Widener University is seeking a strategic and results-driven Director of Facilities Support Services. This pivotal role provides comprehensive operational, administrative, and strategic leadership to the Facilities Management Department and institutional colleagues. The Director commands a broad portfolio of activities ranging from high-level strategic planning to tactical execution that address multi-campus, cross-university projects, daily operations, and specialized initiatives.
Serving as a key representative of the Executive Director, the position directs all external vendor negotiations, consults with vital internal and external constituents, and acts as the university’s primary champion for customer service excellence and operational problem-solving. Additionally, the Director architects, monitors, and optimizes the department’s administrative frameworks, manages fiscal budgets, and drives continuous improvement initiatives to elevate quality, efficiency, and the overall customer experience.
About the Department
Facilities Management staff are responsible for providing safe and beautiful facilities that support the academic mission and campus operations. The Facilities Management Mission is to continuously improve the services we provide and make the experience of students, faculty, staff, and visitors the best it can possibly be.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES (including, but not limited to):
Essential Duties:
Strategic Leadership & General Administration
- Oversee, evaluate, and optimize the daily administrative functions of the department, continuously refining protocols to drive operational efficiency and service quality.
- Develop and execute a comprehensive action plan and service model for administrative services to support university-wide projects and initiatives.
- Develop, design and monitor departmental policies and procedures, ensuring they are audited, updated, and implemented at least annually to maintain regulatory compliance and exceptions.
- Participate in and drive special projects and cross-functional initiatives as directed by the Executive Director prioritizing competing tasks in alignment with executive leadership goals.
- Develop processes and facility condition reports, tabletop design and facilitation, Oversee the lifecycle of all physical and network departmental files, enforcing strict compliance with university and department data retention policies.
- Design and develop departmental newsletter and website updates along with reporting and FAQs.
Facilities Operations & Work Order Systems
- Administer current system and develop training for the enterprise facilities work order system and Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), establishing protocols for high-efficiency intake, prioritization, tracking, and closeout of maintenance requests.
- Design and deploy training, guidance, and ongoing performance support for technicians and supervisors utilizing the CMMS and automated dispatch workflows.
- Align and coordinate daily maintenance priorities across directors, assistant directors, supervisors, and technicians to ensure clear organizational alignment.
Serve as the critical liaison between administrative leadership and field technicians regarding scheduling constraints, performance standards, and data documentation.
- Monitor and accelerate urgent and emergency work orders, ensuring immediate response and resolution.
- Create and implement program for work order audit sessions during weekly leadership meetings to analyze open items, operational bottlenecks, and service trends.
- Design and generate of the weekly Facilities Operations and Work Order Report, utilizing CMMS data streams to map labor allocation, backlog metrics, and completion rates.
Business Intelligence, Training & Safety
- Define Performance Metrics: Establish, track, and analyze Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) including response times, backlogs, and completion rates to drive data-backed team accountability.
- Deliver Executive Reporting: Synthesize operational data into weekly work order reports and KPI dashboards for executive review and presentation.
- Manage the Facilities Emergency Management framework, designing and executing a comprehensive disaster recovery plan.
- Facilitate high-impact quarterly tabletop crisis exercises and drills for facilities personnel to guarantee team readiness.
- Work with Executive Director to create Emergency management recovery plans including all related events and exercises. .
- Form, chair, and maintain the state-certified Workplace Safety Committee in strict alignment with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.
Coordinating mandatory staff training and maintaining an audited training database.
Stakeholder Engagement & Customer Experience
- Serve as the point of escalation and primary contact for complex or high-priority requests from departments, students, parents, and community neighbors.
- Establish and implement formal Customer Service SLAs to formalize and guarantee service delivery benchmarks.
- Manage the formal intake of community data, delegating execution to internal or external resources while holding parties accountable to strict completion deadlines.
- Direct and broadcast critical messaging to university stakeholders during unscheduled utility outages and facilities emergencies.
- Forge and sustain strategic partnerships with vital internal departments, including Finance, Human Resources, and Campus Safety.
- Serve as the primary facilities conduit to Human Resources for the seamless rollout and implementation of staff-facing university policies.
Vendor, Contract & Permit Management
- Partner with directors and legal stakeholders to evaluate, select, and execute optimal contract documents for design, maintenance, repair, and construction services.
- Authorize and route all required documentation and executive signatures for contract validation in accordance with university policies.
- Manage contract administration by holding external contractors accountable to documentation, compliance materials, and insurance verifications.
- Supervise the vendor database and drive Request for Quote (RFQ) and Request for Proposal (RFP) processes to secure competitive bidding.
- Coordinate the municipal permit application lifecycle with the City of Chester and other regulatory bodies, serving as the lead liaison to accelerate permit review and issuance.
Fiscal Accountability & Financial Support
- Track, analyze, and manage the department’s financial footprint, providing weekly budget reporting, forecasting, and status updates.
- Review and approve purchase requisitions, blanket purchase orders, and capital project spend to guarantee fiscal responsibility and maximum value.
- Conduct processing and auditing of a high volume of vendor invoices, partnering with central Finance to ensure accurate, timely, and policy-compliant payments.
Secondary Responsibilities
- Perform other job-related duties as assigned or directed to support departmental needs and align with the mission, values and goals of the Facilities Management and Widener University.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS (education/training and experience required):
Required:
- Bachelor’s degree in Facilities Management, Business Administration, Office Administration, or related field or ten (10) years of relevant experience. A combination of education and experience may be considered.
- Five (5+) years in the following areas are required:
- Progressive operational facilities administrative support. A combination of education and experience may be considered.
- Program management development, implementation, and oversight.
- Contract management experience with end-to-end process responsibility from RFP, vendor identification, selection, audit and compliance.
- Demonstrated increased project management skills and responsibility.
- Budget development, oversight, and auditing, preferably in facilities.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, and Access).
- Superior interpersonal skills; excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Ability to communicate concepts and processes clearly and effectively in oral or written form.
- Ability to establish and maintain collaborative relationships with a full range of campus and external constituents.
- Service focus - dedicated to meeting the expectations of the University by maintaining effective relationships with interested parties.
- Flexible hours as dictated by the needs of business for projects and meetings.
Preferred:
- Bachelor’s Degree AND Ten (10+) years progressive experience in Facilities Management or related field.
- Experience in higher education setting working with faculty, staff, and students to provide excellent customer service.
- Knowledge of modern Facilities Management trends.
- Experience in developing, maintaining and operating a modern comprehensive work order system.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND/OR UNUSUAL HOURS:
- Requires valid driver’s license with evidence of insurability.
- Regular walking, standing, sitting, and occasional lifting, pushing, and pulling to support daily facility operations.
- Must be able to sit and work at a computer for extended periods.
- Extended work hours are required during peak operational periods, emergencies, or special University events.
- Expected to assist in or oversee snow removal activities to ensure safe and accessible campus grounds during winter weather.
- This role is required to serve in an on-call capacity.
All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Widener University is committed to fostering an inclusive community in which faculty, staff, and students from a variety of backgrounds, cultures, and personal experiences are welcomed and can thrive. We are an equal opportunity employer and are committed to providing equal educational and employment opportunities for all persons without regard to age, color, national origin, race, religion, disability, veteran status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or status as a protected veteran.
Widener University, an independent, metropolitan, doctoral-intensive university, connects curricula to social issues through civic engagement. Dynamic teaching, active scholarship, personal attention and experiential learning are key components of the Widener Experience. Located in Chester, PA, Widener's main campus is nestled between Philadelphia, PA and Wilmington, DE, with Law Schools located in both Harrisburg and Wilmington.
EOE M/F/V/D
