School Facilities Manager (Custodial/Maintenance): Newark - KIPP Team and Family (KIPP New Jersey & KIPP Miami)

About KIPP New Jersey:

KIPP New Jersey is part of the nationally recognized “Knowledge Is Power Program” network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public schools dedicated to preparing students for success in college and in life. In 2002, KIPP New Jersey first opened its doors in Newark’s South Ward as a single class of 80 fifth graders and has since grown to educate 7,035 students in grades K-12 across 15 schools in Newark and Camden. More than 90% of KIPP New Jersey students currently qualify for free or reduced meals. 

By 2025, KIPP New Jersey will have fifteen schools in Newark and five in Camden providing a world-class education to over 10,300 students. To learn more, visit www.kippnj.org.

Are you a hands-on professional with technical expertise in facility maintenance? Join our team as a School/Campus Facility Manager and help ensure our school is clean, safe, and well-maintained. This role involves daily cleaning, diagnosing maintenance issues, and managing vendors. We're looking for someone proactive, hardworking, and motivated to make a real impact on our school community.

Outcomes:

• 100% of buildings are safe.
• 100% of buildings are operational.
• 100% of yearly state and local compliance deadlines are met
• Facilities tickets are updated within 24 hours of submission.
• Achieve a 3.0 or higher average annual score on Ops EKG based on network priorities.
• Achieve 85% or higher on the Spring TNTP Insight Survey question: My school building is clean and well-maintained.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Daily cleaning of all school-used interior and exterior spaces and property in accordance to regional standards and industry best practices.
• Utilize work order system for PM and compliance tasks (School Dude or equivalent).
• Respond to student accidents, spills, and urgent needs.
• Daily inspection of buildings and grounds to note conditions and see that needed work is done in a timely fashion.
• Maintain working knowledge of problems, procedures, and operations involved in inspecting, analyzing, and planning building and ground maintenance and heating and ventilating work to be done.
• Manage lunchroom set up and clean-up for lunch periods and events as required.
• Maintain and update work order ticketing system daily
• Manage special projects related to building maintenance and upkeep.
• Ability to proactively implement preventative maintenance plans and report any issues to DSO and Facilities Manager. 
• Create and manage schedules for small capital and preventative maintenance projects. These projects can include painting, installation of electrical outlets, boiler repair work, or small interior fit-out projects.
• Manage  work order system for PM and compliance tasks (School Dude or equivalent).

Safety & Compliance

• Schedule and execute all yearly inspections pertaining to facility systems including fire alarm, fire extinguishers, fire suppression, mechanical systems, elevator Inspection, burglar alarm permit etc. 
• Maintain the building’s Life Safety systems including state and local permitting.
• First point of contact for response to building alarms.
• Review security camera footage as needed for facilities related issues.
• Builds and supports relationships with city-wide inspectors. Supports SFM1s with enrollment/updates of certificates as supports are needed.
• Has full knowledge of all building systems for safety/security - fire, burglar etc. Can clear alarms and reset after drills.

Vendor Management:

• Manage all facility related vendors and report any issues to DSO
• Monitor the quality of the work performed by the evening cleaning company every day.
• Supports DSO with leading the  quoting process and ensuring invoices are processed in a timely manner.
• Able to accept and coordinate deliveries of school supplies and equipment.
• Handle any escalated issues with vendors as needed with minimal involvement from the DSO.
• Oversee school based vendor payments via an online payment portal including PO creation and invoice payment. 
• Ensures timely payment of facility invoices (net 30).
• Supports region-wide vendor relationships and may take on regional vendor management for a given vendor.
• Able to review quotes from vendors with respect to labor and material rates. Should have the ability to review vendor contracts against quotes for material and labor hours.

Qualifications:

Skills:

• Previous custodial experience in a school or professional setting.
• Highly capable and comfortable using power tools and facility. related equipment.
• General carpentry and handyman skills.
• Experience using a work order system preferred.
• In depth knowledge of building systems including HVAC, electrical, and plumbing.
• Strong interpersonal and organizational skills and attention to detail
• Highly effective communication skills via phone, email, and in person.
• Must have valid driver's license.
• Must be available 24/7 to handle school related emergencies. 
• Experience developing and maintaining project plans
• Knowledge of asbestos containing materials handling and management.
• Knowledge of life safety systems, safety drills procedures and best practices.
• HVAC - is able to utilize a BMS system, change HVAC filters and make minor HVAC repairs (board replacements). 
• Carpentry - basic carpentry skills including a good working knowledge of door hardware and how to replace/repair.
• Plumbing. 
• Electric  - basic electrical knowledge - how to swap out an outlet and lighting ballasts.
• Black Seal Required.
• OSHA 30 Required.

Required Education & Experience:

Two (2) years of experience in the SFM 1 role or equivalent work involving the heating, inspection, cleaning, and maintenance of furniture, fixtures, offices and buildings, and the reconditioning, care, and maintenance of grounds. 

Appointees will be required to possess a current, valid Black Seal Boiler Operator License of the appropriate type (high or low pressure) issued by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

Abilities:

• Ability to multitask, works collaboratively, and maintains focus in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to utilize various types of electronic and information systems used by the organization—cell phone, computer, email and job tracking system.
• Ability to prepare and present to staff on building-wide facility systems.
• Ability to independently troubleshoot with peers, vendors and other resources.

Nice to Haves:

• Experienced in construction practices including site safety, communication.
• Proficiency in Spanish.

Physical Requirements:

The usual and customary methods of performing the job’s functions require the following physical demands:

• Ability to lift, bend, and pull more than 50 pounds.

Compensation & Benefits

• In addition to a competitive salary, KIPP NJ offers a full comprehensive benefits plan, including health care, retirement, a school laptop and transportation benefits for TEAMmates commuting into New Jersey from the New York City area. 

  KIPP New Jersey | KIPP Miami is an equal opportunity employer.

  All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.