Director of Building Operations - Success Academy Charter Schools

Success Academy Charter Schools

Director of Building Operations

Our Client

The mission of Success Academies is to reimagine public education. From the classroom to the halls of government, this means finding profoundly different approaches to how they structure, implement, and support schooling. Success Academies recognizes every aspect of school design, from writing rigorous new curricula to drawing regularly on the advances in technology and business that are transforming every sector except education.

Over the past decade, Success Academy (SA) has grown faster than any charter network in the nation, building a vibrant network of 47 elementary, middle, and high schools. Their 20,000 children – mostly poor and minority – are out-performing students at top city and suburban schools across New York State. At 100 schools, they will graduate 3,000 scholars each year who are prepared to enter, persist, and graduate from college and eventually become leaders in business, government, and civic realms.

Location

New York, NY

Responsibilities / Essential Job Functions

The Director of Building Operations will be responsible for operational management of a new 300,000 SF K-12 school located in the South Bronx, New York. This facility will be the flagship of SA’s 53-school portfolio and is intended to exemplify the best in publicly funded, privately operated education. As such, in addition to regular operation as a 2,400-seat K-12 integrated school, the building is expected to host many network-wide activities and regularly receive multiple special visitors. Excellent maintenance of building, and selection and management of staff sensitive to the unique role this facility will play in SA’s mission, will be key to success in this position. The Director of Building Operations will be responsible for ensuring effective and efficient day-to-day facility operations, managing preventative maintenance, overseeing building staff, managing vendors to provide critical building services, and developing and maintaining the facility’s budget. The Director of Building Operations will manage all service contracts, including building and grounds maintenance, janitorial, security, and facility-specific repair and maintenance contracts, and will report directly to the Head of Facilities Management.

The Director of Building Operations will participate in retaining and leading a generally outsourced facilities team responsible for the repair, maintenance, and ongoing operation of all building systems including fire/life safety, security, mechanical/plumbing/electrical plant, light construction (painting, doors, locks), elevators, etc. The role will generally be to develop and oversee the school’s regular maintenance programs and work closely with School Operations staff to support all operational requirements. The Director will prepare and manage the building’s operating budget, monitoring and controlling all operations-related expenses, and he or she will develop and maintain systems to respond to all regular and ad hoc maintenance and operational requirements.

The Director will:

1. Manage the K-12 building staff to foster an atmosphere of teamwork among building staff, school staff, and contractors.
2. Provide on-site leadership, direction, and oversight of staffing and vendors.
3. Survey the campus on a regular basis, administer testing and reviews of all aspects of the building to assess functionality and potential issues with facility systems.
4. Be able to troubleshoot operational issues with building systems. Assess the cause of the issue and respond with a plan of action based on knowledge of building systems.
5. Develop and execute short-term and long-term operational goals including physical plant maintenance, cleanliness, security, etc.
6. Maintain all required administrative records including, but not limited to, log books, work records, maintenance records, contractor visits, keys issued, etc.
7. Ensure appropriate expertise and resources are in place to meet requirements and respond to requests in a courteous, timely, and highly effective manner, including providing coverage for employees when needed.
8. Oversee the repair, maintenance, and continuous operation of all building systems including fire/life safety, Mechanical (HVAC, plumbing), Electrical (lighting control equipment, bulb replacement, UPS), light construction (painting, doors, locks), digital systems (fire alarm, card access, CCTV security access systems), elevator control, Building Maintenance System (BMS)(DDC), and audio-visual systems, etc.
9. Assist in the development and execution of a facilities management plan, including preventive maintenance plans, and manage facility maintenance contracts.
10. Coordinate all preventive maintenance and reactive repair maintenance activities; oversee other building staff and vendors, if so required.
11. Ensure compliance with local regulations regarding vendor procurement, if applicable.
12. Build professional relationships and collaborate with vendors and school operations team to support student learning, including attendance at necessary school meetings to support maintenance management activities as they relate to the school’s schedule.
13. Communicate regularly with educational staff and resolve time-critical issues in real-time.
14. Respond to school staff requests and implement an online ticketing system to prioritize schedules and assign, plan, and monitor the work.
15. Assist in coordinating required governmental inspections and regularly inspect all areas of the building and report deficiencies as well as suggestions for improvement.
16. Assist in ensuring compliance with local, state, and federal regulations; maintain up-to-date building documentation and certifications.
17. Collaborate with the Head of Facilities Management and SA executive leadership to help develop and manage repairs, capital improvements, and facility budget. As required, assist with, or obtain and level bids for service and/or repair and maintenance contracts, or minor one-off projects beyond the scope of regular maintenance contracts, for recommendation to SA leadership.

Qualifications

1. High school diploma or its equivalent required, with 10+ years of experience in building maintenance or related fields, and 3+ years of managing facilities teams.
2. Valid and up-to-date required NYC and NYS building certifications as applicable to particular building systems, HVAC certificates, training or licenses a plus.
3. Technical knowledge of key building systems (HVAC, electrical, mechanical, plumbing) and OSHA and other Life Safety codes, etc.
4. Proficiency with up-to-date technology, including the computer skills necessary to operate BMS system, lighting controls, fire alarm, BIM-based asset management software, on-line ticketing system, etc.
5. Strong organizational skills, meticulous attention to detail, and timely follow-through on all projects.
6. Extreme flexibility, with a strong work ethic and an entrepreneurial spirit to accommodate high level of responsibility and multiple priorities.
7. Ability to communicate effectively with facilities staff, school staff, and vendors, both verbally and electronically.
8. Available to work weekends when necessary.
9. Ability to meet the physical demands to successfully perform the essential responsibilities and functions of the job, and these are not meant to be all-inclusive. Some reasonable accommodations are possible to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential responsibilities and functions of the job but not in every situation:

• Stand, walk, bend, reach overhead, lift heavy objects, climb ladders, work at heights, and in tight spaces.
• Reach with hands and arms and use hands and fingers to handle objects and operate tools, computers, and/or controls.
• Use close vision, color vision, peripheral vision, and depth perception along with the ability to focus.

Helpful Links

Success Academy Charter Schools: https://www.successacademies.org/

About the Search

Success Academy Charter Schools is conducting a regional search with the assistance of Helbling, a ZRG company (www.helblingsearch.com), an executive search firm specializing in areas of facilities management, construction, engineering, and real estate development.

Please Submit a Resume & Cover Letter or Nominations to

Helbling, a ZRG company

8000 Brooktree Road, Suite 100, Wexford, PA 15090

Lee Grandovic, Managing Director

E: LeeG@helblingsearch.com

C: (724) 601-4607

Nicholas J. Nixon, Esq., Senior Associate

E: NickN@helblingsearch.com

O: (724) 935-7500 x 117

C: (407) 375-2274

Success Academy is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity in their organization. They do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. They actively seek applications from people of all backgrounds to strengthen their community and the perspectives needed to flourish in a multicultural world. Success Academy offers a full benefits program and opportunities for professional growth.