Associate Vice President of Facilities Services

About the role

The University of Chicago is seeking an Associate Vice President of Facilities Services to provide strategic direction and visionary planning for the stewardship of the University’s 217-acre campus, comprised of 170 buildings and 18 million gross square feet, as well as other domestic and international sites.

Responsibilities

• Set and execute a comprehensive, visionary strategic plan for Facilities Services, aligning stewardship, modernization, and renewal with University priorities and sustainability.
• Build and sustain strategic partnerships with internal stakeholders and external collaborators, integrating facilities planning and serving as a trusted advisor and ambassador for the University.
• Lead campus-wide planning, renewal, and modernization initiatives, ensuring alignment with mission, sustainability goals, and evolving needs.
• Oversee capital project delivery, construction, and renovation to ensure projects are innovative, sustainable, timely, cost-effective, and responsive to program and urban/environmental goals, with clear, transparent reporting.
• Conduct rigorous evaluations and transparent reporting of Facilities Services operations and performance, including actionable recommendations and clear rubrics aligned with University goals.
• Monitor and report on budget, financial performance, and service delivery.
• Clearly communicate goals, plans, and progress to staff and stakeholders.
• Foster transparency, accountability, and open dialogue in decision making and reporting.
• Lead fiscal responsibility, resource stewardship, sustainability, and continuous improvement in all operations and capital programs.
• Advance efficiency, technology, and best practices organization-wide.
• Foster an inclusive, collaborative, high-performing culture.
• Advocate for staff, attract, motivate, develop, and retain a diverse workforce.
• Lead and mentor senior management in achieving objectives.
• Maximize flexibility, responsiveness, and uphold high customer service standards for all internal and external stakeholders.
• Represent the University externally on facilities, planning, and development matters.
• Maintain and strengthen relationships with government agencies, unions, and other key partners.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years’ experience in facilities leadership at large academic, healthcare, corporate, civic, government, or construction organizations required.
• Well-rounded experience and knowledge for managing Facilities Services and personnel required.
• Leadership in construction management, including experience having oversight of capital project delivery required.
• Deep knowledge of facilities and environmental planning and design preferred.
• Experience working in a unionized environment preferred.

Skills

• Visionary and strategic thinker, able to align Facilities Services with University teaching, research, and student life priorities.
• Insightful developer and motivator of high-performing, diverse leadership teams, fostering innovation and growth.
• Proven ability to conduct comprehensive operational evaluations using technology, data, and clear criteria for effectiveness, sustainability, financial stewardship, stakeholder satisfaction, and strategic alignment.
• Effective communicator, able to produce substantive reports with actionable recommendations, align partners and staff, and clearly present findings to internal and external audiences.
• Demonstrates rigor, transparency, and objectivity in evaluation, reporting, and communication.
• Effective collaborator, skilled at aligning stakeholders and partners throughout the institution.
• Exemplifies personal integrity, ethics, initiative, and emotional intelligence; displays sound judgment.
• Highly effective negotiator and proactive advocate for institutional interests.
• Strong customer service orientation, maximizing flexibility, responsiveness, stakeholder trust, and inspiring high performance.
• Expertise in process improvement, maintenance prioritization, cost control, risk reduction, energy conservation and planning, sustainable buildings and practices, change management, and cultural transformation.

Benefits

• Benefits Eligible Yes
• The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off.