Custodial Project Manager (K-12)

Melgar Facility Maintenance•Burlington, NC

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Project Manager is responsible for the day-to-day field management of custodial operations across multiple facilities within an assigned zone. Depending on the size of the assigned area, the Project Manager may oversee a custodial workforce of 50 or more employees working across multiple locations and shifts. This is not a desk job. This position requires a hands-on, highly visible manager who is comfortable spending the majority of the workday in the field—walking facilities, inspecting work, communicating with employees and supervisors, responding to staffing needs, meeting with clients, correcting deficiencies, and ensuring each location is operating to company and contractual standards. The Project Manager serves as the primary operational leader for the assigned zone and is expected to take ownership of its overall performance. Success in this position requires excellent organization, strong communication skills, good judgment, professionalism, accountability, and the ability to manage multiple priorities at the same time. Just as important as experience is attitude and leadership approach. Project Managers are expected to be dependable, approachable, solution-oriented, and willing to take responsibility when challenges arise. The position requires someone who can remain professional under pressure, communicate clearly with employees and clients, address problems directly, and maintain high expectations without losing the respect of the team. Project Managers must be willing to lead from the field—not simply manage through phone calls, text messages, or reports.

Requirements

Must be able to spend extended periods standing and walking throughout facilities while conducting inspections, meeting with employees, and overseeing daily operations.
Must be able to bend, reach, stretch, push, pull, climb stairs, and perform other physical movements associated with inspecting and supporting custodial operations.
Must be able to lift and move objects weighing up to 50 pounds when necessary.
Must be comfortable working in an environment where the workday may involve frequent movement between schools and changing priorities throughout the day.
Must be willing and physically capable of assisting with custodial operations when necessary to support the team or address an immediate operational need.
Must be able to safely operate a motor vehicle and travel regularly between assigned locations.
Demonstrated ability to lead and supervise a large, diverse workforce, potentially consisting of 50 or more employees across multiple facilities and shifts.
Ability to establish expectations, provide direction, coach employees, address performance concerns, and hold employees accountable while maintaining professionalism and respect.
Must be comfortable having difficult conversations and addressing attendance, performance, conduct, staffing, and policy concerns when necessary.
Ability to develop supervisors and lead employees toward improved performance rather than relying solely on disciplinary action.
Must demonstrate sound judgment, emotional maturity, professionalism, and consistency when dealing with employees and workplace challenges.
Must possess a positive, solution-oriented attitude and be willing to take ownership of problems within the assigned zone.
Must be dependable, responsive, approachable, and capable of maintaining composure during stressful or rapidly changing situations.
Experience managing custodial, janitorial, environmental services, facilities, hospitality, or another labor-intensive service operation is strongly preferred.
Ability to effectively oversee multiple facilities simultaneously while maintaining awareness of staffing, cleanliness, quality, supplies, equipment, employee performance, and client concerns at each location.
Ability to prioritize competing needs and determine where management presence is most urgently required.
Must be self-directed and capable of organizing the workday without requiring constant supervision.
Must understand that effective management requires regular physical presence in assigned buildings, not management primarily through phone calls, texts, or email.
Ability to identify operational problems, determine an appropriate solution, assign corrective action, and follow through to ensure completion.
Ability to recognize when an issue should be handled independently and when it should be escalated through the appropriate chain of command.
Working knowledge of professional custodial operations, including cleaning procedures, equipment, chemicals, supplies, floor care, restroom sanitation, and general facility cleanliness.
Ability to inspect custodial work and recognize deficiencies that may not be immediately obvious.
Ability to train, coach, or provide direction to employees regarding proper custodial procedures and equipment use.
Ability to monitor quality, safety, productivity, staffing, and operational efficiency across the assigned zone.
Must understand the importance of verifying completed work rather than relying solely on verbal confirmation from employees.
Must possess strong verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to communicate professionally with school administrators, client representatives, company leadership, supervisors, and frontline employees.
Ability to receive complaints or constructive feedback professionally and respond with appropriate corrective action.
Must be comfortable meeting with clients, discussing service concerns, explaining corrective actions, and providing follow-up when necessary.
Must maintain appropriate professional boundaries while working in educational environments.
Ability to communicate expectations clearly and ensure employees understand company policies, procedures, and chain-of-command requirements.
Ability to manage multiple responsibilities simultaneously, including staffing, scheduling, inspections, payroll, employee issues, supplies, client communication, and administrative deadlines.
Strong attention to detail and ability to maintain accurate operational and employee records.
Ability to review and approve employee timecards and identify potential payroll or timekeeping discrepancies.
Basic to intermediate computer proficiency, including email and Microsoft Office applications such as Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
Ability to learn and effectively use company systems for scheduling, payroll, inspections.

Nice To Haves

Multi-site operations experience managing custodial, janitorial, environmental services, facilities, hospitality, or another labor-intensive service operation is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Manage custodial operations across multiple facilities within an assigned geographic zone.
Supervise, support, and provide direction to a custodial workforce that may include 50+ employees, including leads, supervisors, full-time employees, part-time employees, and other assigned staff.
Maintain a strong and consistent physical presence within assigned facilities, routinely walking buildings and observing actual conditions rather than relying solely on employee reports.
Conduct regular quality-control inspections to ensure custodial work meets contractual requirements, company standards, and client expectations.
Identify deficiencies and ensure corrective action is completed promptly and followed through to resolution.
Ensure employees are completing the work they have been trained to perform and following the established scope of work for their assigned facility.
Establish clear expectations with employees and hold team members accountable for attendance, performance, conduct, safety, appearance, and company policies.
Coach and develop employees and supervisors while addressing performance problems appropriately when expectations are not being met.
Maintain appropriate staffing levels throughout the assigned zone and respond quickly to call-outs, vacancies, schedule changes, and unexpected operational needs.
Coordinate employee schedules, building assignments, transfers, coverage, and other staffing adjustments necessary to maintain uninterrupted service.
Assist with recruiting, interviewing, onboarding, orientation, and training of new custodial employees when needed.
Review employee timekeeping and payroll information for accuracy and ensure timecards, punches, corrections, and approvals are completed by established deadlines.
Ensure employees are following all required clock-in/clock-out procedures and other company attendance requirements.
Maintain professional relationships with facility administrators, client representatives, and other designated contacts.
Meet with clients as needed to discuss building conditions, concerns, service expectations, upcoming events, and corrective actions.
Respond professionally and promptly to client concerns and follow through until the issue has been resolved.
Conduct follow-up inspections after complaints or deficiencies to verify that corrective work has actually been completed.
Communicate operational concerns through the appropriate chain of command and ensure employees understand and follow established reporting procedures.
Provide clear updates to senior management regarding staffing concerns, employee issues, client concerns, building conditions, incidents, and other significant developments within the assigned zone.
Complete required reports, inspections, documentation, corrective actions, employee records, and administrative tasks accurately and on time.
Maintain accurate records for operational, payroll, safety, personnel, training, and client-service purposes.
Monitor custodial supplies and equipment throughout assigned facilities and coordinate ordering, distribution, inventory, and replacement as necessary.
Ensure employees are properly trained in the safe use of custodial chemicals, equipment, machinery, and personal protective equipment.
Enforce company safety policies and immediately address unsafe conditions or unsafe work practices.
Ensure workplace incidents, injuries, property damage, employee concerns, and other reportable events are escalated and documented according to company procedures.
Coordinate and oversee special projects such as floor refinishing, carpet cleaning, detail cleaning, summer cleaning, deep cleaning, event preparation, and other periodic custodial services.
Prepare facilities for client inspections, company inspections, school openings, special events, and other operational deadlines.
Verify completion of assigned projects rather than assuming work has been completed based solely on verbal confirmation.
Assist custodial employees when operationally necessary. While the Project Manager's primary responsibility is management, the position requires a willingness to step in and help the team when circumstances require it.
Respond appropriately to urgent operational situations that may occur outside the normal workday when management involvement is required.
Protect confidential employee, client, student, and company information and maintain appropriate professional boundaries while working in school environments.
Perform additional duties as necessary to support contractual obligations and the successful operation of the assigned zone.