Assistant Director of Facilities Campus Buildings

Art Institute of Chicago • Chicago, IL

6h • $65,000 - $77,240 • Onsite

About The Position

The Assistant Director of Facilities Campus Buildings provides leadership and facilities management for the upkeep of SAIC facilities and equipment across campus. The role directs Facilities Managers and serves as a liaison between facility users and the Associate Director of Facilities, Campus Buildings. It works closely with Instructional Resources, Campus Services, Occupational Health & Safety, Campus Security, AIC engineering staff, contracted vendors, and the academic community to coordinate work requests, classroom services, housekeeping, and campus projects.

The position supports the teaching and learning environment by overseeing classroom, office, residential, common-area, grounds, safety, signage, waste-management, and student-employee services. It assists with small and large campus projects, including capital and facilities renewal work, and may provide operational coverage for Building Facilities Managers during vacancies or peak needs. The role requires frequent movement between campus buildings and the ability to lift, push, pull, or carry up to 50 pounds as needed.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Facilities Management, Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education, specialized technical certifications, and progressive professional experience.
• At least 3 years of progressive experience in institutional facilities management, facilities services, classroom or office services, and operational services.
• Experience managing facilities operations and coordinating small projects.
• Demonstrated experience leading, developing, and supervising collaborative teams in an operational or institutional setting.
• Understanding of and experience with audiovisual technologies.
• Basic understanding of blueprints, space planning, design, construction, mechanical systems, and classroom technology terminology and methods.
• Ability to manage and coordinate multiple projects simultaneously, set priorities, and meet deadlines.
• Skill in organizing, evaluating, and delegating project components to support a team.
• Ability to support skill building and growth for supervised staff and student employees.
• Ability to evaluate team and staff performance, provide constructive feedback, and guide improvement.
• Ability to mentor positively, promote collaboration and cooperation, remain open to others’ ideas, and resolve conflicts.
• Conflict-resolution and de-escalation skills, with clear and professional communication with a diverse community and external contractors.
• Professionalism and strong customer-service skills when working with students, faculty, and staff at all levels.
• Ability to work independently with initiative and confer with leadership when appropriate.
• Proficiency with basic computer software, including Word, Excel, Google Suite, and graphics or presentation programs, and comfort learning facility-specific software.
• Ability to move frequently between multiple facility buildings throughout the workday.
• Ability to lift, push, pull, or carry up to 50 pounds as needed.

Responsibilities

• Direct the daily activities of Facilities Managers and lead staff responsible for facilities, classrooms, equipment, safety, maintenance, and repairs.
• Hire, assign and direct work, evaluate performance, and manage staff duties and expectations.
• Ensure classroom resources and services—including AV systems, furniture, supplies, and equipment—are available; respond to work orders, inspect spaces, and coordinate classroom technology needs.
• Respond to faculty and staff requests involving office space, furniture, moves, signage, and temperature concerns.
• Inspect common areas and coordinate housekeeping, maintenance, and repair needs with relevant facilities and engineering teams.
• Provide day-to-day residential facility operations support and assist with seasonal preventative maintenance, move-in and move-out, renovation, and housekeeping coordination.
• Ensure campus grounds and building exteriors are clean and maintained, coordinating work as needed with facilities and engineering teams.
• Lead ongoing facility, resource, equipment, and furniture condition assessments; create checklists, tickets, and reports and share information with IRFM Administration.
• Support campus facilities, capital, and renewal projects by coordinating timelines, moving and packing needs, signage, communications, and waste management or diversion.
• Provide direct operational support and coverage for Building Facilities Managers during vacancies or peak operational needs.
• Conduct safety inspections in classrooms, studios, and common areas; monitor proper use and emptying of flammable cabinets and chemical and rag cans, coordinating with EHS and facilities leadership.
• Oversee classroom clean-outs, the campus Bag and Tag program, and diversion of reusable materials to Surplus; ensure surplus spaces remain organized.
• Maintain campus signage standards and respond to signage update requests in accordance with direction from facilities leadership.
• Ensure student employees are hired and trained; maintain consistency in training, evaluation, and skill building, and organize student project crews as needed.
• Facilitate semesterly locker checks and annual cleanouts, including scheduling, communications, field checks, reports, lock cutting or locker release schedules, and management of retrieved belongings.
• Oversee the IRFM Helpline and campus work-order requests, maintain timely and high-quality customer service, liaise with faculty and staff, and communicate needs and concerns to IRFM Administration.

Benefits

• Competitive, comprehensive benefits package is referenced, with details available through linked benefits information.
• Paid time off information is referenced, with details available through a linked PTO overview.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager