Prioritize and assign work orders through CMMS systems while ensuring service-level expectations are achieved.
• Oversee emergency response and corrective maintenance activities.
• Conduct facility inspections and implement corrective action plans as necessary.
• Monitor building systems performance and identify opportunities for operational improvements.
• Lead, coach, and develop a team of maintenance technicians, trades personnel, and supervisors.
• Establish performance expectations and accountability measures.
• Coordinate staffing schedules, on-call coverage, and emergency response rotations.
• Support employee training initiatives, safety programs, and technical skill development.
• Foster a culture focused on safety, customer service, and continuous improvement.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for campus facilities stakeholders.
• Build strong relationships with university leadership, faculty, residence life teams, and campus departments.
• Participate in campus planning meetings and operational reviews.
• Communicate maintenance schedules, outages, and project impacts to appropriate stakeholders.
• Respond promptly and professionally to customer concerns and service requests.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA, EPA, local building codes, and university standards.
• Maintain life-safety systems and coordinate required inspections, testing, and documentation.
• Conduct regular safety audits and corrective action reviews.
• Support environmental, health, and safety initiatives.
• Maintain compliance records and audit-ready documentation.
• Develop and manage maintenance operating budgets.
• Track labor utilization, maintenance expenditures, and key performance metrics.
• Manage inventory, tools, equipment, and material procurement.
• Coordinate vendor services and contractor management activities.
• Support capital planning and asset lifecycle management initiatives.
• Coordinate minor renovations, facility improvements, and deferred maintenance projects.
• Ensure projects are completed safely, on schedule, and within budget.
• Collaborate with campus leadership and project teams regarding facility upgrades and operational impacts.

Skills

Maintenance leadership

CMMS

HVAC systems

Budget management

Regulatory compliance

Team supervision

Communication

Tools

CMMS

Job description

Job Description

The Maintenance Manager is responsible for the leadership, planning, coordination, and execution of maintenance operations across a higher education campus. This role oversees preventive maintenance programs, corrective repairs, building systems reliability, regulatory compliance, and workforce management to ensure a safe, comfortable, and efficient environment for students, faculty, staff, and visitors. The Maintenance Manager serves as a key partner to campus stakeholders, providing operational leadership across academic buildings, residence halls, dining facilities, administrative spaces, and campus infrastructure. The ideal candidate has strong technical expertise, leadership skills, and experience managing maintenance operations within a complex institutional environment.

Job Responsibilities

Maintenance Operations

• Direct daily maintenance activities for campus facilities, including HVAC, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, building automation, and general building systems.


• Develop and manage preventive and predictive maintenance programs to maximize asset performance and minimize downtime.


• Prioritize and assign work orders through CMMS systems while ensuring service-level expectations are achieved.


• Oversee emergency response and corrective maintenance activities.


• Conduct facility inspections and implement corrective action plans as necessary.


• Monitor building systems performance and identify opportunities for operational improvements.

Team Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of maintenance technicians, trades personnel, and supervisors.


• Establish performance expectations and accountability measures.


• Coordinate staffing schedules, on-call coverage, and emergency response rotations.


• Support employee training initiatives, safety programs, and technical skill development.


• Foster a culture focused on safety, customer service, and continuous improvement.

Client & Campus Partnership

• Serve as a primary point of contact for campus facilities stakeholders.


• Build strong relationships with university leadership, faculty, residence life teams, and campus departments.


• Participate in campus planning meetings and operational reviews.


• Communicate maintenance schedules, outages, and project impacts to appropriate stakeholders.


• Respond promptly and professionally to customer concerns and service requests.

Compliance & Safety

• Ensure compliance with OSHA, EPA, local building codes, and university standards.


• Maintain life-safety systems and coordinate required inspections, testing, and documentation.


• Conduct regular safety audits and corrective action reviews.


• Support environmental, health, and safety initiatives.


• Maintain compliance records and audit-ready documentation.

Financial & Asset Management

• Develop and manage maintenance operating budgets.


• Track labor utilization, maintenance expenditures, and key performance metrics.


• Manage inventory, tools, equipment, and material procurement.


• Coordinate vendor services and contractor management activities.


• Support capital planning and asset lifecycle management initiatives.

Project Management

• Coordinate minor renovations, facility improvements, and deferred maintenance projects.


• Ensure projects are completed safely, on schedule, and within budget.


• Collaborate with campus leadership and project teams regarding facility upgrades and operational impacts.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of maintenance or facilities management experience.


• 3+ years of leadership experience supervising maintenance or technical teams.


• Strong knowledge of HVAC, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and building systems.


• Experience utilizing Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS).


• Working knowledge of building codes, safety regulations, and compliance requirements.


• Strong communication, leadership, and organizational skills.


• Valid driver's license.

About Aramark

Our Mission

Rooted in service and united by our purpose, we strive to do great things for each other, our partners, our communities, and our planet.

At Aramark, we believe that every employee should enjoy equal employment opportunity and be free to participate in all aspects of the company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, pregnancy, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military status, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by applicable law.

About Aramark

The people of Aramark proudly serve millions of guests every day through food and facilities in 15 countries around the world. Rooted in service and united by our purpose, we strive to do great things for each other, our partners, our communities, and our planet. We believe a career should develop your talents, fuel your passions, and empower your professional growth. So, no matter what you're pursuing - a new challenge, a sense of belonging, or just a great place to work - our focus is helping you reach your full potential. Learn more about working here at http://www.aramarkcareers.com or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.