What does a Facilities Maintenance Manager do?

A facilities maintenance manager is typically responsible for ensuring that all buildings and systems of his employer's location are functioning correctly and in good repair. Specific responsibilities can include working with vendors and contractors on major repairs, performing minor repairs, managing warranty information, obtaining bids, and reporting costs. Facilities maintenance managers may or may not manage an in-house maintenance staff, depending on the size and needs of the employer. Qualifications may include experience managing vendors, managing an internal staff, and in one or more trade fields.

Smaller employers with fewer maintenance needs usually look for a facilities maintenance manager who can perform as many tasks as possible without bringing in outside vendors. These jobs can include re-keying locks for new tenants, adjusting faulty doors or windows, interior or exterior painting, installing hardware, fixing plumbing leaks, and patching cement or drywall. Facilities maintenance managers may also be asked to perform regular systems maintenance as recommended by manufacturers. This can include developing a schedule for vacuuming refrigeration coils, changing filters, replacing smoke alarm batteries, flushing lines and more.

These professionals are often formally trained in one or more trades, such as carpentry, plumbing, electrical, or HVAC. They must also know how to perform minor repairs, read schematics or blueprints, and must be able to read, comprehend, and have a system for managing warranty items and maintenance schedules. Some employers may also require industry-specific certifications.

Larger employers with greater maintenance needs generally look for a facilities maintenance manager who can perform these tasks when needed, but is more focused on managing an in-house staff responsible for the majority of the actual work. This person may also supervise bids and the hiring of vendors. In this case, the manager will need to be comfortable interviewing, hiring, training, executing performance reviews, and terminating employees. She must create employee schedules, assign duty rosters, and maintain personnel files, including both initial paperwork and any annual training or re-certification that her staff may need.

She must also be able to choose vendors whose price and quality of work meet the employer's requirements. This can include checking potential vendor references and verifying insurance coverage. Facilities maintenance managers in large facilities are also often responsible for obtaining bids for major projects, such as installing a new HVAC system or remodeling a building. They must be able to write a comprehensive scope document, evaluate vendor bids objectively, and follow all company policies about the bidding process, particularly if the employer company is publicly-funded.

A trained, experienced facilities maintenance manager has a number of employment options. Most buildings and complexes of substantial size will include such a position on its payroll. Potential employers include malls, shopping centers, office buildings or parks, museums, prisons, multi-family housing facilities, airports, hotels, schools, hospitals, government facilities, and college campuses.