Director of Facilities and Construction

Primanti Bros. Restaurant and Bar•Pittsburgh, PA

5d•$95,000 - $110,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Join Primanti Brothers®, a Pittsburgh institution founded in 1933, known for its bold ideas and iconic sandwiches. We are a regional powerhouse with locations across four states and are seeking a passionate individual to join our team. If you are dedicated to people, performance, and preserving our legacy while driving it forward, we want to hear from you. At Primanti Brothers®, our Core Values—Fanatical, Greater Together, and Building on Tradition—guide our daily operations and growth, rooted in nearly 100 years of tradition.

Requirements

5-7+ years of progressive experience in multi-unit restaurant, hospitality, or retail facilities management, construction, or a related field.
Experience managing multiple restaurant locations, new construction, remodel programs, or capital programs.
Demonstrated experience managing budgets, contractors, vendors, and capital expenditures.
Strong understanding of commercial construction, life safety and building systems, commercial kitchen equipment and refrigeration, and restaurant facility operations.
Strong project management and organizational skills.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and competing priorities.
Excellent communication, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to travel regularly to restaurant locations, construction sites, and new restaurant openings as needed.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting a growing restaurant portfolio, including company-operated and franchise locations.
Experience managing new restaurant development, conversion, and remodel programs from site to opening.
Construction management, project management, engineering, or facilities-related certifications.
Experience with facilities management software, project management systems, and computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) in a multi-unit restaurant environment.
Experience developing multi-year capital and remodel plans across a restaurant portfolio.
ServSafe Food Safety Certification

Responsibilities

Develop and execute a comprehensive facilities management strategy across all restaurant locations and support facilities.
Establish and maintain preventive and reactive maintenance programs that keep restaurants open, clean, and fully operational through peak dayparts.
Oversee building systems, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, fire/life safety, walk-in coolers and freezers, refrigeration, cook-line and kitchen equipment, hood and exhaust systems, fire suppression, grease interceptors, dish machines, beverage systems, drive-thru equipment, and other restaurant infrastructure.
Establish standards and procedures for restaurant inspections, maintenance, repairs, and 24/7 emergency response, including escalation paths for refrigeration and cooking equipment failures.
Monitor facility conditions across the portfolio and identify opportunities to reduce cost per restaurant and improve equipment reliability and uptime.
Develop long-term kitchen equipment replacement and capital planning strategies aligned to restaurant remodel and refresh cycles.
Partner with Restaurant Operations to schedule maintenance and project work around peak dayparts and minimize disruption to guest service.
Monitor restaurant work orders and approve expenses in the company’s computerized maintenance management system (CMMS), prioritizing issues that affect food safety, guest experience, or sales.
Support operations by training General Managers and restaurant teams on basic building and kitchen systems, and provide remote troubleshooting to prevent unnecessary service calls or restaurant closures.
Lead the planning and execution of new restaurant builds, conversions, remodels, refreshes, patio and drive-thru additions, and other capital projects.
Develop project scopes, budgets, schedules, timelines, and performance expectations, including phasing plans that keep restaurants open or hold closure days to a minimum.
Coordinate architects, engineers, kitchen equipment consultants, general contractors, subcontractors, and vendors as needed.
Manage projects from site evaluation and design through permitting, construction, health department and building inspections, equipment installation, punch list, and restaurant opening.
Review construction drawings, kitchen equipment schedules, specifications, bids, proposals, and change orders.
Ensure projects are completed according to approved plans, specifications, budgets, schedules, and brand prototype standards.
Identify and resolve construction issues, permitting delays, cost overruns, and quality concerns that could jeopardize opening dates.
Establish project reporting and provide regular updates to senior leadership on the new restaurant and remodel pipeline.
Develop and manage annual facilities, maintenance, and capital expenditure budgets at the restaurant, market, and portfolio level.
Monitor project and facility spending against approved budgets and track maintenance cost per restaurant.
Evaluate capital investments and provide recommendations based on return on investment, sales impact, operational needs, and asset life-cycle considerations.
Negotiate contracts, pricing, and service agreements with contractors, equipment suppliers, and facilities vendors.
Review invoices and approve expenditures in accordance with company policies.
Identify opportunities for cost savings without compromising food safety, guest experience, quality, or operational performance.
Establish and maintain a qualified network of contractors, restaurant equipment service providers, and facilities vendors in every operating market.
Solicit and evaluate bids and proposals.
Negotiate contracts and service agreements.
Establish service-level expectations and performance standards, including response times for refrigeration, HVAC, and other business-critical restaurant equipment.
Monitor contractor performance, quality, responsiveness, first-time fix rates, safety, and cost.
Ensure appropriate insurance, licensing, certifications, and documentation are maintained.
Develop strategic vendor partnerships and negotiate favorable terms for the organization.
Ensure restaurants comply with applicable building, fire/life safety, health department and food safety, environmental, accessibility (ADA), and other regulatory requirements.
Partner with Risk Management, Operations, and Human Resources on facility-related safety and compliance matters.
Maintain appropriate documentation for health, fire, and building inspections, permits, licenses, warranties, and certifications.
Support emergency preparedness and business continuity initiatives.
Investigate significant facility-related incidents — including equipment failures, refrigeration loss, water intrusion, hood fires, and facility-driven food safety events — and develop corrective action plans.
Ensure construction projects adhere to applicable safety requirements, food safety protocols in operating restaurants, and company standards.
Develop and monitor preventive maintenance schedules for all restaurants, including hood and duct cleaning, grease trap service, refrigeration, HVAC, and fire suppression inspections.
Establish standards for kitchen and building equipment maintenance, repair, and replacement.
Monitor equipment and facility performance to identify recurring issues by restaurant, market, and equipment type.
Maintain accurate records of restaurant assets, kitchen equipment, warranties, service agreements, and maintenance history.
Develop replacement schedules based on equipment age, condition, impact on restaurant operations, and life-cycle cost.
Partner with Restaurant Operations and field leadership to prioritize facility needs and minimize operational interruptions.
Collaborate with Finance on capital planning, forecasting, budgeting, and financial reporting.
Collaborate with Executive Leadership to develop long-term facilities and capital strategies.
Communicate project status, risks, budgets, and recommendations clearly to stakeholders at all levels.
Establish clear goals, priorities, performance expectations, and accountability measures.
Create a culture of safety, accountability, responsiveness, and continuous improvement.
Establish appropriate service-level expectations and key performance indicators for the department.
Provide leadership and guidance during high-priority restaurant emergencies — such as loss of refrigeration, power, water, gas, or fire suppression — and critical projects.