Associate Director Grand Rapids Operations and Facilities

Oversees daily building operations, space utilization, and academic support services, ensuring learning spaces are well-maintained, appropriately equipped, and aligned with instructional needs while supporting faculty, staff, and student success. Serves as the principal deputy to senior leadership, providing operational direction and oversight for the University’s Grand Rapids facility to ensure efficient, effective, and customer-focused operations.

• Oversees daily building operations to ensure academic spaces are safe, functional, and ready to support instructional activities. Coordinates maintenance, custodial services, repairs, monitors service quality. Conducts facility inspections; and collaborates with staff, vendors, and contractors to address operational and maintenance needs.
• Acts as the principal deputy to senior leadership providing oversight of the facilities operations and serving as leadership's designee as needed. Contributes to operational policy development, fosters collaborative relationships with faculty, staff, vendors, and contractors, and supports effective communication regarding facility operations, project standards, and timelines.
• Manages academic scheduling and space utilization in coordination with stakeholder departments, ensuring efficient and mission-aligned use of rooms and resources.
• Monitors and schedules compliance certifications as required. Conducts vendor research and monitors vendor contracts.
• Serve as the primary on-site point of contact for faculty, staff, students, and campus partners, providing communication, troubleshooting, and operational support. Provides excellent customer service.
• Develops and implements policies and procedures to promote a safe and secure environment. Ensures employees and visitors are informed of and trained on safety protocols, manages building access systems, and oversees the security of facilities and equipment. Coordinates and supervises responses to emergencies and facility incidents, including custodial, maintenance, and repair services.
• Supports onboarding and communications for academic units, student services, and instructional staff utilizing the building.
• Tracks and reports on building utilization, operational issues, and improvement needs to inform facility planning and strategic decision-making.
• Coordinates with the University’s central offices on external partner, recruitment, dual-enrollment, or community-engagement requests to ensure institutional alignment.
• Schedules and supervises set-up and tear down of special events.

Minimum qualifications based upon job documentation and industry best practices. Any current employees not meeting these qualifications will be grandfathered until they move to a different job.

• Bachelor's degree in related field from an accredited institution.

• Three years' relevant experience.
• Experience in facilities operations, academic or administrative building management, or related operational role.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Project management skills.
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks in a dynamic environment.

• Ability to work irregular shifts and extended hours, including weekends and holidays.
• Requires the ability to access roofs, basements, tunnels, crawl spaces, elevated areas, and other restricted or difficult-to-access locations as necessary to perform essential installation, maintenance, repair, remodeling, and troubleshooting duties, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Occasional on call duty.

Office or other indoor work with minimal physical demands such as occasionally lifting or moving materials less than 25 pounds.

Work is generally performed in a well-lit, temperature-controlled indoor environment with occasional exposure to the outdoors or any number of elements.

Revised: 2026-09-03