Custodial Project Manager (K-12)

About the Role

The Project Manager is responsible for the day-to-day field management of custodial operations across multiple facilities within an assigned zone. This hands-on, highly visible role requires spending the majority of the workday in the field—walking facilities, inspecting work, communicating with employees and supervisors, responding to staffing needs, meeting with clients, correcting deficiencies, and ensuring each location operates to company and contractual standards. The Project Manager serves as the primary operational leader for the assigned zone, overseeing a custodial workforce of 50 or more employees across multiple locations and shifts.

Success in this position requires excellent organization, strong communication skills, good judgment, professionalism, accountability, and the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously. The ideal candidate is dependable, approachable, solution-oriented, and willing to take responsibility when challenges arise.

Responsibilities

• Manage custodial operations across multiple facilities within an assigned geographic zone.
• Supervise, support, and provide direction to a custodial workforce of 50+ employees, including leads, supervisors, full-time, and part-time staff.
• Maintain a strong and consistent physical presence within assigned facilities, routinely walking buildings and observing conditions.
• Conduct regular quality-control inspections to ensure custodial work meets contractual requirements, company standards, and client expectations.
• Identify deficiencies and ensure corrective action is completed promptly and followed through to resolution.
• Ensure employees complete work as trained and follow the established scope of work for their assigned facility.
• Establish clear expectations and hold team members accountable for attendance, performance, conduct, safety, appearance, and company policies.
• Coach and develop employees and supervisors while addressing performance problems appropriately.
• Maintain appropriate staffing levels and respond quickly to call-outs, vacancies, schedule changes, and unexpected operational needs.
• Coordinate employee schedules, building assignments, transfers, coverage, and other staffing adjustments to maintain uninterrupted service.
• Assist with recruiting, interviewing, onboarding, orientation, and training of new custodial employees when needed.
• Review employee timekeeping and payroll information for accuracy and ensure deadlines for timecards, punches, corrections, and approvals are met.
• Ensure employees follow all required clock-in/clock-out procedures and company attendance requirements.
• Maintain professional relationships with facility administrators, client representatives, and other designated contacts.
• Meet with clients to discuss building conditions, concerns, service expectations, upcoming events, and corrective actions.
• Respond professionally and promptly to client concerns and follow through until resolution.
• Conduct follow-up inspections after complaints or deficiencies to verify corrective work completion.
• Communicate operational concerns through the appropriate chain of command and ensure employees follow established reporting procedures.
• Provide clear updates to senior management regarding staffing concerns, employee issues, client concerns, building conditions, incidents, and other significant developments.
• Complete required reports, inspections, documentation, corrective actions, employee records, and administrative tasks accurately and on time.
• Maintain accurate records for operational, payroll, safety, personnel, training, and client-service purposes.
• Monitor custodial supplies and equipment throughout assigned facilities and coordinate ordering, distribution, inventory, and replacement as necessary.
• Ensure employees are properly trained in the safe use of custodial chemicals, equipment, machinery, and personal protective equipment.
• Enforce company safety policies and immediately address unsafe conditions or work practices.
• Ensure workplace incidents, injuries, property damage, employee concerns, and other reportable events are escalated and documented according to company procedures.
• Coordinate and oversee special projects such as floor refinishing, carpet cleaning, detail cleaning, summer cleaning, deep cleaning, event preparation, and other periodic custodial services.
• Prepare facilities for client inspections, company inspections, school openings, special events, and other operational deadlines.
• Verify completion of assigned projects rather than assuming work has been completed based solely on verbal confirmation.
• Assist custodial employees when operationally necessary, including stepping in to help the team when circumstances require it.
• Respond appropriately to urgent operational situations outside the normal workday when management involvement is required.
• Protect confidential employee, client, student, and company information and maintain professional boundaries while working in school environments.
• Perform additional duties as necessary to support contractual obligations and the successful operation of the assigned zone.

Leadership & Attitude Expectations

• Lead by example and demonstrate the work ethic expected from the team.
• Be visible, accessible, and responsive to employees and clients.
• Take ownership of problems instead of waiting for someone else to solve them.
• Communicate directly, respectfully, and professionally.
• Remain composed when dealing with complaints, staffing shortages, employee conflicts, and changing priorities.
• Accept feedback and make corrections without becoming defensive.
• Address problems early rather than allowing small issues to escalate.
• Follow through on commitments and verify that assigned work has been completed.
• Hold employees accountable while treating them fairly and consistently.
• Maintain appropriate professional boundaries with employees and clients.
• Support company leadership and follow the established chain of command.
• Be willing to make difficult decisions when operational standards are not being met.
• Maintain a solution-focused attitude and bring potential solutions forward when reporting problems.
• Understand that the condition of the assigned facilities and the performance of the team reflect the Project Manager's leadership.

Work Environment & Physical Expectations

This is not a traditional office management position. Project Managers should expect to spend a significant portion of each workday:

• Traveling between assigned facilities.
• Walking school buildings and surrounding areas.
• Standing for extended periods.
• Inspecting classrooms, restrooms, offices, cafeterias, hallways, stairwells, gyms, common areas, and other spaces.
• Communicating directly with custodial employees and facility personnel.
• Moving between multiple priorities and locations throughout the day.
• Occasionally assisting with custodial work, equipment, supplies, or special projects when operationally necessary.

Administrative responsibilities such as payroll, scheduling, reports, email, documentation, and planning support the field operation but do not replace field management. The expectation is that Project Managers manage their buildings by being in their buildings.

Requirements

Scope / Physical Requirements

• This is an active, field-based management position requiring regular travel between multiple facilities throughout the assigned zone.
• Must be able to spend extended periods standing and walking while conducting inspections, meeting with employees, and overseeing daily operations.
• Must be able to bend, reach, stretch, push, pull, climb stairs, and perform other physical movements associated with inspecting and supporting custodial operations.
• Must be able to lift and move objects weighing up to 50 pounds when necessary.
• Must be comfortable working in an environment with frequent movement between locations and changing priorities throughout the day.
• Must be willing and physically capable of assisting with custodial operations when necessary to support the team or address an immediate operational need.
• Must be able to safely operate a motor vehicle and travel regularly between assigned locations.

Abilities / Key Competencies / Skills

Leadership & People Management

• Demonstrated ability to lead and supervise a large, diverse workforce of 50 or more employees across multiple facilities and shifts.
• Ability to establish expectations, provide direction, coach employees, address performance concerns, and hold employees accountable while maintaining professionalism and respect.
• Comfortable having difficult conversations and addressing attendance, performance, conduct, staffing, and policy concerns when necessary.
• Ability to develop supervisors and lead employees toward improved performance rather than relying solely on disciplinary action.
• Sound judgment, emotional maturity, professionalism, and consistency when dealing with employees and workplace challenges.
• Positive, solution-oriented attitude and willingness to take ownership of problems within the assigned zone.
• Dependable, responsive, approachable, and capable of maintaining composure during stressful or rapidly changing situations.

Multi-Site Operations

• Experience managing custodial, janitorial, environmental services, facilities, hospitality, or another labor-intensive service operation is strongly preferred.
• Ability to effectively oversee multiple facilities simultaneously while maintaining awareness of staffing, cleanliness, quality, supplies, equipment, employee performance, and client concerns at each location.
• Ability to prioritize competing needs and determine where management presence is most urgently required.
• Self-directed and capable of organizing the workday without requiring constant supervision.
• Understanding that effective management requires regular physical presence in assigned buildings, not management primarily through phone calls, texts, or email.
• Ability to identify operational problems, determine appropriate solutions, assign corrective action, and follow through to ensure completion.
• Ability to recognize when an issue should be handled independently and when it should be escalated through the appropriate chain of command.

Quality Control & Custodial Knowledge

• Working knowledge of professional custodial operations, including cleaning procedures, equipment, chemicals, supplies, floor care, restroom sanitation, and general facility cleanliness.
• Ability to inspect custodial work and recognize deficiencies.