Director, District Operations and Maintenance

Director, District Operations and Maintenance Wayne State University is searching for an experiencedDirector, District Operations and Maintenanceat its Detroit campus location. Wayne State is a premier, public, urban research university located in the heart of Detroit, Michigan where students from all backgrounds are offered a rich, high-quality education. Our deep-rooted commitment to excellence, collaboration, integrity, diversity and inclusion creates exceptional educational opportunities which prepare students for success in a global society. Essential functions (job duties): The Director, Regional Operations and Maintenance is responsible for overseeing the maintenance, repair, and operational activities in one of two campus regions at Wayne State University. This role ensures that all facilities are safe, functional, and conducive to the educational and research environment. The Regional Director will lead a team of operations and maintenance professionals, manage budgets, and develop strategies to improve operational efficiency and sustainability. In this role you will be responsible for customer satisfaction, budget, and preventative maintenance management oversight of approximately 50% of the campus physical facilities environment, comprised of three districts. In this role, you will manage a group of direct reports consisting of three Associate Directors, 3 planning and scheduling managers, various skilled trades and operating engineers. Leadership and Management, (20%): u2022 Hire, Mentor and Supervise the management team of associate directors, managers, supervisors and planners. u2022 Develop and implement a planned and preventive maintenance culture. u2022 Develop and monitor team goals and objectives including performance evaluations and job ratings. u2022 Develop and implement technical training to enhance the skills of the overall operations team u2022 Foster a culture of safety, accountability and continuous improvement Strategic Planning, (10%): u2022 Identify and manage facility capital upgrades and improvements with a focus on reduction and elimination of deferred maintenance. u2022 Collaborate with academic, administrative and faculty departments to align facilities management with institutional goals within the area of responsibility u2022 Implement sustainability initiatives to reduce the environmental impact of campus operations Operations and Maintenance, (20%): u2022 Oversee the maintenance and repair of buildings, grounds and equipment. u2022 Ensure compliance with local, state and federal regulations including OSHA and environmental standards. u2022 Review the scope of work and perform field walk-downs to ensure a high level of safety, training and job plan compliance are met within district teams. u2022 Coach, motivate and lead teams to achieve high preventative maintenance success with the objective of 90% or greater planned scheduled compliance to weekly assignments u2022 Review and manage backlog reports - developing planned and scheduled countermeasure and recovery tasks when scheduled items are missed. u2022 Manage to our Campus Commitment metrics for response to emergency, urgent, routine and PM tasks and reporting campus wide KPIu2019s on a monthly basis. Budget and Resource Management, (20%): u2022 Working with our Business Operations Administration (BAO) Team - Prepare and manage the annual fiscal budget for facilities operations and maintenance. u2022 Track O&M costs by building, district and region, against annual budgets monthly. u2022 Monitor and approve requisitions for materials, labor and contracted services u2022 Monitor and report on expenditures, including reduction of reliance on contracted services for routine repairs and replacements. u2022 Optimize resource allocations. u2022 Prepare and present reports to senior leadership. Project Management, (5%): u2022 Partner with Design and Construction services project managers to coordinate and oversee construction, renovation and refurbishment projects. u2022 Liaise with contractors, architects and engineers. Safety and Compliance, (20%): u2022 Ensure all facilities comply with health, safety and environmental regulations and policies. u2022 Conduct regular inspections and audits to identify and mitigate risks u2022 Respond, develop and implement emergency response plans. u2022 Maintain a culture of safety first for all employees, staff, faculty and students across campus. Stakeholder Engagement, (5%): u2022 Collaborate with academic and administrative departments to understand and meet their facilityu2019s needs. u2022 Communicate effectively with stakeholders, including faculty, staff, students and external partners, u2022 Represent Facilities Planning and Management department in meetings and committees. u2022 Implement quality standards through surveys from stakeholders to create a culture of continuous improvement. Unique duties: Qualifications: EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree u2022 Minimally a bacheloru2019s degree in Facilities Management, Engineering, Business Administration or a related field OR 7-10 documented experience in a leadership role within facilities operations and maintenance. u2022 An advanced degree in business management and/or a licensed professional in mechanical, electrical or skilled trades is preferred. EXPERIENCE: Expert (established subject matter expert, 7+ years experience) u2022 Bacheloru2019s degree in Facilities Management, Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field. u2022 Minimum of 7-10 years of experience in facilities operations and maintenance, with at least 5 years in a leadership role. u2022 Strong knowledge of building systems, maintenance practices, and regulatory requirements with detailed understanding of coordination of technical field services activities in the facilities environment. u2022 Previous hands-on experience as tradesman or operating engineer working on large commercial HVAC, Boilers and Chiller systems. u2022 Ideally, trained and experienced in industrial/commercial electrical, mechanical, pneumatic, and hydraulic applications. u2022 Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills. u2022 Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment. u2022 Functional knowledge of computerized maintenance management systems (WebTMA preferred), Preferred qualifications: School/College/Division: H42 - Facilities Plan & Manage Primary department: Facilities Planning and Management Employment type: + Regular Employee + Job type: Full Time + Job category: Staff/Administrative Funding/salary information: + Compensation type: Annual Salary + Hourly rate: + Salary minimum: + Salary hire maximum: Working conditions: In general, environmentally controlled spaces and analytical office settings. Requires work in various plant conditions to develop a scope and execute field surveys. Some processes within the facility are highly reliant on machinery and other processing equipment and, as a result, noise levels may reach or exceed 85 decibels and require the use of hearing protection for most of the work shift. Outside temperature ranging from below freezing to exceed 100 degrees based on the season. May also have exposure to inclement weather conditions including, but not limited to, rain and wind. Job openings: + Number of openings: 1 + Reposted position: No + Reposted reason: Supercedes Previous Requisition + Prior posting/requisition number: req2485 Background check requirements: University policy requires certain persons who are offered employment to undergo a background check, including a criminal history check, before starting work. If you are offered employment, the university will inform you if a background check is required. The university welcomes applications from persons with disabilities and veterans. Wayne State is an equal opportunity employer.

Created: 2026-04-04