Facilities Manager

University of Wisconsin Madison•Middleton, WI

8d•$75,000 - $87,473

About The Position

The College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) is an engine of scientific discovery , with researchers working across the spectrum of agricultural and life sciences. Academically , the college offers research-based, hands-on teaching of undergraduates; world-class graduate programs rich in research and project assistantships; and short courses, workshops and other programs. Our outreach activities bring the work of the college to Wisconsin businesses, organizations and communities throughout the state. The Wisconsin Crop Innovation Center (WCIC) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is a ~100,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art agricultural biotechnology facility that houses laboratories and greenhouses dedicated to the production and analysis of transgenic and gene-edited plants. As the largest publicly held plant transformation facility in the United States, WCIC plays a critical role in advancing crop improvement for human health, livestock, and environmental sustainability. This facility is located approximately 8 miles from the central UW Madison campus. This position is essential to ensuring the reliable operation and overall functionality of this highly specialized facility. The Facilities Manager is responsible for overseeing building operations, including maintaining safe working conditions, managing environmental control systems, and supporting plant culture and greenhouse growing environments. The role requires coordination with internal staff and external vendors to address maintenance and repair needs, as well as the implementation of preventative maintenance strategies to protect critical infrastructure and avoid disruptions to core research functions. Additionally, this position also serves as the Facilities Manager for Taylor Hall, an office building on the main UW Madison campus. Responsibilities include conducting regular site visits to monitor building conditions, maintaining communication with departmental administration, and submitting and tracking work orders for maintenance and repairs. The Facilities Manager will also collaborate closely with UW Madison Facilities Planning & Management to ensure timely and effective resolution of facility-related issues. Overall, this position plays a vital role in maintaining the operational integrity of both a complex research facility and a key academic building, supporting the university’s research and academic missions. In the future, this position may support other CALS buildings/units as needed.

Requirements

Experience working with building safety protocols, repair and maintenance of equipment and space
Project management experience (e.g., planning/developing projects; delegation of tasks; facilitate/monitor project progress; troubleshoot obstacles; organizing complex tasks; implementing and adhering to deadlines; maintaining records)
Responsive and effective customer service experience (e.g., responding to inquiries, providing administrative and/or technical support, ensuring follow-up and follow-through, adaptability, flexibility, communicating with internal and external customers)
Experience working with building systems operations such as: Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, steam and chilled water distribution, electrical, plumbing, building materials

Nice To Haves

Experience working with contemporary technical maintenance practices and techniques (e.g., predictive maintenance, proactive maintenance, condition monitoring, visual Inspections, performance monitoring, automated workflow management, computer maintenance management systems (CMMS))
Experience working with a building management system (e.g., Andover Continuum, etc.), greenhouse automation controls (e.g., Argus, etc.), and/or security systems
Experience working with building codes
Associate’s degree Preferred

Responsibilities

Ensures all protection systems such as fire panels, smoke/heat detectors, sprinkler systems, and pumps are maintained in accordance with the regulatory requirements and industry standards and ensures all emergency generators/power systems, rigging systems, and elevators are properly maintained in accordance with industry standards and are operational at all times
Ensures that the work performance of employees in the area of responsibility and maintenance zones or sections as a whole meet university standards and expectations
Minimizes institutional liability regarding the university's compliance with federal regulations and regulations governing environmental protection, the handling of hazardous materials and hazardous waste, and the use of chemical substances and materials
Coordinates and sometimes directly supervises the performance of emergency and routine maintenance on campus facilities
Establishes priorities for scheduled mechanical and electrical services within the area of responsibility, administering preventive maintenance programs for facilities, inspecting facilities to determine repair or replacement needs, and supervising the performance of emergency and routine maintenance on campus facilities within the area of responsibility
Works with procurement services and planning, design and construction as appropriate in developing bid specifications and contract documents for contract work to be performed, obtaining, reviewing, and analyzing estimates from reputable vendors, and preparing the bid tabulation sheets and associated paperwork to support the request