Director of Facilities - Custodial, Grounds, Logistics and Mail and Related Services

Summary

Reporting to the Associate Vice-President, the Director, Facilities Services - Custodial, Grounds, Logistics, Mail and Related Services, provides strategic leadership, operational oversight, and long-term planning for a diverse portfolio of essential, campus-wide services that contribute to a clean, safe, functional, and service-oriented campus environment, including custodial services across University facilities, grounds maintenance, logistics and materials-handling, mail and courier services, waste management programs, winter operations, customer-service functions and associated contracted services. The portfolio is responsible for establishing consistent service standards and coordinating service delivery. The portfolio provides services across academic, research, residential, athletic, administrative and public-facing University facilities and operates across multiple shifts in support of a 24-hour, seven-day-per-week campus environment. The Director leads through a significant management structure and a large, multi-unionized workforce of more than 200 employees, with additional seasonal staffing. The Director leads and integrates multiple service areas through a team of managers and is accountable for the development and execution of annual operational plans, service standards, resource plans, continuous improvement strategies, and performance objectives. The Director balances operational requirements, asset and service priorities, regulatory obligations, financial considerations, risk, and client needs in making decisions. The position provides strategic advice and recommendations to senior facilities leadership on longer-term service planning, emerging operational requirements, risks and opportunities as institutional priorities evolve.

Accountabilities:

Functional and Operational Leadership

• Directs a complex portfolio of facilities services including custodial services, grounds maintenance, logistics and materials handling, mail and courier services, waste management, winter operations and related campus services, by integrating and coordinating operational, technical, service, or support activities to achieve departmental objectives and consistent service outcomes.
• Leads custodial operations and service strategies supporting clean, safe, accessible and functional academic, research, residential, athletic, administrative and public-facing environments.
• Provides strategic oversight of grounds and landscape operations, including campus grounds maintenance, seasonal requirements and winter operations.
• Leads waste-management, recycling, diversion and related environmentally responsible operating practices in support of institutional sustainability objectives.
• Provides strategic oversight of logistics, materials handling, mail distribution and courier services supporting University operations
• Develops and executes annual operational plans, priorities, service standards, and performance measures that align the function’s activities with Facilities and University objectives.
• Establishes operating expectations and service delivery approaches, including campus-wide service standards and quality-assurance programs that support safe, reliable, efficient, responsive, and sustainable facilities operations.
• Leads continuous improvement strategies by assessing service performance, operational processes, emerging requirements, and opportunities to improve efficiency, effectiveness, reliability, quality, and client service.
• Collaborates with other Facilities areas to support integrated service delivery and effective responses to changing operational and institutional requirements.
• Exercises authority and judgment in making complex operational, service and resource decisions, balancing institutional priorities, risk, regulatory requirements, service continuity and available resources.

Facilities Planning and Asset Stewardship

• Leads the planning, preparedness and operational oversight of campus winter and severe-weather operations, ensuring appropriate in-house and contracted resources are in place to maintain a safe and operational campus, support continuity of University operations and minimize disruption during inclement weather.
• Leads annual and multi-year planning for assigned facilities services, assets, infrastructure, programs, or operations by assessing service requirements, operational risks, asset condition, regulatory requirements, and anticipated University needs, including long-term strategies for custodial services, grounds and landscapes, logistics, mail, waste management, winter and seasonal operations and related campus services.
• Establishes priorities for the effective stewardship, operation, maintenance, renewal, improvement, or delivery of assigned facilities services and assets, including equipment, fleet, contracted services and other operational resources required to support effective service delivery.
• Evaluates facilities risks, service requirements, and operational priorities to inform resource allocation, renewal initiatives, projects, and recommendations to senior facilities leadership.
• Provides facilities expertise and operational advice for capital projects, renovations, infrastructure initiatives, service changes, and campus planning activities to support maintainability, lifecycle performance, operational continuity, and effective service delivery, including major campus events and other projects affecting service delivery and the campus environment.
• Provides strategic advice and recommendations to senior leadership on longer-term facilities planning by identifying emerging risks, changing service requirements, operational impacts, and opportunities that may affect the future delivery of the function, incorporating lifecycle, sustainability, and operational resilience considerations.

Financial and Resource Management

• Directs the development and administration of operating and capital budgets for the function, ensuring resources are allocated effectively, and expenditures are managed within approved plans and delegated authority.
• Establishes resource priorities by balancing operational requirements, service commitments, asset needs, risk, regulatory obligations, and financial constraints.
• Directs procurement, contract, and vendor management activities within the function, including contract administration and vendor relationships supporting custodial, grounds, logistics, waste and other assigned services, ensuring appropriate performance, value, risk management, and compliance with University and applicable public-sector requirements.
• Develops business cases, resource requests, operating proposals, and recommendations to support facilities priorities and informed departmental decision-making.
• Monitors financial, operational, service, and resource performance and takes corrective action within delegated authority to achieve annual objectives.

Risk and Compliance

• Provides leadership in establishing a strong health, safety and risk-management culture within the assigned function.
• Ensures facilities activities comply with applicable legislation, regulations, codes, University policies, collective agreements, health and safety requirements, and professional or technical standards relevant to the assigned function.
• Establishes appropriate processes, controls, documentation, and monitoring practices to manage operational, regulatory, financial, service, and facilities-related risks.
• Assesses emerging risks and determines mitigation strategies.
• Recommends changes to area policies, standards, practices, and procedures where existing approaches do not adequately address operational requirements, risks, service expectations, or changing circumstances.
• Provides leadership during significant incidents, service disruptions, emergencies, or other events affecting assigned facilities operations and coordinates appropriate operational response and recovery activities, including business continuity and operational resilience planning for the assigned function including severe weather events, public-health responses and operational disruptions affecting campus services.

Service Excellence and Continuous Improvement

• Establishes service standards, quality measures, and performance indicators to evaluate the effectiveness and consistency of facilities services.
• Analyzes operational information, service trends, customer feedback, performance results, and other relevant data using service metrics, operational analytics and continuous-improvement methodologies to identify opportunities for improved service delivery and operational efficiency.
• Champions the use of technology, systems, data, equipment, and improved work practices to enhance facilities operations, service quality, productivity, and decision-making.
• Develops strategies to address service issues and changing client requirements while balancing institutional priorities, available resources, operational risk, and service commitments.

Partnerships and Institutional Relationships

• Builds and maintains effective relationships with University leaders, faculties, departments, municipal stakeholders, facilities partners, employees, service providers, contractors, consultants, regulatory bodies, and other external organizations relevant to the function.
• Represents the facilities function on University committees, working groups, projects, and external forums within the scope of the position’s authority.
• Collaborates with internal and external partners to resolve complex facilities issues, coordinate services, implement approved initiatives, and achieve departmental and institutional objectives.
• Communicates functional priorities, operational requirements, performance expectations, risks, and decisions to diverse audiences to build understanding and support effective implementation.

People and Organizational Leadership

• Leads and coaches managers and other leaders responsible for professional, technical, operational and/or unionized teams within a large, multi-shift, multi-unionized workforce by establishing objectives, clarifying accountabilities, monitoring results, and providing guidance that enables leaders to effectively manage their teams and areas of responsibility.
• Develops workforce and succession plans that support operational continuity, required capabilities, employee development, and changing service requirements, including recruitment and staffing strategies across multiple shifts, service areas and locations.
• Creates an effective working environment that promotes accountability, collaboration, employee engagement, continuous improvement, service excellence, and respectful workplace practices.
• Guides managers in addressing performance, labour relations, workplace, staffing, training, attendance management, and organizational issues in accordance with University policies, collective agreements, and applicable requirements.
• Leads organizational and operational change within the function by engaging employees and stakeholders, establishing implementation approaches, and supporting managers through changes to services, processes, technology, or organizational requirements.

Qualifications

Education:

• University degree in a related field, preferably a Master’s degree in a relevant capacity, and/or equivalent education and experience.

Experience:

• Minimum 10 years of progressive leadership experience working in large, complex facilities, operational, or service environments, including responsibility for people, financial resources, operational performance and organizational outcomes.
• Demonstrated significant leadership experience in custodial operations within a large, complex, multi-shift service environment is required.
• Significant experience leading managers and a large, unionized workforce operating across multiple shifts, service areas and locations.
• Demonstrated experience in workforce planning, labour relations, financial and resource management, service delivery, operational performance and continuous improvement.
• Experience overseeing multiple operational service areas and significant contracted services.
• Experience supporting 24/7 operations, including emergency response, severe weather, major events and changing institutional service requirements.

Knowledge/Skills:

• Demonstrated knowledge of facilities operations, strategic and operational planning, financial and resource management, risk management, health and safety, service delivery and continuous improvement, including strong knowledge of custodial operations, grounds management, logistics operations, waste-management practices and service-delivery models.
• Strong leadership and people-management skills, with demonstrated ability to lead through managers and support complex professional, technical, operational and/or unionized teams.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and decision-making skills, with the ability to assess complex operational issues, competing priorities, risk and organizational impacts.
• Advanced communication, consultation and relationship-management skills, including negotiation and stakeholder management, with the ability to influence and collaborate with diverse internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to manage significant budgets, contracts and vendor relationships.
• Knowledge of applicable legislation, regulations, policies, collective agreements, professional standards and other requirements, including employment legislation and occupational health and safety requirements.
• Ability to use operational information, performance measures, technology and data, including operational analytics and continuous-improvement methodologies to support planning, decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Demonstrated ability to lead organizational and operational change in a complex service environment.
• Strong organizational skills and demonstrated knowledge of organizational, supervisory and management principles.

What We Offer:

In addition to joining a Top Ranked University, McMaster offers a very competitive Total Compensation Package that includes, but is not limited to:

• Employer Paid benefits such as Extended Health, Dental, Emergency Out-of-Country Travel Coverage & Basic Life Insurance.
• Progressive paid annual vacation plan.
• Group RRSP
• Training, coaching and professional development opportunities.
• Employee tuition assistance for continuous development and education.
• Opportunity to be a part of an academic environment working alongside professionals who share a passion for learning.

For more information, please visit McMaster’s Total Rewards website.

How To Apply

To apply for this job, please submit your application online.