Facilities Assistant Director (Temporary/Temp to Perm)

Centers•Washington, DC

About The Position

The Assistant Director of Facilities Management is a leadership position responsible for stabilizing day-to-day Facilities maintenance and Work Control operations and restoring consistent supervision, accountability, and service quality across all operational units. This position serves as a primary operational leader supporting the Senior Director, with a focus on execution, discipline, and adherence to established standards. This position is established as an one-year appointment to stabilize, assess, and transform the Facilities Management department of a public university located in Maryland. Over the course of the appointment, the Assistant Director will: Stabilize daily Facilities maintenance operations and ensure reliable service delivery Improve supervisory oversight and frontline accountability Enforce standards, expectations, and operating discipline Clarify operational boundaries between Facilities units Strengthen work order management, execution, quality control, and responsiveness Individuals hired to this position may be eligible for the permanent position should the role convert to a regular appointment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Facility management or closely related field required.
Minimum 5 years of facility maintenance, preferably in large, multi-use or institutional setting.
Progressive experience with staff supervision
Knowledge of standard practices and demonstrated experience in higher education operations including facilities maintenance, grounds maintenance, construction, etc.
Knowledge of pertinent federal, state, and local laws, codes and regulations.
Experience with budgeting, project estimating, construction oversight.
Proven track record of developing and maintaining strong, lasting relationships with relevant stakeholders.
Proven ability to develop and achieve financial plans.
Ability to motivate and lead employees and hold them accountable.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated ability to lead effectively within collective bargaining frameworks preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide direct oversight of daily Facilities maintenance operations, including general maintenance, MEP/skilled trades, grounds, and Work Control functions.
Serve as the primary operational point of contact for supervisors and frontline teams.
Monitor workload, staffing coverage, and service responsiveness to ensure consistent performance.
Address operational issues in real time and escalate risks or resource constraints as needed.
Enforce established policies, protocols, and service expectations consistently across all units.
Ensure supervisors are actively managing staff performance, attendance, work quality, and productivity.
Reinforce expectations for documentation, verification, and close-out of completed work.
Address performance gaps promptly through coaching, corrective action, or escalation.
Clarifying supervisory roles and expectations
Ensuring supervisors are present, engaged, and accountable for outcomes
Developing feedback loops and establishing routine check-ins with direct reports
Improve quality control by requiring verification of completed work and effectiveness of service delivery.
Monitor repeat work orders, rework, and unresolved issues to identify systemic problems.
Establish and enforce clear operational boundaries between Facilities units, including:
Ownership of preventive maintenance versus reactive work
Defined roles for Work Control versus supervisors and field technicians in administering and managing work orders
Clear guidelines for when complex work escalates from general maintenance to skilled trades specialists
Work with the Interim Senior Director to formalize these boundaries into documented operating procedures.
Oversee daily work order execution and ensure compliance with system requirements (MicroMain).
Ensure:
Work orders are properly triaged, assigned, and updated
Labor hours and materials are accurately captured
Work orders are not closed without verification
Collaborate with Work Control leadership to improve routing accuracy and customer follow-up.
Conduct a demand analysis of work orders, classroom activity, evening events, and campus usage cycles to identify where service gaps occur under the current single-shift model.
Improve communication loops between internal staff and vendors so that work orders, maintenance activities, and preventive routines are coordinated and visible.
Build a structured cost-analysis framework that links labor hours, material usage, vendor spend, and work order demand to operational outputs.
Monitor maintenance and service contracts to ensure scope, performance, and accountability expectations are met.
Support preventive maintenance planning and efforts to reduce deferred maintenance backlog.
Conduct a shop-by-shop area assessment to identify gaps in layout, safety, workflow design, and storage capacity.
Engage in deliberate and immediate learning of existing departmental policies, procedures, and institutional practices.
Identify operational inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and risks during the interim period.
Provide actionable recommendations to the Interim Senior Director based on observed conditions and performance data.