Director of Facilities Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a director of facilities. Feel free to use our job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a director of facilities.
Who is the Director of Facilities?
The Facilities Director is in charge of the design, planning, construction, and upkeep of an organization’s facilities and properties.
Director of Facilities Job Description
Below are the director of facilities job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a director of facilities job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The job roles and responsibilities of a director of facilities include the following:
- Supervise contractors.
- Control security, cleaning as well as catering.
- Give site support.
- Organize routine maintenance and repairs.
- Set up renovations.
- Be in charge of waste disposal.
- Allocate and estimate costs.
- The layout of amenities should be sketched and planned.
- Instruct employees on proper safety precautions.
- Ensure that all regulations and laws are followed.
- Make schedules to ensure that the necessary facilities are prepared.
- Work with the Property Management Team to implement and execute service and maintenance programs.
- Set up regular service review meetings with property personnel and vendors to talk about performance and procedure improvements.
- In charge of the contract maintenance supervisor and the contract project engineer (s).
- Grow and manage the facility management operational budget, as well as approve all facility maintenance contract invoices.
- Assist in the transition of assets from development or acquisition into the portfolio.
- Implement OSHA safety, employee training, and ongoing education for all on-site facility team members.
- Conduct regular site visits and property inspections to ensure that all corporate policies and procedures are followed.
- Create annual turnover program protocols and verify site readiness and compliance.
- Track all events and reports involving job injuries and residential property issues.
- Interview and recruit director of facilities at the site level.
- Manage the hiring, onboarding, and training processes in allocated areas.
- Plan, schedule, and manage facility service and maintenance contractors and staff, including establishing site service levels.
- Keep emergency procedures and equipment in good working order.
Qualifications
- A bachelor’s degree in facilities management, engineering, or property management is required.
- Working knowledge in project management is required.
- Computer knowledge.
- Capability to communicate effectively both vocally and in writing
- Within 120 days of starting work, the candidate must have “POOL” and boiler certifications.
- Previous reported building maintenance/upkeep experience.
- Capability to develop suggestions, projections, and current analytical representations using facts, charts, graphs, and factual conclusions.
- Supervisory, budgetary, and project management abilities are required.
- Possession of current CPR, First Aid, and AED certification.
Essential Skills
- Effective communication abilities: Communication refers to a person’s capacity to convey information through written or spoken language. Ideas can be presented in an informative, interesting, and encouraging manner by strong communicators. Directors of facilities are in positions of leadership and communicate with their staff as well as employees in other departments. This skill is essential when it comes to assigning responsibilities, coaching people, and offering modifications or improvements.
- Ability to drive and maintain machines: A facilities manager ensures that a physical place operates at peak efficiency. They are responsible for completing inspections, delegating assignments, and analyzing equipment and machines, among other things. Therefore they must have great technical abilities in running and maintaining machinery, as well as an understanding of the mechanics of electrical systems, HVAC systems, generators, boilers, and computers, to manage these systems.
A thorough understanding of machinery can assist directors of facilities to prepare for their profession. They can use it to precisely analyze mechanical equipment’s lifespan, troubleshoot systems in need of repair, train or guide the personnel they oversee, boost productivity, and save money.
- Expertise in the management of identifying hazards and crises: Director of facilities oversees numerous departments responsible for a building’s or campus’s physical and structural safety. They handle and organize security, catering, technology, cleaning, grounds maintenance, and technology. Inspecting and testing the operating quality of machinery and systems is part of their job. Throughout the day, a strong facilities manager checks the workplace’s safety and security. They hunt for areas that might be improved and are proactive in their search for hazards or dangers.
A facilities manager must have numerous plans in place to cope with dangers and crises. Their ability to design intervention or emergency response plans, as well as train their staff in their implementation, is critical to their effectiveness.
- The practice of sustainability: Sustainability refers to environmental measures that aim to reduce a company’s environmental effect. There has been an increase in demand for businesses to decrease their waste and use of natural resources, and most of that responsibility has fallen to the director of facilities. Director of facilities’ decisions on equipment, energy consumption, and operations can have a major influence.
- Collaboration skills: Leading employees is a key aspect of facility management. Maintenance personnel, cleaning crews, and security teams are all managed by FMs. They must be capable of navigating individual employee means, creating weekly schedules, and delegating assignments and tasks. It is also critical that they encourage unity and are capable of mediating and resolving problems among staff members.
- Ability to create and manage a budget: Director of facilities must understand the fundamentals of financial mathematics. They must be able to develop monthly, quarterly, and annual budgets. FMs guarantee that systems and processes in the workplace run smoothly. Companies’ vast electrical systems and pieces of machinery are costly, and directors of facilities must be aware of the lifespan of appliances and equipment to properly budget for their upkeep or replacement.
Budget management is also vital for making suitable employment decisions, allocating funds for the purchase of software or computer programs, attending workshops or professional development, and satisfying superiors’ expectations. Directors of facilities make budgetary analyses regularly, create financial reports, and present budgetary plans or documents to their superiors for approval.
- Ability to make sound hiring decisions: As firm leaders, directors of facilities frequently make recruiting decisions for maintenance, cleaning, and security workers. A facilities manager must be a good judge of character and be objective in their decision-making. They will most likely read resumes, conduct interviews, and hire people to fill open positions. A skilled facility manager can identify a candidate’s technical and interpersonal strengths and put together a cohesive team.
- interest in team member growth: A critical aspect of a facility manager’s work is to assist in the development of their employees and personnel. A well-equipped manager is focused on growth and development, and they invest in staff training and professional development to increase the technical skill, environmental safety, and operational functionality of the entire facilities department.
- IT proficiency: Director of facilities must stay current on technological trends and advances. They must understand advanced HVAC equipment, smart building technology, and security monitoring systems. FMs also frequently deploy employee experience apps, electronic filing systems, and wearable technologies. To accurately and easily train members of their staff, leaders and managers must have a thorough understanding of how to use software and geographic information systems.
- Ability to utilize time effectively: Director of facilities is critical to the operation of an office or company campus. They manage and lead various projects and teams. They also keep records of the infrastructure, procedures, and machines that businesses rely on to function. To ensure that projects are completed on time and that personnel and teams are appropriately and successfully trained, the director of facilities must have good time management abilities.
They must plan staff shift schedules and create a list of daily chores and responsibilities for each staff member. The Director of facilities must also make time to examine and assess each employee’s progress, as well as plan professional development and training events. They must be able to prioritize projects and manage their time well to do these things properly.
- Endurance: Director of facilities supervise and manages a large number of employees. They maintain constant contact with contractors, electricians, bosses, and coworkers, and they regularly supervise maintenance, security, and groundskeepers. It is critical to be patient and understanding when working with a diverse group of people. Here are five reasons why patience is a valuable talent and personality attribute for a director of facilities:
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- It improves relationships and rapport.
- It leads by example in the workplace.
- It is an essential part of active listening and good communication.
- It lowers workplace stress and boosts productivity.
- It contributes to a manager’s perceived approachability.
- Logical and analytical thinking ability: Analytical thinking is the capacity to understand and interpret facts, identify issues, and come up with appropriate answers or strategies in reaction to or preparedness for possible problems. Here are six circumstances in which a director of facilities must be analytical:
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- Compiling budgeting information.
- Staffing requirements are being assessed.
- Creating teams or staff collaborations.
- Project development and project timeframes
- evaluating the safety of a building or campus
- Creating staff objectives and professional development initiatives.
- Networking skills: Director of facilities must network and build a strong professional network to gain insight into technology, innovation, and future difficulties. A professional network can also assist a director of facilities in hiring and contracting, as well as in locating resources and opportunities for professional development and skill-building.
- Visionary mindset: The way a person envisions the future position of a company or department is referred to as the vision, and it is strongly tied to parts of a company’s purpose. To have a positive vision, managers must be able to envisage the future of their department as well as the future of each employee they oversee. They must be upbeat, imaginative, and forward-thinking to steer the organization toward a prosperous future.
- Purposefulness: Decisiveness may appear to clash with other interpersonal characteristics such as humility and adaptability, but it does not have to. Being decisive does not imply making decisions on the spur of the moment or without consulting others. It means you can obtain all of the knowledge you need to make the most rational decision, assess the benefits and drawbacks of different actions, and act confidently.
- Goal-oriented: Your responsibility as a Director of facilities is to grasp your workforce’s demands and any challenges, even before they are aware of them. Today, this involves anticipating staff health and safety requirements such as social distancing, wellness inspections, and contact tracing.
Knowledge of facility management budgeting: As a Director of facilities, you play an important role in cost management. Understanding your organization’s needs, analyzing current expenditures, and determining how to maximize your budget are all critical skills. Because real estate is most likely your company’s second-highest cost after payroll, software that simplifies space accounting and chargebacks can help you understand how each department affects the budget. The sales team may want more office space to handle expansion, but when you check at their genuine space use, you may discover that most individuals are only at their desks for around half of the week. A desk hoteling solution that allows them to reserve space as needed provides them with flexibility while also lowering costs.
- Sound knowledge of legal and compliance obligations: Regardless of your industry, federal, state, and local rules will have an impact on all aspects of your building operations. For example, you will almost certainly need to follow accounting standards that require you to keep complete records on any asset you lease. If you manage larger industrial facilities, you must verify that all personnel adheres to OSHA regulations. Depending on where you live, you may also have to adhere to environmental regulations.
- Capability to engage the workforce: Your team is the driving force behind your company’s success. Your responsibility as a director of facilities is to ensure that they are happy and productive at work. Your team members are more likely to stick around and work more efficiently if you encourage employee engagement at your organization. This is especially true in today’s hybrid workplace, where you may not see every employee every day, let alone every week.
Operational and property management abilities: You’ll be heavily involved in building operations and upkeep as a director of facilities. While you do not need to be a great mechanic, you do need to understand the fundamentals of building management. You should be able to recognize electrical, plumbing, or HVAC concerns, accurately explain the problem and have a general concept of what type of maintenance has previously occurred. Facility management software that keeps a digital record of all your assets, their ages, and repair order history makes making educated judgments much easier.
Professional facility management credentials from the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) will provide you with a firm foundation and will enable you to develop in your career.
How to Become a Director of Facilities
- Obtain education related to facilities management: Director of facilities must have high school graduation and, in most cases, a bachelor’s degree. Some directors of facilities have an associate’s degree, but many of the highest-paid professionals have a master’s degree. Consider pursuing a degree in business, management, accounting, or engineering. You can also get a degree in facilities management. These courses cover topics such as fundamental building maintenance and repair, project management, financial management, labor relations, building operations, and sustainability. A master’s degree in facilities management will teach you more about contract management, communications, emergency management, and facility engineering.
- Attain relevant experience in facilities management: The majority of directors of facilities have at least a few years of experience. Many people work in maintenance, janitorial, security, cleaning, or other departments for large facilities such as airports, hotels, office buildings, or retail malls before becoming facilities managers. They frequently have management expertise in facilities management or other fields. Even if the position is unrelated, demonstrating leadership experience on your resume might make it more appealing to employers.
- Expand your operational abilities: To become a director of facilities, you must have a diverse set of talents. HVAC systems, forklifts, landscaping equipment, and other devices are all used and maintained by many directors of facilities. They can learn how to use this equipment while working in other positions. They should also have strong organizational, time management, and customer service skills. The Director of facilities frequently engages with businesses on the property to schedule services such as cleaning, garbage collection, and landscaping. They also respond to maintenance requests. Directors of facilities must be able to adapt to changing conditions, identify and respond to safety issues, and respond to emergencies. They should be familiar with national and local building rules, safety requirements, and employment laws. Most directors of facilities must also be able to follow a budget, prepare spending reports, and make budget changes that could improve operational efficiency.
- Apply for a Director of Facilities Jobs: Highlight your experience, accomplishments, and skills in your resume. If at all possible, utilize data and statistics to demonstrate how you cut costs or boosted efficiency at a previous position. Use keywords from the job description to make your CV more searchable, and write a personalized cover letter explaining why you want to work for the organization.
- Obtain certification in International Facility Management Association: The International Facility Management Association, also known as IFMA, provides several qualifications for the director of facilities. To become a Facility Management Professional or FMP, you must pass a facilities management exam. CFMs, or Certified Director of facilities, must pass a more sophisticated exam. They must also renew their certification every three years by participating in six authorized activities. Attending continuing education, producing industry-related papers, working as a Director of facilities, participating in focus groups or surveys, and other activities are examples.
Where to Work as a Director of Facilities
As a director of facilities you can work in the following places:
- Non-profit organizations
- Private companies
- Government agencies
- Colleges
- Universities
Director of Facilities Salary Scale
The national average income for a Facility Director in the United States is $82,376. In the United Kingdom, the average annual compensation for a director of facilities is £64,578.