Queens Library
Director of Facilities and Environmental Services
Job Description
Background:
The Queens Library ("Library") is one of the oldest and most progressive library systems in the United States, serving 2.3 million people in 63 locations throughout the borough of Queens. With its roots going back to the late-1800s, the Queens library's mission has always been to provide quality services, resources, and lifelong learning opportunities through books and other formats to meet the information, educational, cultural and recreational needs of its patrons. Among its many services and programs, the Library runs the Children's Library Discovery Center, a 14,000 square foot state-of-the art interactive library; houses a 48 workstation cyber center located at the Central Library with smaller cyber centers in other locations; operates latchkey programs providing tutoring and homework monitoring for after school children, mainly performed by locally hired high school students; develops cultural and educational programs including classical concerts, author readings, and puppet shows; manages adult learning and family literacy centers as well as business support centers; and of course, lends books and other materials.
In recent years, the Library has been focusing on growing its programs, upgrading and modernizing its facilities, and providing greater community access to its services. Though this is a challenging time for the Library as it moves into the next decade, both due to funding pressures and the development of new technologies that will mean changes in the way libraries are used, the Library has responded positively by developing smarter and more cost effective ways to ensure that its needs are met, including focusing on developing a professional workforce to manage library operations.
The Library is headed by President and CEO Thomas W. Galante who reports to a 19-member Board of Trustees. Through this leadership, the Library has become a dynamic, interactive place which is constantly adapting to conform to its changing constituency, serving as a model for other jurisdictions. It is supported by more than 1700 dedicated staff who make sure that the libraries open on time, that programs are relevant and meet community needs, that books and other materials are both available to circulate and are circulated, that questions are answered, and most of all, that patrons have a positive experience that makes them want to keep coming back!
The Position:
While the Library is undergoing an ambitious capital program to build and upgrade its facilities to meet the changing needs of its diverse communities, it also needs to ensure that all of its facilities continue to be environmentally safe and secure for customers. Towards that end, the Library is seeking to hire a dynamic individual to join its management team as its new Director of Facilities and Environmental Services. This leadership position will provide customer focused support services and will direct all system-wide activities related to facilities maintenance and custodial services for all 63 locations.
Specific Responsibilities:
• Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with all departments to provide a unified approach to all aspects of facilities management including leading the efforts and strategic initiatives for facilities and environmental services across the organization.
• Delivers quality customer service to internal and external customers, in partnership with the organizations leadership team.
• Executes strategic plans and regulatory agency standards and programs, continually monitoring operations and completing assessments and necessary action plans to provide an optimal, proactive, safely operating facility maintenance program, which drives customer satisfaction.
• Directs and facilitates all intra office service requests, intra-office moves, space utilization and planning.
• Prepares and maintains building checklists, mechanical logs and status reports. Coordinate response efforts for building maintenance issues and building emergencies.
• Partners with Management and other departments to implement a program that ensures facilities are clean, safe and comfortable.
• Manages custodial aspects of renovations and new construction.
• Identifies and evaluates the organization's risks, recommend solutions and monitor the implementation of procedures.
• Implements audit procedures to ensure contractors and vendor work is completed efficiently and cost effectively, including evaluating current vendor and contractor response times and quality of work to ensure scope of work is met.
• Strategically leads and facilitates the Request for Proposal (RFP) process in the selection of vendors and contractors in partnership with the Procurement Department.
• Supervises two direct reports with approximately 100 maintenance and custodial employees, a majority of whom are unionized. Responsible for all coaching, mentoring, training programs and professional growth of team; counseling and discipline; and performance management.
Qualifications:
• Minimum qualifications include a Bachelor's degree.
• Certification in Facilities Management and/or HVAC Certification and/or Master's degree a plus.
• A minimum of 10 years' experience as a senior manager leading facilities management and environmental services.
• Demonstrated experience in planning, organizational risk assessment and vendor management.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and the flexibility to work across business units and various levels of management.
• Must be able to work in a fast-paced environment, handling multiple projects with tight deadlines.
• This position will be required to travel to Library locations across the system as needed.
Queens Library offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, life insurance, defined-benefits pension plan, tax-exempt medical, dependent care and transportation spending plans, deferred compensation and more. Opportunities to further your education and professional credentials are plentiful.
Compensation is commensurate with experience. For more information about the Queens Library, please visit their website at www.queenslibrary.org
Queens Library is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
To Apply:
The Queens Library has retained the services of Harris Rand Lusk to conduct this search. Inquiries, nominations, and applications may be directed in confidence to:
Jack Lusk, Managing Partner
or
Anne McCarthy, Senior Director
Harris Rand Lusk
261 Madison Avenue, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10016
amccarthy@harrisrand.com
- Location: Jamaica, Queens, NY
- Compensation: Commensurate with experience, comprehensive benefits package
- This is at a non-profit organization.
- Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
- Please, no phone calls about this job!
- Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.
