Capital Planning Manager

University of Chicago•Chicago, IL

7d•$140,000 - $150,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Capital Planning Manager works under the limited direction of the Director of Planning and in coordination with Facilities Services’ Senior Leadership team. The role manages capital planning and facility condition and other building assessments for Facilities Services, including managing architects/engineers (AE) and cost consultants who develop project scopes, schedules, and rough-order-of-magnitude estimates to support capital planning. The Manager coordinates the capital planning process from initial prioritization and cost estimation for funding approvals through the transition of approved projects to CPD project managers. This is a working-manager position that provides hands-on technical support as well as management of the Manager’s own projects. The role also serves as a technical resource to Facilities Services and the wider University community. The position manages annual capital planning and facility inspection and assessment programs; analyzes information from University systems to support project identification, strategic planning, and funding decisions; maintains cost and market data; and coordinates with University units to improve assessment methodologies and planning processes. It also supports space and urban planning initiatives and develops implementation plans in collaboration with other units.

Requirements

College or university degree in a related field.
At least 7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.
Substantial knowledge of Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and PowerPoint, and database programs.
Substantial knowledge of SmartSheet.
Ability to understand project budgets throughout design, construction, and project delivery.
Strong problem-solving, quantitative, and analytical skills.
Attention to detail and ability to work independently and with people at all organizational levels to complete assignments, improve operations, and meet objectives.
Ability to establish standards for data collection and measurement and ensure they are consistently met.
Management and organizational skills, including accuracy and attention to detail in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities.
Ability to direct consultants and participate in and lead teams balancing competing interests.
Ability to apply management principles, including planning, controlling, leading, and organizing.
Excellent customer-service and communication skills within and outside the department.
Ability to interpret University and departmental policies, procedures, and practices.
Oral and written communication skills appropriate to decision-making information flow at senior management levels in a complex institution.
Ability to integrate departmental users’ functional requirements with broader project goals.
Detailed understanding of building systems, plant operations and maintenance, construction practices, contracting procedures, building design methodologies, and code requirements.
Ability to balance historic preservation needs with current program and code requirements and sustainability potential.
Ability to move around campus to inspect grounds and buildings; tour and visually inspect buildings, including mechanical spaces, penthouses, and rooftops; travel to and work at campus locations; sit for short or extended periods; extensively use a computer; review architectural and engineering plans; and perform keyboarding, bending, stooping, light lifting, and standing.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, architecture, or a related field.
Ten years of experience in design and construction, construction cost estimating, project budget establishment and monitoring, value engineering, and project management or related activities; alternatively, ten years in a leadership role managing operations and maintenance of a large, research-intensive higher-education building and infrastructure portfolio.
Owner-perspective experience managing architects and contractors in Facility Condition Assessment programs.
Experience developing historic-preservation or heritage reports, carrying out sensitive heritage-building renovations, and estimating costs for historic preservation and sensitive renovations.
Capital planning management experience at a higher-education institution.
Experience with data analytics and visualization tools such as Tableau, AI explorations, and dashboard development.

Responsibilities

Contribute to development of the five-year Capital Plan under the Director of Planning’s guidance.
Manage Facilities Services’ annual capital planning process, including projects involving existing buildings and systems, utility infrastructure, energy management and greenhouse-gas reduction, and campus environment enhancements.
Coordinate annual capital budget requests, from project identification using facility condition assessments, work-order data, and partner input through risk assessment, prioritization, and submission.
Align the capital planning process with the Facility Condition Assessment program.
Obtain approval from the cross-functional capital planning working group and support recommendations in presentations to the Office of the Provost, Budget Office, and Office of the Vice President of Operations.
Review and improve capital planning processes, including consideration of potential AI applications.
After funding approval, work with CPD project managers on project transitions and RFP development, and monitor projects for scope refinements and future funding needs.
Manage consultants developing project scopes, schedules, and cost estimates for capital budget requests in partnership with CPD project managers.
Develop and maintain a University cost database for estimating and budgeting, and maintain peer-institution benchmarking and local construction-market data.
Participate in the FS Project Review Committee to evaluate project scopes, budgets, and schedules.
Facilitate required departmental and University approvals and uphold FS2 performance-based guidelines for operational and design excellence.
Manage the ongoing facility inspection program with FS Operations, identifying deficiencies and assigning correction timeframes and cost estimates.
Manage Facility Condition Assessment consultants completing annual assessments and a five-year building-assessment cycle.
Update assessment information annually using new inspection data, compile escalation data, and track completed projects.
Coordinate with CP+S, CPD, and OPS to systematize collection of building-condition, heritage, and other facility data; establish evaluation matrices and a structured process for assessing the existing building portfolio.
Contribute to project prioritization, develop rough-order-of-magnitude pricing, and manage integration of renewal projects into near-, mid-, and long-range planning.
Analyze data from systems such as FCA and Maximo for project identification, strategic planning, and funding; prepare estimates, presentations, and reports, including Facility Condition Index forecasts and campus investment needs.
Provide data-based reports to stakeholders and interpret information from multiple application systems.
Use integration between the FCA database and Maximo to cross-reference component-level data and support analysis and recommendations.
Manage the heritage reports program for the University’s legacy buildings.
Improve integration of facility assessments, including FCAs, heritage reports, elevator studies, and façade assessments, to support holistic project prioritization.
Coordinate with University units to establish consistent methodologies and metrics for building-condition assessments and reports.
Lead, plan, coordinate, and implement space and urban planning initiatives, including space management, design, and sustainability activities such as seminars, conferences, workshops, and internships.
Develop complex planning ideas, assess technical feasibility, cost effectiveness, and community acceptability, create detailed implementation plans, and collaborate with units to implement approved plans.
Perform other related work as needed.