Executive Director of Facilities

Harvard University • Boston, MA

12h • Hybrid

About The Position

The Executive Director (ED) of Facilities and Campus Operations provides strategic and operational leadership, supporting more than 2.1 million sq feet across Harvard Medical School (HMS) and 110K sq feet at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. Reporting to the Chief Campus Planning and Facilities Officer (CCPFO), the ED serves as a member of the senior leadership team and leads the planning, operation, maintenance, renewal, and stewardship of the schools’ physical infrastructure. The ED oversees ~4 direct reports and 21 staff, and the work of 150+ vendors, contractors, consultants, and service providers. Responsible for safe, reliable, efficient, and sustainable facilities operations that support HMS teaching, research, clinical, administrative, and community missions.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience in facilities management, engineering, business administration, operations management, public administration, or a related field.
• Ten or more years of progressively responsible experience in facilities management, campus or building operations, facilities engineering, or a related field.
• At least five years of experience in a supervisory or management capacity.

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree in engineering, facilities management, construction management, business administration, or a related field preferred.
• Experience leading facilities operations in a complex, multi-building environment, preferably in higher education, healthcare, research, or a similarly complex setting.
• Demonstrated experience with facilities operations, capital planning and renewal, building systems, project management, budgets, vendor and contract management, and service delivery.
• Knowledge of facilities standards, safety and regulatory requirements, emergency preparedness, sustainability, energy management, and continuity-of-operations practices.
• Experience leading teams and collaborating effectively with faculty, administrators, staff, contractors, vendors, University partners, and external stakeholders.
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, including the ability to prioritize competing needs and manage complex operational issues.

Responsibilities

• Oversee operation, maintenance, repair, and stewardship of buildings, utilities, grounds, custodial and housekeeping services, landscaping, snow removal, engineering systems, and infrastructure
• Establish operational priorities, service standards, procedures, and performance expectations promoting safe, reliable, and efficient services
• Monitor building, infrastructure, and system condition and performance; identify and prioritize operational, maintenance, renewal, and urgent infrastructure needs based on failure risk, life-safety impact, and system redundancy
• Coordinate responses to facility issues and disruptions, balancing safety, continuity, priorities, and resources
• Identify and implement opportunities to improve operational effectiveness, service quality, maintenance, and service delivery
• Develop short- and long-range facilities plans aligned with HMS and HSDM missions
• Assess conditions and recommend capital renewal, deferred maintenance, system upgrades, and other investments; sequence priorities against available budgets
• Maintain understanding of critical infrastructure conditions and redundancies to inform renewal decisions
• Lead facilities energy management, including procurement, utility optimization, conservation, and efficiency; sustainability programs related to greenhouse gas reduction, recycling, transportation, and operations
• Oversee emergency preparedness, disaster response, life-safety systems, and continuity planning
• Ensure compliance with safety standards, building, regulatory, and institutional requirements; monitor risks, implement corrective actions and continuous improvement
• Oversee relationships with vendors, contractors, consultants, and service providers, including performance, quality, costs, and compliance
• Negotiate, administer, and evaluate contracts and service agreements; establish performance, quality assurance, invoice review, and issue-resolution
• Develop and manage operating and capital budgets with the CCPFO and institutional partners; analyze expenditures, forecasts, costs, and performance to support resource allocation and financial stewardship
• Lead facilities management software, technology platforms, reporting tools, and operational systems; use data, KPIs, and dashboards for planning and decision-making
• Lead and direct Facilities, establishing goals, priorities, policies, procedures, and expectations; supervise, develop, mentor, and evaluate direct reports and staff
• Allocate resources; foster a collaborative, accountable, service-oriented environment
• Champion continuous improvement through innovation, industry benchmarking, and evaluation of processes, systems, and services to drive efficiency, quality, and value
• Serve as primary facilities liaison; maintain relationships with MATEP, leadership, faculty, administrators, staff, tenants, committees, affiliates, vendors, contractors, government agencies, and external partners
• Engage faculty and leadership to understand and incorporate needs into planning and decisions; communicate priorities, project status, issues, and resource considerations
• Represent Facilities in institutional committees, meetings, planning activities, and cross-functional initiatives; address complex operational and stakeholder matters

Benefits

• Generous paid time off including parental leave
• Medical, dental, and vision health insurance coverage starting on day one
• Retirement plans with university contributions
• Wellbeing and mental health resources
• Support for families and caregivers
• Professional development opportunities including tuition assistance and reimbursement
• Commuter benefits, discounts and campus perks

What This Job Offers

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