Facilities Director

Sunshine Academy•Laurel, MT

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Facilities Director is responsible for the physical operations of Sunshine Academy’s three licensed childcare centers in Billings and Laurel. This hands-on, self-directed role maintains buildings, building systems, grounds, playgrounds, outbuildings, vehicles, and vendor and contractor relationships. The goal is to keep every center safe, well-maintained, attractive, functional, and ready for inspection. The director plans their schedule around preventive maintenance and routine walkthroughs, proactively identifies problems, and focuses on completing work on time. The role manages maintenance schedules and records, performs general repairs, monitors building systems, maintains grounds and vehicles, coordinates vendors and projects, supports licensing and safety inspections, and tracks spending within an established budget. The director also communicates maintenance needs and risks to center directors and ownership and submits a monthly facilities report. The position reports directly to the Director of Operations, with weekly one-on-one meetings. The owner provides technical guidance and approves expenditures above authorized limits. Center directors collaborate with the position but do not supervise it. Ownership retains responsibility for cameras, networking, phones, and heavy equipment. This is a full-time position of approximately 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday. Earlier starts may be needed, and the role includes on-call responsibilities for building emergencies and occasional evening or weekend hours for events and projects during center closures. Starting pay is $30–$35 per hour, depending on experience. Health insurance benefits are not currently offered. A personal vehicle is required, with mileage reimbursement provided; Sunshine Academy provides uniforms, company tools, and consumable supplies. The primary workshop and tool storage are at the Ramshorn center in Laurel. The position includes a written training plan during the first week, weekly supervisor check-ins, performance reviews at 30, 60, and 90 days, and a 12-month review. The first year is a probationary period. As the Academy expands to a fourth center, the role is expected to grow into a leadership position overseeing a facilities team.

Requirements

At least five years of experience in facilities management, building maintenance, construction trades, or property management.
Hands-on experience with drywall, painting, doors, hardware, plumbing, fixtures, drains, light electrical, flooring, basic carpentry, and playground equipment.
Ability to safely use hand tools, power tools, and facility equipment, including mowers, weed eaters, floor machines, pressure washers, and snowblowers.
Experience obtaining quotes, managing vendors, and working within a budget.
Comfort using a smartphone and computer for photographs, maintenance tracking, reporting, and researching parts or vendors.
Working knowledge of basic commercial building fire codes and life-safety requirements.
Valid Montana driver’s license and clean driving record.
Ability to pass childcare background checks and fingerprinting requirements.
Comfort working around young children while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.
Ability to perform physically demanding work, including lifting up to 75 pounds, climbing ladders, accessing roofs and crawl spaces, kneeling, and working outdoors in Montana weather.
Must live within reasonable proximity to Laurel and Billings and be available to respond to building emergencies.
Availability for approximately 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday, on-call building emergencies, and occasional evening or weekend work for events and projects during center closures.
Must use a personal vehicle for transportation.
Ability to wear the Sunshine Academy uniform and participate in staff events, professional development in-services, and event setup and teardown.

Nice To Haves

Experience with HVAC, boilers, or irrigation systems.
Military veterans are encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

Manage weekly, monthly, quarterly, seasonal, and annual preventive maintenance schedules across all three centers, updating schedules as buildings and equipment change.
Document completed maintenance with photographs and maintenance logs.
Perform general repairs involving drywall, painting, doors, hardware, plumbing, fixtures, light electrical, flooring, carpentry, playground equipment, and minor vehicle repairs.
Complete safety-related repairs the same day, licensing-related issues within one week, and other repairs within two weeks or arrange for an appropriate vendor.
Maintain and monitor heating and cooling, water and septic, electrical and lighting, fire alarms and extinguishers, emergency lighting, doors, locks, roofs, gutters, and flooring.
Learn and maintain specialized systems, including geothermal heating and pressurized septic systems, and proactively identify building-system problems.
Oversee lawn care, irrigation, trees, fencing, playground surfaces, fall zones, shade structures, parking lots, walkways, and timely snow and ice removal.
Maintain consistent appearance and upkeep across all three centers.
Maintain an organized list of approved vendors and contractors; obtain quotes, schedule work, coordinate onsite access, inspect completed projects, and verify invoices against approved quotes.
Coordinate vendor services for snow removal, landscaping, HVAC, septic, plumbing, electrical, roofing, flooring, glass, fire systems, and pest control.
Keep facilities ready for childcare licensing, health, and fire inspections; conduct walkthroughs with center directors, attend inspections as needed, and resolve facility-related findings by established deadlines.
Maintain center vans for safety and legal compliance, conduct quarterly vehicle checks, schedule maintenance and repairs with the designated mechanic, and keep registrations and insurance current.
Plan, estimate, schedule, and complete small- to medium-sized facility improvement projects; coordinate onsite activities for larger capital projects led by ownership.
Work within the established monthly facilities budget, track expenses by center, make purchases within authorized limits, obtain two quotes for expenses exceeding approval limits, and recommend future capital improvements.
Proactively identify maintenance issues and communicate solutions; keep center directors informed about work that may affect daily operations; communicate significant concerns and recommended plans to ownership early.
Submit a monthly one-page facilities report covering completed work, overdue items, upcoming projects, expenses, and potential risks.
Participate in staff events and professional development in-services, wear the Sunshine Academy uniform, assist with setup and teardown for Academy-hosted events, and contribute as a collaborative team member.
Respond to building emergencies, including frozen pipes, heating failures, power outages, or break-ins.
Use a personal vehicle for work-related transportation; mileage reimbursement is provided.