Maintenance Manager - Higher Education

The Maintenance Manager is responsible for the leadership, planning, coordination, and execution of maintenance operations across a higher education campus. This role oversees preventive maintenance programs, corrective repairs, building systems reliability, regulatory compliance, and workforce management to ensure a safe, comfortable, and efficient environment for students, faculty, staff, and visitors. The Maintenance Manager serves as a key partner to campus stakeholders, providing operational leadership across academic buildings, residence halls, dining facilities, administrative spaces, and campus infrastructure. The ideal candidate has strong technical expertise, leadership skills, and experience managing maintenance operations within a complex institutional environment.

Maintenance Operations

• Direct daily maintenance activities for campus facilities, including HVAC, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, building automation, and general building systems.
• Develop and manage preventive and predictive maintenance programs to maximize asset performance and minimize downtime.
• Prioritize and assign work orders through CMMS systems while ensuring service-level expectations are achieved.
• Oversee emergency response and corrective maintenance activities.
• Conduct facility inspections and implement corrective action plans as necessary.
• Monitor building systems performance and identify opportunities for operational improvements.

Team Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of maintenance technicians, trades personnel, and supervisors.
• Establish performance expectations and accountability measures.
• Coordinate staffing schedules, on-call coverage, and emergency response rotations.
• Support employee training initiatives, safety programs, and technical skill development.
• Foster a culture focused on safety, customer service, and continuous improvement.

Client & Campus Partnership

• Serve as a primary point of contact for campus facilities stakeholders.
• Build strong relationships with university leadership, faculty, residence life teams, and campus departments.
• Participate in campus planning meetings and operational reviews.
• Communicate maintenance schedules, outages, and project impacts to appropriate stakeholders.
• Respond promptly and professionally to customer concerns and service requests.

Compliance & Safety

• Ensure compliance with OSHA, EPA, local building codes, and university standards.
• Maintain life-safety systems and coordinate required inspections, testing, and documentation.
• Conduct regular safety audits and corrective action reviews.
• Support environmental, health, and safety initiatives.
• Maintain compliance records and audit-ready documentation.

Financial & Asset Management

• Develop and manage maintenance operating budgets.
• Track labor utilization, maintenance expenditures, and key performance metrics.
• Manage inventory, tools, equipment, and material procurement.
• Coordinate vendor services and contractor management activities.
• Support capital planning and asset lifecycle management initiatives.

Project Management

• Coordinate minor renovations, facility improvements, and deferred maintenance projects.
• Ensure projects are completed safely, on schedule, and within budget.
• Collaborate with campus leadership and project teams regarding facility upgrades and operational impacts.

• 5+ years of maintenance or facilities management experience.
• 3+ years of leadership experience supervising maintenance or technical teams.
• Strong knowledge of HVAC, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and building systems.
• Experience utilizing Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS).
• Working knowledge of building codes, safety regulations, and compliance requirements.
• Strong communication, leadership, and organizational skills.
• Valid driver's license.