Building Operations Engineer (Facilities)

Barnard College • New York City, NY

2d

About The Position

The Building Operations Engineer is responsible for the comprehensive oversight of daily operations across campus buildings, including a complex science facility, and reports directly to the Director of Maintenance and Trades. This role ensures that each building’s infrastructure, systems, and support services effectively meet the needs of faculty, students, researchers, and staff. Key responsibilities include supervising operational and custodial teams, managing budgets and service contracts, coordinating maintenance of building systems and specialized equipment, and ensuring full compliance with institutional policies, environmental standards, and safety regulations. The engineer also serves as a central liaison among academic departments, administrative units, and external vendors, fostering clear communication and coordinated planning for facility use, capital improvements, and academic programming. They will be the lead on a new, state of the art electric science building among other campus buildings. Assist the implementation of a MEP Preventive Maintenance program to maintain system reliability and efficiency. Support retro-commissioning and auditing efforts of existing building envelopes, systems, and controls to ensure proper functionality and minimize energy consumption. Provide direction based on engineering principles and maintenance requirements to implement system upgrades to achieve reliability, energy efficiency, safety, operational, and sustainability improvements. By maintaining reliable, efficient, and safe environments, the Building Operations Engineer plays a critical role in supporting teaching, research, and innovation, while driving strategic building operations that enhance the overall mission of Barnard College.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering or 5 or more years of experience in the field.
• 3-5 years of progressively responsible experience in facilities management, building operations, or project management, ideally involving complex or multi-building environments.
• Demonstrated leadership experience, including hiring, training, supervising, and evaluating staff, as well as managing cross-functional teams and coordinating work across diverse departments.
• Working knowledge of laboratory and research operations, including familiarity with lab infrastructure, specialized equipment, and support systems used in the campus or research facilities.
• Strong understanding of safety and compliance requirements, including occupational health standards, environmental regulations, hazardous materials handling, and institutional risk management practices.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with faculty, researchers, administrators, students, and external vendors.
• Ability to manage budgets and resources, analyze operational needs, and prioritize tasks in a fast-paced environment with competing demands.
• Proficiency with digital tools and systems related to facilities management (e.g., work order management systems, building automation systems, project tracking tools, and/or asset management software).

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree in a relevant field such as facilities management, engineering, environmental health and safety.
• Outstanding project management skills and specialized knowledge of building maintenance and/or construction along with an understanding of plumbing, electrical, HVAC-ECT, BMS, chemistry, and inspection, testing and maintenance procedures.
• Experience in higher education research-intensive environments, particularly in managing science buildings, research laboratories, or specialized facilities.
• Formal training or certification in areas such as project management (e.g., PMP), facilities management (e.g., CFM, FMP), building operations, or environmental health and safety (e.g., OSHA certification).
• Knowledge of sustainability practices, energy management principles, and environmental stewardship strategies in facilities operations.
• Familiarity with union environments, collective bargaining agreements, or workforce management within structured labor frameworks.
• Proficiency in data analysis or performance metrics used for assessing building operations, energy usage, safety compliance, or staff productivity.

Responsibilities

• Facility and Infrastructure Management: Provide comprehensive oversight of the installation, operation, maintenance, and repair of all building systems – including HVAC, electrical, plumbing, laboratory support systems, and life-safety equipment, Vivarium, EH&S – to ensure continuous, reliable, and safe facility operations. Coordinate preventative maintenance programs, system inspections, vendor services, and long-term infrastructure planning across campus buildings, including a science facility with specialized research and instructional spaces. Monitor building performance, identify operational inefficiencies, and implement corrective actions or upgrades to improve energy efficiency, sustainability, and occupant comfort.
• Staff and Budget Oversight: Recruit, train, schedule, and supervise a diverse team of operational, custodial, and technical staff members, ensuring high performance, accountability, and professional development. Develop, implement, and manage annual operating budgets, capital requests, and service contracts. Track expenditures, analyze cost drivers, and optimize resource allocation to support both day-to-day operations and strategic initiatives. Oversee contracted services – including maintenance vendors, environmental health and safety partners, and specialized technical providers – to ensure quality performance and adherence to institutional standards.
• Safety and Compliance: Ensure full compliance with all occupational health and safety regulations, environmental standards, laboratory safety protocols, and college policies. Conduct regular safety audits, emergency preparedness planning, risk assessments, and incident reporting, addressing deficiencies promptly and implementing mitigation strategies. Serve as a primary point-of-contact for regulatory inspections and collaborate with Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) teams to promote a culture of safety among building occupants. Collaborate with Facilities, public safety and compliance.
• Project Management: Lead and support short- and long-term projects involving facility renovations, capital improvements, infrastructure upgrades, process optimization, and modernization initiatives. Develop project scopes, timelines, budgets, and implementation plans while coordinating with internal stakeholders, external contractors, and institutional planning and design teams. Support student, faculty, and research-driven initiatives – including lab reconfigurations, teaching space improvements, and grant-funded facility enhancements – ensuring timely execution and alignment with campus needs.
• Coordination and Collaboration: Partner with faculty, researchers, department chairs, and administrative units to understand operational needs and ensure facilities are well-aligned with teaching, research, and programmatic priorities. Facilitate communication between building users and facilities teams, proactively addressing workflow challenges, space needs, and service requests. Support on-campus stakeholders in the coordination of building access, space utilization, event operations, and scheduling requirements to maintain highly functional learning and research environments.
• Reporting and Documentation: Maintain detailed records and documentation related to building operations, regulatory compliance, preventative maintenance, incident response, utility usage, and budget performance. Prepare routine and ad hoc reports for the Director of Maintenance and Trades and other university leadership, providing data-driven insights to inform strategic planning and resource decisions. Track and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs), implementing improvements based on trends, feedback, and operational metrics.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 251-500 employees