Assistant Director for Facilities Quality and Management

The University of Kansas seeks an Assistant Director of Facilities Services to provide daily oversight, provide strategic and operational leadership for the university's facility management team. This role supports the overall facilities services maintenance operation and oversees and supports a team of Building Managers responsible for ensuring the safe, efficient, and effective operation of campus buildings. The Assistant Director acts as a key liaison between Facilities Services, Transportation Services, Environment Health and Safety, Space Management, Facilities Planning and Development, building occupants and department stakeholders ensuring that facility-related needs are met and that communication regarding maintenance, custodial, space usage and improvements is timely and clear.

This position will be responsible for managing operations across all facilities at the Lawrence and Edwards campuses. Responsibilities include coordinating equipment, resources and staff across the trades to ensure all preventative maintenance, scheduled maintenance, repair and operations of all facilities are executed in a clean, safe and timely manner. Some travel may be required for operational and training purposes. This position will require a leader that has effective communication skills, experience in building collaborative partnerships, effectiveness in engaging teams, agile and creative problem-solving expertise, and the ability to identify future operational or equipment concerns to ensure a high-level quality of operational health of mechanical systems. This position reports to and works under the general direction of the Director of Facilities Services with considerable latitude for daily operational decisions.

Schedule: Monday to Friday 7:30 am to 4:30 pm

Facilities Services within KU Operations plays a vital role in maintaining an inviting and safe campus environment that supports teaching, learning and research. KU Operations supports KU's mission of learning, scholarship, and creative endeavor by providing the visible and behind-the-scenes services that make possible the university's academic and research missions.

KU offers great benefits to employees with up to 176 hours of paid vacation per year, 96 hours of sick leave earned per year, nine paid holidays plus one discretionary day, a retirement program, medical & dental insurance, life and disability insurance, other benefit plan options, and State of Kansas discounts offered by various vendors. KU also offers employees educational and professional development opportunities.

Tuition assistance offers up to 12 credit hours per year for employees and Employee Dependent Tuition Assistance Scholarship (EDTAS) award opportunities! Details available at: https://humanresources.ku.edu/tuition-assistance

KU's excellence is a result of the rich tapestry of experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds of our faculty, staff, students, and colleagues from across our nation and the globe. At KU, we invest in continuous learning and growth by creating a climate where people engage in respectful dialogue and debate and support each other's success. We foster a culture of care where each person is seen, heard, and valued. When people feel a true sense of belonging, we believe they are better able to reach their full potential and achieve remarkable things.

The successful candidate must be eligible to work in the U.S. by the effective date of the appointment.

Oversight and Management of Buildings and Building Managers (40%)

• Manages and coordinates direct report building manager teams. Helps find creative and sustainable solutions to issues. Leads a culture of reliability and campus stewardship.
• Perform supervisory duties such as, facilitate training, development and performance evaluation for Building Managers, facilities services staff, including garage, inspectors, and special services.
• Ensure routine building inspections are conducted and deficiencies are documented and addressed in a timely manner.
• Provide excellent customer service to occupants of buildings and stakeholders
• Provide timely and clear communication with stakeholders
• Builds a culture of positive internal and external relationships between operations and the campus community through the building manager program. Develops a well-trained staff oriented to the best interest of the university and its mission. Develops a culture of accessibility and proactive communication across all levels.
• Establish and implement short- and long-range goals and strategic plans. Monitor and evaluate programmatic and operational effectiveness while also proposing and implementing changes for additional improvements throughout the unit.
• Maintains compliance with university policies and procedures. Represent the units to develop and enforce system wide protocols and procedures to ensure university requirements are met.
• Develops, implements and maintains an internal inspection program to ensure facility quality. Inspections may also include exterior locations like roofs, building exteriors and surrounding grounds spaces.
• Analyze and deliver effective reporting of building inspection data. Monitor and maintain key performance, effectiveness and budgetary data for FS Maintenance.
• Develops, coordinates, or delivers training programs and makes recommendations to leadership for unit or individual professional development training.
• Reviews completed work for quality workmanship, adherence to technical specifications and customer satisfaction.
• Serve as the escalation point for complex or unresolved building-related issues raised by building managers or occupants.
• Evaluates and recommends upgrades and improvements for both basic functions and future state best practices.
• Works closely with the director on ROI planning and budgetary impact for technology improvements. Responsible for the development and implementation of a plan that provides for the routine identification and correction of campus facility deficiencies.
• Develops metrics and reports regarding work activities and timeframes.

Facilities Services (30%)

• Establish and implement short and long range goals and strategic plans, safety and operating procedures. Monitor and evaluate programmatic and operational effectiveness as well as propose and implement changes for additional improvements throughout the unit.
• Keep accurate tracking of spending and complete financial approvals
• Manage deferred maintenance approvals
• Review and approve in Maximo FS approval required items
• Handle day to day administrative tasks
• Implement and tracking of safety training
• Responds to and manages initial response to emergency situations during regular shifts, nights, weekends and holidays; serves "on-call" on a rotating basis with other professional staff to manage facilities related emergencies and approve call backs as appropriate.

Resource Stewardship (20%)

• Advise FS Director and university leadership on capital facilities and deferred maintenance needs to adequately maintain the physical facilities of the university. Assist the Director with allocation of fiscal resource budgeting for various improvement and maintenance projects. Independently assess the financial impact of the projects for ROI planning.
• Assist the FS Director, university leaders, space management planners, FPD, faculty and staff to analyze and assess maintenance, resource stewardship, and growth and facilities needs pertaining to programmatic changes. Provide input as appropriate.
• Continuous collaboration with all Operation units including attending or designating staff to attend project meetings about construction, renovation and improvement projects affecting campus buildings. Participate in strategic planning and contribute to the continuous improvement efforts within Facilities Services.
• Assist the FS Director with annual budget planning and progress. Assist with planning, developing and implementing strategies for continuous improvement and efficiency to save resources. Assist with planning, developing and implementing strategies for generating resources and/or revenue streams. Conduct regular review of budget actuals to identify resource issues and opportunities. Coordinate with FPD and University leaders on capital construction (new, remodel, or removal) to plan and communicate appropriately for operational needs. Ensure accurate and timely reporting of space usage and occupancy changes to the Office of Space Management.
• Uses data to support operational planning and decision-making.
• Create, implement and maintain a program for auditing completed projects to ensure alignment with organizational standards and strategic objectives.

Other duties as assigned (10%)

• Assist in emergency/urgent situations as needed.
• Assist the director in other tasks assigned.
• Operates KU issued vehicles to transport self and materials to work sites

In addition to the online application, the following documents are required to be considered for this position:

1. A cover letter addressing how required and preferred qualifications are met.
2. Resume or curriculum vitae.
3. Contact information for three professional references.

Application review begins Friday, January 16th 2026 and continues until a pool of qualified applicants is identified.

Shawn Harding
s366h815@ku.edu

Starting at $80,000

Friday January 16, 2026

Monday February 9, 2026