Associate Director Facility Operations – Maintenance Operations

About the role

The Associate Director of Facility Operations - Maintenance Operations provides strategic and operational leadership for the maintenance, repair, reliability, and lifecycle management of university facilities, infrastructure, building systems, and related campus assets. This position oversees a large, complex maintenance organization responsible for supporting academic, research, residential, athletic, administrative, and auxiliary facilities for the University of Missouri – Columbia. The role ensures that maintenance services are delivered safely, efficiently, and in alignment with the university’s mission, customer service expectations, regulatory requirements, sustainability goals, and long-term capital renewal priorities.

This position reports to the Director of Facility Operations and supervises maintenance managers, supervisors, skilled trades teams, preventive maintenance staff, and other assigned employees or contracted service providers.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage university maintenance operations, including building maintenance, preventive and predictive maintenance, corrective repairs, skilled trades, infrastructure support, and emergency response.
• Develop, implement, and evaluate maintenance programs that promote safe, reliable, efficient, and cost-effective operation of campus buildings, equipment, and infrastructure.
• Establish departmental goals, priorities, service standards, performance metrics, and accountability systems to support continuous improvement and high-quality customer service.
• Provide leadership to maintenance managers, supervisors, skilled trades personnel, and support staff, including workforce planning, coaching, training, performance management, employee engagement, and succession planning.
• Oversee the use of computerized maintenance management systems to manage work orders, preventive maintenance schedules, asset data, labor productivity, service levels, and reporting.
• Prioritize maintenance work in coordination with campus stakeholders, balancing life safety, regulatory compliance, academic and research continuity, deferred maintenance, customer needs, and available resources.
• Develop, administer, and monitor operating budgets, labor plans, material expenditures, contracted services, equipment purchases, and capital renewal priorities.
• Support long-range facilities planning by identifying infrastructure deficiencies, deferred maintenance needs, building system renewal requirements, and opportunities for operational efficiency.
• Coordinate with planning, design, construction, engineering, environmental health and safety, sustainability, procurement, finance, residential life, athletics, research, and other academic and auxiliary units on projects and operational needs.
• Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local codes, regulations, university policies, occupational safety standards, environmental requirements, and industry best practices.
• Lead emergency maintenance response before, during, and after severe weather, utility outages, equipment failures, building emergencies, campus incidents, and other operational disruptions.
• Promote a strong safety culture by ensuring proper training, work practices, hazard identification, incident review, personal protective equipment use, and compliance with safety procedures.
• Prepare reports, presentations, budget requests, operational updates, and recommendations for senior leadership regarding maintenance performance, risks, needs, and strategic priorities.
• Represent the maintenance operations unit on university committees, project teams, emergency planning groups, and cross-functional initiatives.
• Perform other related duties as assigned in support of the university’s mission and campus operations.

Requirements

• Comprehensive knowledge of building systems, skilled trades, preventive maintenance, utility infrastructure, life safety systems, codes, and facility maintenance practices.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to build trust, set expectations, develop employees, resolve conflict, and lead large multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to analyze complex operational problems, assess risk, prioritize resources, and make sound decisions in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical information clearly to nontechnical audiences.
• Ability to use data, performance metrics, asset information, and maintenance technology to improve service delivery and operational performance.
• Strong customer service orientation and ability to collaborate effectively with diverse campus stakeholders.
• Knowledge of occupational safety, environmental compliance, emergency response, procurement, contract management, and public institutional policies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience and at least 6 years of experience from which comparable knowledge and skills can be acquired.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in facilities management, engineering, construction management, business administration, public administration, architecture, industrial technology, or a related field.
• Eight or more years of progressively responsible experience in facilities maintenance, physical plant operations, infrastructure management, construction, engineering, or a closely related field.
• Five or more years of supervisory or managerial experience leading skilled trades, maintenance teams, facilities operations staff, or comparable technical workgroups.
• Demonstrated experience managing budgets, work order systems, preventive maintenance programs, service contracts, regulatory compliance, and complex facility operations.
• Equivalent combinations of education, training, certification, and experience may be considered.
• Experience in a large public university, research university, healthcare, government, institutional, or similarly complex facilities environment.
• Experience working in a unionized, civil service, or public sector environment.
• Must possess a valid driver’s license, which will allow legal operation of a motor vehicle in the State of Missouri.

Working Conditions

This position operates in both office and field environments and requires regular visits to campus buildings, mechanical rooms, utility areas, construction sites, exterior spaces, and other operational locations. May be required to respond to emergencies outside normal business hours, including evenings, weekends, holidays, severe weather events, and campus disruptions. Work may involve walking long distances, climbing stairs, accessing maintenance areas, and wearing appropriate personal protective equipment when required.

Shift: 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Monday - Friday

Pay

Salary Range: $115,000 - $125,000 annually

Benefits

This position is eligible for University benefits. The University offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Medical, dental, and vision plans
• Retirement benefits
• Paid time off
• Short- and long-term disability
• Paid parental leave
• Paid caregiver leave
• Educational fee discounts for all four UM System campuses