Janitor Helper

University of Chicago • Chicago, IL

1d • $20 - $24

About The Position

Residential Properties is a professional unit within Facilities Services (FS) tasked with operating the University’s faculty, staff, and graduate student housing in the Hyde Park-Kenwood neighborhood. With the direction of the Assistant Director, a property management team, support clerk and janitors, in collaboration with leasing, maintenance, accounting, and support personnel within FS, are responsible for all aspects of property management and customer relations for a residential portfolio, off-campus parking and some departmental office space. We support the University’s mission of research, learning, teaching, and community service. The work of the unit is seasonal, with time in the spring, summer and early fall favoring apartment turnover, related client activity and grounds, the winter with snow shoveling and heating, and other seasons less busy with opportunities for inspections, preventive repairs, new initiatives, and proactive client service. The Janitor Helper may have frequent contact with residents, Maintenance Shop staff, contractors, Residential Services leasing staff, other Property Management staff including janitors, and other Facilities Services staff. Occasional contacts include non-university residents and guests and the general public.

Requirements

• Education: High school diploma or GED from an accredited institution, required.
• Experience: Two years as a skilled Janitor Helper or a cleaning/maintenance specialist for a residential property, required.
• Certifications: Must have a valid Driver’s License and vehicle insurance acceptable to the University, required.
• Technical Knowledge or Skills: Demonstrated successful and effective customer service.
• Computer skills required for routine processes and ability to learn new software used in managing service requests, logging time worked, safety training and similar.
• Ability to write, read and understand established program guidelines, and assigned work orders and successfully accomplish the work established in those documents in the time allotted.
• Ability to understand verbal and written instructions and to organize assigned tasks in a logical and productive way for completion alone or with help.
• Adept at establishing relationships with all parties involved in the service or repair process to facilitate harmonious working relationships during the project, and results in prompt resolution of problems and conflicts as they may occur.
• Attend and pass required safety training courses provided by the University and comply with all University protocols and policies.
• Due to seasonal activities the unit may become very busy at times, and the janitor must be flexible, patient, calm, able to move readily from task to task, and able to focus on what needs to be done.
• May train and instruct seasonal help during busy periods.
• Must be capable of strenuous daily physical activity such as snow shoveling, walking, crouching, kneeling, climbing, lifting up to 50#, carrying, driving, and cleaning.
• A considerable amount of work may be located at three-story walk-up properties with no elevator or lift.
• Ability to work efficiently, professionally and safely with tools of the trade such as snow blower, lawn mower and related grounds tools, drill, saw, pipe rodding, lumber and other materials.
• Ability to occasionally work from ladders or lifts.

Responsibilities

• Common Space Cleaning and Service: Common space cleaning, light bulb inspections and bulb changing, resetting circuit breakers or replacing fuses, and minor repair required in all common spaces including but not limited to lobbies, halls, stairwells, porches, basements, storage, bicycle rooms.
• Apartment Turnover Activity: Perform apartment and storage locker cleaning and related minor repair.
• First-Level Customer Service: Assists with providing customer service to residents with a commitment to providing best-practice level of customer service to residents and the community. Includes occasional move-in orientations, showing apartments to prospective residents, answering calls, responding to messages, emergency response.
• Service Coordination: May assist with posting and delivering of notices, provide apartment or common space access for contractors, shop staff and management in accordance with service delivery protocols and other policy and procedures.
• Grounds Maintenance: Perform landscaping and snow removal service in accordance with service delivery protocols.
• Preventive Maintenance: May assist with performing preventive maintenance in common spaces and apartments including visual and use of logs or work orders of major equipment and inspection and service of minor equipment such as small pumps, motors, appliances, air vents, locks, life safety such as emergency lighting, security such as locks, guards, and closers.
• Special projects: Office-wide programs, initiatives, and relationships that involve individual initiative as well as collaborating with colleagues to accomplish goals as assigned to meet broader goals established for the Department and Unit such as bicycle room clean-outs
• Emergency Response: Occasionally may be required to respond to emergency situations from property management including snow shoveling service and is therefore on call 24/7.

Benefits

• The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED