Manager Building Services

Iowa State University•Ames, IA

About The Position

Iowa State University’s Student Innovation Center is seeking a collaborative, forward-thinking Manager Building Services to oversee the people, technology, equipment, and daily operations of several innovative Makerspaces: the Electronics, Textiles and 3D Printing Makerspace, Digital Media Studio, Digital Modeling and Visualization Lab, and AI Innovation Studio. This is a people-leadership and operations-management role in a highly technical, creative environment. The manager will lead professional and student staff with varied areas of expertise, set priorities and expectations, support employee development, and foster a collaborative and accountable team. The position also oversees daily operations, technology and equipment planning, safety, customer service, training, budgets, purchasing, and continuous improvement. The successful candidate should be curious about emerging technologies and comfortable learning enough to ask informed questions, evaluate recommendations, and make sound decisions. Strong leadership, communication, organization, and problem-solving skills are important, along with the ability to manage multiple priorities in an evolving environment. The manager will help foster a safe, welcoming, and engaging environment where students, faculty, and staff can explore, create, and learn. The Student Innovation Center brings together students, faculty, staff, and industry partners from across disciplines to collaborate, experiment, and bring ideas to life. Its hands-on learning spaces, specialized equipment, emerging technologies, and opportunities for creative exploration support innovation, entrepreneurship, and experiential learning.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree.
Five years of related experience.
Legally authorized to work in the United States on an ongoing basis without sponsorship; immigration sponsorship is not available.

Nice To Haves

Experience supervising staff, including coaching, employee development, and performance management.
Experience managing day-to-day operations in a makerspace, innovation lab, technology facility, instructional lab, production environment, or similar setting.
Experience overseeing operations across multiple facilities, programs, or technical service areas.
Experience managing budgets, procurement, inventory, equipment, or technology resources.
Experience working with digital, media, visualization, fabrication, or emerging technologies.
Experience collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to support operations, projects, or organizational goals.

Responsibilities

Supervise technical and professional staff, including hiring, coaching, performance management, employee development, scheduling, and fostering a collaborative, accountable team environment.
Manage daily operations across assigned makerspaces, including equipment, technology, software, staffing, space access, reservations, maintenance, and user services.
Oversee equipment maintenance, software updates, troubleshooting, technical assessments, and technology projects to support reliable operations and effective service delivery.
Promote safe equipment use, coordinate safety training and inspections, and collaborate with Environmental Health and Safety to maintain compliance with university policies and procedures.
Evaluate emerging technologies, identify opportunities for makerspace enhancements, and develop short- and long-term plans for equipment upgrades, replacement, and expansion.
Oversee purchasing, equipment inventories, operational budgets, and resource allocation.
Establish and improve staff and user training, standard operating procedures, service standards, and operational practices across assigned spaces.
Analyze participation, equipment usage, training, and customer service data to evaluate effectiveness, identify trends, and guide operational improvements.
Build relationships with campus departments, student organizations, faculty, staff, vendors, and external partners to support makerspace programs, services, and initiatives.
Ensure responsive customer service, assist with complex inquiries, and support an accessible, welcoming environment where users can explore technologies and develop skills.