Assistant Director

The University of Kansas seeks an Assistant Director to provide daily oversight, coordination and project management responsibilities for Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing (MEP) related trades services. This position will be responsible for managing the maintenance operations across all facilities (academic, administrative, housing etc.) at the Lawrence, Kansas campus. Responsibilities include coordinating equipment, resources and staff across the trades to ensure all preventative maintenance, scheduled maintenance, repair and operations of all facilities are executed in a clean, safe and timely manner. This position will require a leader that has strong communication skills, experience in building collaborative partnerships and effectively engaging teams, agile and creative problem-solving expertise, and the ability to identify future operational or equipment concerns to ensure a high-level quality of operational health of mechanical systems.

The Assistant Director will also work with the KU Facilities, Planning and Development (FPD) team which includes engineers, architects, and project managers to ensure campus construction and remodel initiatives are maintainable. This position will also work to identify future maintenance requirements for these facilities. This position will also be included in strategic conversations regarding the planning, management, and prioritization of the University's capital renewal and replacement budgets as it relates to the support of plant maintenance and improvements.

This position reports to and works under the general direction of the Director of Facilities Services with considerable latitude for daily operational decisions. The primary responsibility is focused on Lawrence Campus designated facilities, however the Assistant Director's expertise may be called upon for other KU campus locations on an as needed basis.

Facilities Services within KU Operations plays a vital role in maintaining an inviting and safe campus environment that supports teaching, learning and research. KU Operations supports KU's mission of learning, scholarship, and creative endeavor by providing the visible and behind-the-scenes services that make possible the university's academic and research missions.

KU offers great benefits to employees with up to 176 hours of paid vacation per year, 96 hours of sick leave earned per year, nine paid holidays plus one discretionary day, a retirement program, medical & dental insurance, life and disability insurance, other benefit plan options, and State of Kansas discounts offered by various vendors. KU also offers employees educational and professional development opportunities.

Tuition assistance offers up to 12 credit hours per year for employees and Employee Dependent Tuition Assistance Scholarship (EDTAS) award opportunities! Details available at: https://humanresources.ku.edu/tuition-assistance

KU's excellence is a result of the rich tapestry of experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds of our faculty, staff, students, and colleagues from across our nation and the globe. At KU, we invest in continuous learning and growth by creating a climate where people engage in respectful dialogue and debate and support each other's success. We foster a culture of care where each person is seen, heard, and valued. When people feel a true sense of belonging, we believe they are better able to reach their full potential and achieve remarkable things.

The successful candidate must be eligible to work in the U.S. by the effective date of the appointment.

Schedule: Monday to Friday 7:30 am to 4:30 pm

Management (55%)

• Manages and coordinates direct report MEP teams. Help find creative and sustainable solutions to issues. Lead a culture of reliability and campus stewardship.
• Builds and maintains positive internal and external relationships amongst the assigned trades. Develops a motivated, well trained, safety-oriented workforce as well as a culture of accessibility and proactive communication across all levels.
• Establish and implement short and long range goals and strategic plans, safety and operating procedures. Monitor and evaluate programmatic and operational effectiveness as well as propose and implement changes for additional improvements throughout the unit.
• Coordinates repair, general maintenance and preventative maintenance, renovations and related tasks.
• Maintains compliance with federal and state occupational safety regulations. Participates in quality assurance programs and ensures workforce is trained. Represent the units to develop and enforce system wide protocols and procedures to ensure state, federal, and university requirements are being met. Establish, maintain, and update best practices and standard operating procedures related to Facilities Management including but not limited to all areas with regulatory compliance requirements.
• Maintains the continuous facility operations of all buildings in the areas of MEP. Works as a liaison with all areas of Operations to ensure coordination and compliance.
• Develops and implements a preventative maintenance program to keep all equipment operational by coordinating maintenance and repair services, following manufacturer's instructions and established procedure; requesting specialized services when needed. Supervise, track, and evaluate all work order requests and preventative maintenance and repairs. Coordinate equipment and teams to ensure an efficient response.
• Track and evaluate all projects, contracted services and procurement to ensure compliance with requirements and timeline. Coordinates with the trades supervisors in the purchase and inventory control of supplies and equipment required to accomplish day-to-day tasks and special projects.
• Develops, coordinates, or delivers training programs and makes recommendations to leadership for unit or individual professional development training.
• Reviews completed work for quality workmanship, adherence to technical specifications and customer satisfaction.
• Responds to and manages initial response to emergency situations during regular shifts, nights, weekends and holidays; serves "on-call" on a rotating basis with other professional staff to manage facilities related emergencies and approve call backs as appropriate.
• Evaluates and recommends upgrades and improvements for both basic functions and future state best practices.
• Works closely with the director on ROI planning and budgetary impact for technology improvements. Responsible for the development and implementation of a plan that provides for the routine identification and correction of campus facility deficiencies.
• Develops metrics and reports regarding work activities and timeframes.

Resource Management (35%)

• Advise FS Director and university leadership on capital facilities and deferred maintenance needs to adequately maintain the physical facilities of the university. Assist the director with allocation of fiscal resource budgeting for various improvement and maintenance projects. Independently assess the financial impact of the projects for ROI planning.
• Assist the FS Director, university leaders, space management planners, FPD, faculty and staff to analyze and assess maintenance, growth and facilities needs pertaining to programmatic changes. Provide input as appropriate.
• Assist the FS Director with annual budget planning and progress. Assist with planning, developing and implementing strategies for continuous improvement and efficiencies to save resources. Assist with planning, developing and implementing strategies for generating resources and/or revenue streams. Conduct regular review of budget actuals to identify resource issues and opportunities. Coordinate with FPD and University leaders on capital construction (new, remodel, or removal) to plan and communicate appropriately for operational needs.
• Work to ensure energy conservation and sustainability. Work closely with utility services, campus sustainability leadership and university leaders to ensure buildings are operating efficiently. Work directly with sustainability leadership to build ROI models for upgrades and improvements.

Other duties as assigned (10%)

• Serves as an essential member of the Snow Response Team and is present at all snow operations.

A complete application consists of

1. Resume/CV
2. Cover letter
3. List of three professional references.

Application review begins Wednesday, May 7th and continues until a qualified pool of applicants is identified.

Shawn Harding
s366h815@ku.edu

$70,000 - $85,000

Wednesday May 7, 2025

Monday May 26, 2025