Housekeeping Quality and Standards Manager

University of Pennsylvania

About The Position

The Division of Facilities and Real Estate Services (FRES) provides the expertise, business process, policies and standards required to plan, design, construct, operate, maintain and renew the physical assets of the University, excluding the health system. In addition, the Division, comprised of approximately five Departments, is responsible for the strategic planning, management and operation of non-academic University property, and collaborating with the neighborhood to create a safe and economically vibrant destination. With close to 12M square feet of space, FRES maintains 186 buildings on a campus of 276 acres, completes over 60,000 maintenance requests per year, and starts approximately 250 projects a year. FRES is comprised of the following Departments: Administration, Office of the University Architect, Design and Construction, Real Estate, Operations, and Maintenance. The University of Pennsylvania is implementing a campus transformation entitled Penn Connects (http://www.pennconnects.upenn.edu). This comprehensive, award winning effort is expanding the campus over the next 20 years, including the construction of new academic research and recreational facilities. In addition, the University has secured $300M in Century Bond funding and continues to upgrade existing facilities over the coming years. https://www.facilities.upenn.edu/ The Housekeeping Quality & Standards Manager is responsible for ensuring consistent, high-quality cleanliness across all schools and centers on campus. This role conducts regular quality inspections, facilitates calibration tours, and maintains inspection data for management and key stakeholders. The manager supports hiring processes for housekeeping staff, oversees payroll auditing in collaboration with the FRES payroll team, and manages relationships with uniform and microfiber vendor. Additional responsibilities include supporting Work Force Management/Workday administrative tasks, maintaining the union seniority list, and coordinating the housekeeping recognition program. The position works closely with the Housekeeping Operations Manager and Director of Housekeeping—who oversee a workforce of more than 500 union housekeepers and 53 contracted managers responsible for over 7 million cleanable square feet—to ensure service levels meet university standards and comply with the Collective Bargaining Agreement. This role reports directly to the Housekeeping Operations Manager.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science and 3 to 5 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
5-7 years of housekeeping, property management or facilities management experience in a large setting or corporate campus, preferably an academic environment, dealing with client management, management team, and budgetary control preferred.
Demonstrated experience conducting quality inspections, developing or applying service standards, and using inspection data to drive continuous improvement.
Strong analytical and data management skills, including experience tracking, analyzing, and reporting performance and compliance metrics.
Demonstrated experience working with in-house unionized workforce and in managing service contracts is required as are excellent internal and external customer service skills.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office and enterprise systems such as Workday, workforce management systems, and inspection or CMMS platforms.
Demonstrated excellent verbal and written communication skills and demonstrated ability to manage to multiple priorities simultaneously is required.
Experience participating in or leading calibration and inspection tours with internal or external stakeholders.

Responsibilities

Conduct comprehensive quality inspections across all shifts and campus buildings to ensure housekeeping services meet established standards, safety requirements, and performance expectations.
Collect, track, and analyze inspection data to identify trends, deficiencies, and areas of excellence. Use findings to strategically focus inspections and support current housekeeping Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), driving continuous quality improvement.
Analyze inspection and performance data to assess operational effectiveness and service quality. Prepare and present clear, actionable reports to the housekeeping management team. Monitor progress toward KPIs and recommend corrective actions or process improvements based on data-driven insights.
Meet regularly with schools, departments, and campus centers to review inspection data, address concerns, and ensure service alignment with customer expectations. Attend customer meetings, facilitate inspection walk-throughs, and lead calibration exercises with management, customers, and frontline staff to ensure consistent quality standards and shared understanding of expectations.
Manage the Housekeeping Recognition Program by collecting employee nominations, validating submissions, and coordinating review meetings. Facilitate the preparation and distribution of recognition letters and awards, promoting employee engagement, morale, and a culture of excellence.
Oversee the housekeeping payroll process, including review and approval of timekeeping records. Ensure accuracy, compliance with labor policies, and timely submission of payroll information. Address discrepancies and collaborate with payroll and management teams as needed.
Maintain regular communication with the microfiber and uniform vendor to ensure service quality, inventory accuracy, and timely delivery. Address service issues, review performance, and support continuous improvement in vendor-provided services.
Provide ongoing operational support to the Director, assisting with departmental initiatives, problem-solving, and special projects. In coordination with the Director of Housekeeping and the Operations Manager, support the achievement of organizational goals, ensuring efficient operations and high-quality service delivery across the housekeeping function.
Support hiring process for UPENN Housekeeping staff.

Benefits

Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts: Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family’s health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.
Tuition: Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits. You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.
Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn’s Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.
Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family—whatever your personal needs may be.
Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you’re newly hired, you won’t have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.
Wellness and Work-life Resources: Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That’s why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.
Professional and Personal Development: Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.
University Resources: As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University’s libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There’s always something going on at Penn, whether it’s a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you’re right in the middle of the excitement—and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.
Discounts and Special Services: From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.
Flexible Work Hours: Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.
Penn Home Ownership Services: Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.
Adoption Assistance: Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.