Director of Plant Operations - Luxury Senior Living Community

The Variel Assisted Living•Los Angeles, CA

25d•Onsite

About The Position

The Variel at Woodland Hills, a luxury senior living community, is seeking an experienced Director of Plant Operations to lead facilities, maintenance, housekeeping, and janitorial operations for its 350-unit community. This role requires a hands-on leader who understands both the technical aspects of building operations and the service expectations of a luxury residential environment. The Director will be responsible for the overall leadership and management of the physical plant and environmental services, including preventive maintenance, building systems, life safety, emergency preparedness, resident service requests, vendor management, regulatory compliance, staffing, budget performance, and the overall cleanliness and physical presentation of the community. The ideal candidate is a visible leader who can manage a complex physical plant, develop teams, build vendor relationships, prioritize needs, and respond effectively to issues.

Requirements

Minimum of five years of progressive experience in facilities management, plant operations, building engineering, maintenance, or a related field.
Minimum of three years of leadership or supervisory experience overseeing maintenance, facilities, housekeeping, environmental services, or similar operational teams.
Strong working knowledge of HVAC, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, building automation, fire/life-safety systems, and preventive maintenance programs.
Experience managing vendors, contractors, service agreements, and maintenance projects.
Experience managing departmental budgets, labor, purchasing, and operating expenses.
Strong leadership, organizational, problem-solving, communication, and customer-service skills.
Ability to manage multiple priorities within a large, active residential environment.
Current and valid California driver's license with an acceptable driving record.
Ability to respond to after-hours building emergencies as needed.
Ability to work occasional evenings, weekends, and holidays based on operational needs.

Nice To Haves

Associate's or Bachelor's degree or equivalent technical education in Facilities Management, Engineering, Construction Management, Building Systems, or a related field.
Experience leading plant operations within senior living, luxury hospitality, healthcare, multifamily residential, hotel/resort, or another large complex property.
Previous responsibility for housekeeping or environmental services teams.
Experience working within California RCFE or other regulated healthcare/residential environments.
Experience with computerized maintenance management systems and building automation systems.
Strong Microsoft Office skills.

Responsibilities

Provide overall leadership for the maintenance and physical plant operations of a 350-unit senior living community.
Develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive preventive maintenance program for building systems, equipment, utilities, resident apartments, common areas, and grounds.
Oversee HVAC, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, lighting, building automation, security, and other critical building systems.
Conduct routine building inspections and proactively identify maintenance, safety, and capital needs.
Ensure resident apartments are maintained to established standards and prepared appropriately for move-ins.
Monitor work orders and resident service requests to ensure timely, professional resolution.
Maintain accurate maintenance, inspection, repair, and preventive maintenance records.
Provide leadership and oversight for the community's housekeeping and janitorial operations.
Ensure resident apartments, common areas, public spaces, restrooms, offices, flooring, and other areas consistently meet luxury hospitality standards.
Establish cleaning schedules, quality standards, inspection processes, and accountability measures.
Monitor sanitation, infection-prevention practices, chemical safety, and appropriate use of cleaning products and equipment.
Conduct regular community walkthroughs and address cleanliness, appearance, repair, or safety concerns promptly.
Recruit, supervise, schedule, coach, and develop maintenance, housekeeping, and janitorial team members.
Establish clear expectations for performance, productivity, professionalism, responsiveness, and resident service.
Conduct regular team meetings, training, coaching, and performance evaluations.
Maintain appropriate staffing and scheduling to support a large, seven-day-a-week residential operation.
Create a culture of accountability, teamwork, safety, and pride in the community.
Partner with Human Resources on recruiting, employee relations, performance management, training, and workforce planning.
Oversee fire and life-safety systems, emergency generators, emergency preparedness programs, and required inspections.
Coordinate required fire drills, emergency exercises, safety training, and disaster preparedness activities.
Maintain required permits, inspection reports, testing records, certifications, and regulatory documentation.
Support compliance with applicable federal, state, local, OSHA, RCFE, fire/life-safety, and company requirements.
Participate in community safety initiatives and help lead the community's Safety Committee.
Respond appropriately to building emergencies and coordinate vendors, contractors, emergency services, and leadership as needed.
Manage outside contractors and vendors and hold service partners accountable for quality, responsiveness, safety, and contractual performance.
Obtain and review proposals for repairs, maintenance services, equipment replacement, and building projects.
Partner with community and corporate leadership on capital projects and major repairs.
Monitor the condition and useful life of major building systems and equipment.
Identify emerging capital needs and provide recommendations before failures become emergencies.
Protect the long-term condition, appearance, functionality, and value of the community's physical assets.
Develop and manage Plant Operations, housekeeping, and related departmental budgets.
Monitor labor, supplies, repairs, contracts, utilities, and other operating expenses.
Manage inventory, equipment, tools, repair parts, cleaning supplies, and department purchasing.
Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and control costs without compromising safety, quality, or resident experience.
Maintain organized vendor contracts, warranties, service agreements, inspection records, and operational documentation.
Participate as an active member of the community leadership team and serve as Manager on Duty as scheduled.