Manager, Facilities & Grounds

Maryland Institute College of Art•Baltimore, MD

About The Position

The Manager of Facilities & Grounds oversees daily facilities maintenance, campus grounds, preventative maintenance programs, and assigned facilities projects. The role directly supervises facilities personnel and coordinates contractors to keep campus buildings and grounds safe, functional, well-maintained, and responsive to institutional needs. The Manager establishes operational priorities, assigns resources, monitors performance, and ensures accountability for work quality, safety, and timely service delivery. Working under the direction of the Associate Vice President of Facilities Management, the Manager exercises independent judgment in daily operations and escalates major capital projects, significant expenditures, and decisions beyond delegated authority. The position directs corrective and preventative maintenance, trade repairs, groundskeeping, landscaping, horticulture, and seasonal campus operations. It manages internal facilities projects and external contractors, coordinates facilities logistics for campus events and exhibitions, and supervises, trains, and evaluates maintenance staff and student workers. The Manager also supports operational and project budget planning, maintains work-order and asset records, promotes safety and regulatory compliance, and participates in after-hours emergency response coverage. This role is designated as essential personnel. Attendance during campus emergencies, snow events, and major institutional events is mandatory, and availability for 24-hour emergency response and non-traditional hours, including evenings and weekends, is required as needed. The position requires a comprehensive background check and a valid driver’s license with a satisfactory driving record. Work takes place throughout campus, including studios, laboratories, shops, mechanical spaces, residence halls, and other environments. The employee may encounter weather, chemicals, dust, fumes, noise, machinery, heat, and other occupational hazards, and must be able to wear appropriate personal protective equipment. Required training includes the Exhibitions Department Installation Guide and Policy handbook, MICA Handbook orientation, Anti-Harassment, Hazard Communication, Emergency Plans & Fire Prevention, and Personal Protection Equipment training. Additional training may be added according to the EHS Manager training schedule.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED equivalent.
Five years of progressive supervisory or managerial experience in a facilities, grounds, or trades environment.
Practical experience managing small-to-midsize facility maintenance projects and contractor teams.
Thorough understanding of safety regulations, including OSHA, EPA, and local building codes.
Demonstrated supervisory or team leadership experience, including assigning work, monitoring performance, and coordinating staff or contractor activities.
Experience managing preventative and corrective maintenance operations and small-to-midsize facilities projects.
Working knowledge of facility systems, building-envelope maintenance, grounds and horticulture management, building maintenance practices, and applicable safety requirements.
Working knowledge of applicable occupational safety, environmental, building, fire, and other regulatory requirements relevant to facilities operations.
Ability to plan, organize, and manage multiple operational priorities, maintenance schedules, projects, and contractor activities simultaneously.
Ability to allocate resources, resolve routine problems independently, and recognize when matters require escalation.
Ability to monitor contractor performance, assess work quality, manage schedules, and resolve routine scope and performance issues.
Ability to monitor operating expenditures, interpret cost estimates, track project costs, and support budget planning.
Strong written, verbal, organizational, interpersonal, problem-solving, prioritization, and customer-service skills.
Ability to communicate effectively with employees, contractors, faculty, staff, students, and institutional leadership.
Must successfully pass a comprehensive background check.
Must maintain a valid driver’s license with a satisfactory driving record.
Must attend campus emergencies, snow events, and major institutional events, and be available for 24-hour emergency response and non-traditional hours as needed.
Ability to occasionally stand, walk, sit, use hands to handle tools or controls, reach, balance, stoop, talk, and hear.
Ability to occasionally lift up to 35 pounds; the work-environment description also states the ability to occasionally lift and carry materials or equipment weighing up to 40 pounds.
Required vision abilities include close, distance, color, peripheral, and depth vision, and the ability to adjust focus.
Ability to walk throughout campus and access varied work environments, including areas requiring stairs, ladders, or other means of access.
Ability to wear required personal protective equipment and respond to safety incidents and emergencies.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree or technical trade certification in Facilities Management, Engineering, Project Management, or a related discipline.
Technical trade certification or facilities-related professional certification.
Experience managing facilities operations in higher education, a complex multi-building environment, or an institution with specialized academic, studio, exhibition, and event spaces.
Experience with computerized maintenance management systems, work-order platforms, asset management, and facilities performance reporting.
Experience supporting capital improvements, contractor procurement, operating budgets, and long-term maintenance planning.

Responsibilities

Plan, schedule, and direct routine, corrective, and preventative maintenance work orders, projects, and tasks for campus buildings.
Inspect buildings and grounds to identify maintenance issues, structural repairs, and safety concerns, and recommend proactive solutions.
Oversee groundskeeping, landscaping, horticulture, and campus-wide snow and ice removal workflows.
Manage internal facilities projects, modernizations, trade upgrades, and minor capital improvements from initiation through completion.
Coordinate contractors and external trade teams, ensuring compliance with project scope, schedules, budgets, quality standards, and safety requirements.
Assist the Associate Vice President in defining project scopes, sequencing work, and managing vendor deliverables.
Plan, schedule, and monitor facilities support for campus events, exhibitions, academic showcases, and seasonal programs.
Coordinate trade workers, grounds staff, and contractors for space setups, stage builds, electrical and lighting connections, waste management, and teardowns.
Work with campus stakeholders, event organizers, and student groups to assess space needs and coordinate facilities logistics.
Supervise, mentor, and train maintenance technicians and student workers; assign work and distribute workloads.
Conduct annual performance evaluations, establish accountability measures, and support staff professional development.
Manage recruitment and onboarding for subordinate personnel.
Promote a safe working environment and enforce institutional policies and applicable health and safety regulations, including OSHA and EPA requirements.
Maintain work-order records, asset histories, and task-completion metrics in the campus work management system.
Assist with operating budgets, project estimates, equipment needs, resource planning, and expenditure monitoring within assigned authority.
Participate in the departmental leadership on-call rotation and coordinate responses to facilities emergencies, including after-hours incidents.
Communicate operational needs, significant issues, and performance updates to the Associate Vice President.
Perform other duties as assigned.