Facilities Management Lead

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is a district on the rise, serving over 325,000 students in 500 schools and employing over 45,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. Aligned with our transformed philosophy, we are steadfastly focused on ensuring that the District provides resources equitably to support every student, every school, and every community. Six core values guide the work we do every day for our students - student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning. Each role in the district supports our vision that every student deserves a rigorous, joyful, and equitable learning experience.

The Department of Facilities is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of CPS schools, modular buildings, annexes, and administrative offices. The department ensures that the district's schools and facilities are clean, safe, heated and cooled, and dry.

Job Summary:

Under the direction of a Regional Facilities Manager, the Facilities Management Lead is the primary CPS contact for district School Principals regarding operational issues in the field. The Lead maintains daily communications with the Regional Manager, direct reports, and the Facilities Management Organization (FMO) Facilities Managers and is focused on tactical operations and Principal satisfaction. This role represents CPS Facilities at the school level, helps develop a vision for school facilities and strategic goals, leads weekly work plan reviews with the FMO Facility Manager and supports the FMO team to remove roadblocks. This is a full-time, exempt position that will be paid for time worked on a salary basis.

The Facilities Management Lead will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• Execute CPS quality and compliance requirements, ensuring schools consistently meet established operational standards.

• Recruit, onboard, train, direct, and mentor Facilities & Custodial Field Leads consistent with the CPS values and mission. Oversee performance management, annual RISE reviews, and operational quality expectations.

• Validate vendor quality and ensure suppliers honor scope of work and contractual obligations. Manage escalating vendor issues, collaborating with FMO, CPS Procurement, and the Regional Manager as needed.

• Review monthly KPIs, establish corrective action plans with FMO Facilities Managers to address gaps, eliminate performance barriers, and report critical issues to leadership.

• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on cost and reliability. Develop business cases and cost-benefit analyses for proposed projects alongside the delivery team.

• Collaborate with FMO Managers to identify capital needs, estimate equipment end-of-life, provide long-term budget forecasts, and manage projects within approved limits.

• Approve purchase requests and manage work orders through Corrigo/CrowdComfort in accordance with CPS processes, escalating issues to the Regional Manager when necessary.

• Drive technical maintenance strategies and quality standards across assigned schools in collaboration with key stakeholders.

• Assist the FMO team during emergency situations, keep CPS leadership informed, and ensure all site-specific documentation and reports are completed accurately and on time.

• Other duties as assigned (Do not edit this row)

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Facilities Management Lead must possess the following qualifications:

Education Required:

• High School Diploma or equivalent is required.

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university is preferred.

• Project Management Professional (PMP) is preferred.

Experience Required:

• Minimum of seven (7) years of engineering, operations/maintenance, construction, project controls, or asset management experience.

• Minimum of two (2) years of supervisory or management experience.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• In-depth knowledge and experience of facility operations maintenance and building systems.

• Strong communication skills (speaking - including presentations - listening and writing).

• Ability to multi-task and effectively organize responsibilities to achieve assigned facility goals and objectives.

• Ability to develop productive working relationships with key stakeholders and work collaboratively with client personnel and other third parties in order to enhance the experience of facility users.

• Capable of collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to meet department objectives and managing large teams to achieve operational goals.

• Ability to understand and dissect building operational issues, develop mitigation plans and engage vendors or internal resources to address and resolve, all the while focused on root causes and final resolution of the problem and not just the symptom(s).

Benefits:

Health & Wellness: Your Care, Your Choice

CPS is committed to providing comprehensive health coverage to our employees and their eligible dependents. You'll have access to a variety of choices to best fit your needs:

Medical Plan Options

Pharmacy

Dental

Vision

Behavioral Health & EAP

Employee Wellness Program

Financial Security: Planning for Today and Tomorrow

We understand the importance of financial stability, which is why CPS offers strong retirement and savings options:

Basic Life Insurance

Life and Disability Insurance

Pension Plans

Supplemental Retirement Plans (403(b) and 457(b))

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

Spot Pet Insurance

Work-Life Balance: Supporting Your Personal and Professional Life

CPS values the well-being of its employees and offers competitive paid time off policies:

Paid Leave

Sick Leave

Vacation Days

Parental Leaves

Short-Term Disability

Religious Holidays

Leaves

Reference the Chicago Public Schools: A Comprehensive Benefits Overview or the benefits handbook for comprehensive details.

Conditions of Employment

As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to:

• Establish/Maintain Chicago Residency - Employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district. The Chicago residency requirement does not apply to temporary/part-time positions; however, all CPS employees must be residents of Illinois.