Senior Associate Vice President for UW Facilities

University of Washington Medical Center•Seattle, WA

1d•$360,000 - $375,000•Onsite

About The Position

The University of Washington seeks a Senior Associate Vice President for UW Facilities to provide strategic and operational leadership for the University’s facilities organization. Reporting to the President, this senior leader is responsible for reliable operation, maintenance, renewal, and improvement of the University’s physical environment, and leads the people, services, infrastructure, and capital delivery that support the University’s academic, research, clinical, and public service mission. The role oversees core facilities functions including building operations and maintenance, utilities and infrastructure, custodial and grounds services, transportation, and capital project planning and delivery. The Senior Associate Vice President will build strong relationships across the University, translate institutional priorities into responsive services and executable plans, steward complex financial resources, and develop strategies to fund infrastructure renewal and institutional priorities. The role partners with Finance, Planning & Budgeting (FPB) on capital and portfolio planning, combining FPB’s enterprise-level strategic and financial framework with Facilities’ expertise in asset condition, infrastructure needs, feasibility, lifecycle implications, cost, schedule, and delivery risk. The leader will strengthen core operations, improve service, simplify processes, use data and resources strategically, and establish a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. The Facilities portfolio may evolve over time in response to institutional priorities. The position is based in an office and campus environment, with regular presence across University facilities and project sites, occasional travel to UW Bothell, UW Tacoma, UW Medicine locations, and other University sites, and possible response to significant facility incidents or operational emergencies outside normal business hours.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, architecture, facilities management, construction management, planning, business, public administration, or a related field, or equivalent experience. Equivalent education and/or experience may substitute for minimum qualifications except where legal requirements apply.
At least 10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in facilities operations, capital development, infrastructure, construction, or a related field within a large and complex organization.
Senior leadership experience spanning day-to-day facilities operations and capital project or asset renewal delivery.
Significant experience leading large multidisciplinary organizations and senior leadership teams.
Demonstrated experience managing complex operating and capital budgets.
Experience overseeing major physical assets, infrastructure, building operations, construction, or capital programs.
Ability to translate strategy into operational priorities, service expectations, performance measures, and measurable results.
Experience leading significant organizational or operational change while maintaining service continuity.
Ability to work effectively across organizational boundaries where responsibility and authority are distributed.
Strong communication skills and experience advising senior executives on complex operational, financial, capital, and strategic issues.
Experience developing productive relationships with employees, customers, institutional leaders, and other stakeholders.
Demonstrated commitment to responsible stewardship of organizational, financial, and physical resources.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in engineering, architecture, planning, facilities management, construction management, business, public administration, or a related field.
Senior facilities leadership experience within a research university, academic medical center, government organization, or comparably complex institution.
Experience overseeing a heterogeneous physical environment, including research, instructional, and highly specialized facilities.
Experience in a unionized environment.
Experience implementing enterprise asset-management, work-management, or other data-driven operational management systems.
Demonstrated leadership in sustainability, energy management, resilience, or carbon-reduction initiatives.
Experience improving customer service and operational performance within a large internal-service organization.
Experience presenting major facilities, infrastructure, or capital matters to a governing board.

Responsibilities

Lead reliable, safe, efficient, customer-focused delivery of facilities services, including building operations and maintenance, utilities and infrastructure, custodial and grounds services, transportation, and other assigned functions.
Establish service expectations, operating standards, and performance measures for a large, distributed service organization.
Maintain effective 24/7 operational readiness and ensure strong responses to facilities incidents, infrastructure failures, and other events that threaten continuity of University operations.
Use data to assess demand, cost, asset condition, productivity, service quality, and customer experience; prioritize work where resources are constrained.
Simplify processes, reduce duplication, improve workflows, and embed continuous improvement in daily operations and leadership practice.
Translate University priorities into Facilities operating plans, renewal strategies, implementation approaches, and resource requirements; advise the President and senior leaders on facilities condition, infrastructure risk, operational priorities, service performance, and investment considerations.
Partner with FPB and other institutional leaders on capital and portfolio planning, bringing Facilities expertise to decisions about asset condition, infrastructure need, feasibility, lifecycle implications, and project delivery.
Ensure Facilities plans and operations support academic, research, clinical, and administrative priorities; build partnerships with UW Bothell, UW Tacoma, UW Medicine, and other institutional partners.
Provide executive leadership for converting capital priorities into executable programs and projects; lead planning, design, construction, and delivery of capital projects and major renovations within the Facilities portfolio.
Manage project scope, budget, schedule, design quality, sustainability, stakeholder engagement, and risk; establish milestones and escalation paths, reduce unnecessary delays, and hold leaders accountable for delivery commitments.
Integrate capital delivery with maintenance, renewal, and operations to improve long-term asset performance and reliability; report on project execution, delivery risk, and major capital work to University leadership and the Board of Regents as appropriate.
Steward Facilities operating, capital, self-sustaining, and recharge resources through an integrated multiyear financial strategy; explain cost drivers, funding restrictions, financial risks, and the consequences of underinvestment.
Develop investment cases connecting facilities needs to institutional outcomes; evaluate funding, financing, partnership, and service-delivery approaches, including possible public-private partnerships, with attention to affordability, lifecycle cost, and risk.
Strengthen financial planning, forecasting, transparency, and accountability; align Facilities financial practices with University budgeting, capital planning, and administrative structures, and promote sustainable service delivery and resource allocation.
Lead and develop the Facilities senior leadership team, establish organizational accountability, and foster a culture of service, respect, collaboration, and operational discipline.
Partner with UWHR as Facilities transitions from its own HR infrastructure to the University’s integrated HR model; build leadership capability and succession pipelines and develop productive relationships with labor partners in collaboration with UWHR.
Engage proactively with campus leaders, develop shared priorities and clear service and project commitments, resolve concerns across organizational boundaries, and ensure timely answers and follow-through.
Use structured campus feedback to improve services and evaluate leadership performance; represent UW Facilities in University governance and institutional capital and portfolio discussions.
Maintain close partnerships with FPB and develop operating relationships with leaders in Human Resources, Information Technology, Environmental Health & Safety, UW Medicine, research administration, emergency preparedness, sustainability, and other enterprise functions.
Communicate facilities services, priorities, tradeoffs, performance, and risks to University leaders and stakeholders; represent Facilities before the Board of Regents and external agencies when appropriate.