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Department: Facilities Mgmt EV
Salary/Grade: EXS/20
 

Position Summary

Northwestern University is seeking an experienced, qualified individual to lead its facilities functions. The Senior Associate Vice President (SAVP) for Facilities will lead a staff of approximately 350 responsible for the following key functions: new capital project management, renewal and replacement, energy management and sustainability impact, facilities operations, foundational infrastructure, maintenance of all campus facilities (including a central utility plant), space planning and management, and related real estate operations. The position reports to the Vice President for Operations and Chief Operating Officer (Chief Operating Officer).

As a global research university, Northwestern operates in a continuous, 24x7 mode, and strives to assure that its facilities meet the service demands of its faculty, students, and staff. With a total workforce of approximately 10,000 in 12 schools and several primary administrative units, the University is a complex and diverse service environment.

Facilities mission is to deliver a safe, sustainable, and reliable campus environment as a trusted business partner to the University community. Core to the Facilities organization, and its leadership team, is the Facilities Foundation for Performance which outlines the mission, vision, and approach to achieving results. It will be important for the SAVP to align with these tenets.

Context

Similar to the other higher education institutions, the University is emerging from a challenging public health environment that impacted virtually all aspects of its academic, research, and operational norms. Fortunately, Northwestern is well-positioned to look forward and is in the initial stages of planning a new round of capital investments to support strategic initiatives. While the University's overall financial condition is very strong, careful actions are required to maintain balanced operating and financial performance. The new SAVP will be the primary leader for planning and executing these capital investments.

Northwestern has an ongoing need to drive long-term asset management strategies in support of the mission and strategy of the university as a whole, as well as the priorities of individual schools and units. Emphasis remains on cost-effective and efficient use of available operating, maintenance, and staffing resources while prioritizing life safety and regulatory compliance initiatives to provide a base level of safety and resiliency on campus.

The SAVP will work in close partnership with the Chief Operating Officer to develop strategies for future campus development to align campus capital planning and operations with institutional priorities, and develop roadmaps to address deferred maintenance, sustainability, and growth objectives. This must be done in a fully transparent manner that is respectful of the inherent tensions between short- and long-term operating and capital goals. The successful candidate will be conversant in best practice facilities strategies - including leveraging third-party operational and financial partnerships - that enable careful investment in the University's facilities while striving for the most efficient operating models. The successful candidate will have experience in aligning organizational structure to optimal service objectives of the organization while identifying and establishing a leadership team to deliver on these goals.

The individual engages with the Board of Trustees, particularly the Educational Properties Committee, which approves major projects and their designs. Facilities also supports the financial governance and reporting processes for on-going capital investments. The SAVP must be committed to responsible financial management and will work closely with the Financial Operations and Budget and Planning units. Other essential partnerships include the Office of the Provost, Research, Athletics, Student Affairs, Safety and Security, and Information Technology.

As the University community has a highly distributed web of stakeholders, the SAVP must have a servant-leader focus and a demonstrated teamwork orientation in a shared governance model. The individual works with managers of buildings and facilities who are embedded within schools and units. Demonstrated experience in comparably complex, service-intensive environments is essential. Higher education experience is preferred but not required.

The University has three primary campuses in Evanston, downtown Chicago, and Doha, Qatar. Consisting of 355 acres in these three campuses (with approximately 340 acres in Evanston), the University has over 225 buildings comprised of 17 million square feet. Space includes academic, research, student housing, residential, administrative, commercial, and athletic facilities. Northwestern also has leased academic and administrative sites in Washington, DC; San Francisco; Miami; Chicago; and New York City.

Responsibilities

�    Oversee the full range of departmental activities and services and lead the senior management team in fulfilment of the departments objectives. Functions include: planning and space management; capital programs; operations, maintenance, and infrastructure capital; commercial and residential real estate; and sustainability and energy management.

�    Work in close partnership with the Chief Operating Officer to align business, administrative and financial management strategies across operational units.

�    Serve as a leader for the University on physical planning, design, development, construction, and facilities and operations issues. This includes engaging in governance structures related to capital planning including the Board of Trustees and its Educational Properties Committee and the universitys resource planning cycle.

�    Develop and maintain a positive relationship with the University community, trustees, senior leadership, the unions, the City of Evanston, the City of Chicago, and state and local government agencies as relevant to the departments work. Continue to build and to strengthen credibility and trust within and between the department and the Northwestern community.

�    Oversee the analysis, development, implementation, and monitoring of all facilities budgets, including operations, maintenance, and capital project budgets, ensuring that the department is delivering services in the most cost-effective and transparent way.

�    Deliver high quality construction and renovation projects within or below budget and on schedule. Ensure University leadership and the Board of Trustees are confident that Northwestern has obtained the best possible solution at the lowest total lifetime cost that achieves the program, including design and aesthetic-objectives. Provide clear transparent reporting on capital activity.

�    Lead and manage organizational change in order to accomplish ambitious objectives while enhancing departmental performance and efficiency and building productive relationships and credibility across campus.

�    Foster effective communication and collaboration within the facilities organization while serving as a staff advocate who supports high quality, innovative programs to attract, develop, motivate, and retain a diverse workforce.

�    Develop, build support for, and execute a plan to address deferred maintenance and implement a comprehensive planned and predictive preventive maintenance program. Prioritize and remain apprised of upgrades and upkeep of campus buildings and landscape through the maintenance programs.

�    Facilitate continuous long-term planning to ensure that campus renewal meets the evolving needs of the institution and remains fully aligned with the strategic direction of the University. Demonstrate commitment to resource stewardship from both an economic and sustainability perspective.

�    Lead and support sustainability objectives in both operating and capital programs, including energy management from a demand management and procurement perspective.

�    Evaluate full range of financing options for capital projects with university partners, including public private partnerships, and serve as the key representative of the University negotiating and partnering with private venture firms.

�    Leverage technology, knowledge, and process management to continually increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the facilities organization. Introduce appropriate new approaches and techniques to build on Northwesterns existing assets.

Qualifications

• A bachelors degree in engineering, business, planning, architecture, construction management, or a related field is required. A relevant masters degree and/or applicable licensure or certification is preferred.
• A minimum of 15 years of progressively responsible experience in facilities management, design, construction, and/or real estate development is required. Demonstrated managerial experience in a complex, service-intensive environment is required. Professional experience in a college or university campus setting, or in similar organizations, is preferred.
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  About Northwestern University

  Northwestern University is a major private research university with 12 academic divisions located on three campuses in Evanston, Chicago, and Education City in Doha, Qatar. We have approximately 2,500 full-time faculty members, 17,000 graduate and undergraduate students, and over 5,700 full and part-time staff. Northwestern University combines innovative teaching and pioneering research in a highly collaborative environment. It provides students and faculty exceptional opportunities for intellectual, personal and professional growth.

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