Director of Facilities

Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ), a world-renowned education and poverty-fighting organization based in New York, seeks an enthusiastic, dedicated, and mission-aligned Director of Facilities to lead the Facilities Department.

The Director of Facilities will bring a deep commitment to Harlem Children’s Zone’s mission: breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty through comprehensive, community-based programming that creates opportunities for children and families to thrive in school, work, and life.

This leadership role is responsible for overseeing all facilities operations, compliance, maintenance, capital projects, budgeting, and strategic planning across HCZ’s 28 locations. The Director will ensure that all facilities are safe, efficient, and fully compliant with applicable regulations while providing strategic direction to support the organization’s growth and operational excellence.

The ideal candidate will possess extensive experience managing multi-site facilities operations and a strong working knowledge of regulatory agencies and requirements, including FDNY, ECB, DOB, and DOH. The successful candidate will demonstrate expertise in facilities management, vendor oversight, budget development and management, compliance, risk mitigation, and team leadership.

For more information, check out Want to Work at Harlem Children’s Zone? Here’s 7 Things You Need to Know.

Requirements

• Reporting to the Managing Director of Core Operations, the Director of Facilities serves as the senior leader responsible for the strategic direction, operational excellence, and long-term stewardship of the organization's facilities portfolio. This individual will oversee all facilities operations, maintenance, engineering, regulatory compliance, capital planning, vendor management, emergency preparedness, and building systems across a diverse portfolio of educational, administrative, and community facilities.
• The Director of Facilities will partner closely with executive leadership to develop long-term facilities strategies that ensure organizational assets remain safe, compliant, efficient, and positioned to support future growth. This leader will oversee a large facilities team while driving continuous improvement, operational consistency, and exceptional customer service throughout the organization.
• The successful candidate is an experienced operations executive who combines strategic leadership with strong technical expertise and a collaborative leadership style. They possess the ability to manage complex facilities operations while developing high-performing teams, strengthening systems and processes, and building trusted relationships across the organization.

This is an exceptional opportunity for a mission-driven leader to modernize facilities operations, influence enterprise-wide initiatives, and play a key role in supporting one of the nation's premier nonprofit organizations.

Who You Are

Demonstrated success leading complex facilities operations across multiple buildings or campuses.

Experience leading maintenance, engineering, custodial, and facilities teams in highly regulated environments.

Strong knowledge of building systems, including HVAC, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, fire/life safety, security, and building automation systems.

Experience leading capital improvement projects, facility renovations, and infrastructure modernization initiatives.

Proven ability to manage multimillion-dollar operating and capital budgets while balancing competing organizational priorities.

Demonstrated success developing preventive maintenance programs and utilizing facilities management systems (CMMS) to improve operational performance.

Experience negotiating and managing vendor relationships, service contracts, and procurement processes.

Strong knowledge of regulatory compliance, including OSHA, ADA, environmental regulations, and applicable building codes.

Exceptional leadership skills with experience developing high-performing teams through coaching, accountability, and continuous professional development.

Excellent communication and relationship-building skills with the ability to collaborate effectively across all organizational levels.

Strong analytical, financial, and project management capabilities with a data-informed approach to decision-making.

Sound judgment, executive presence, emotional intelligence, and the ability to lead effectively during periods of change and operational complexity.

Bachelor's degree required; Engineering, Facilities Management, Construction Management, Architecture, or related field preferred.

Professional certifications such as Certified Facility Manager (CFM), Facility Management Professional (FMP), LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP), or comparable credentials are preferred.

A minimum of 8–10 years of progressively responsible facilities leadership experience, including experience leading large operational teams.

What You’ll Do

• The Director of Facilities will provide strategic and operational leadership across the organization's facilities function.

Key responsibilities include:

• Provide strategic leadership, coaching, and performance management for facilities, maintenance, engineering, custodial, and building operations teams while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive facilities strategy that aligns operational priorities with organizational goals and long-term growth.
• Oversee the maintenance, repair, and continuous improvement of multiple facilities while ensuring safe, efficient, and welcoming environments.
• Develop and manage preventive maintenance programs that maximize asset life cycles, minimize operational disruptions, and improve service delivery.
• Lead capital improvement planning, facility renovation projects, and infrastructure investments while ensuring projects are completed on schedule and within budget.
• Direct vendor procurement, contract negotiations, and ongoing vendor performance management to ensure high-quality services and fiscal responsibility.
• Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local regulations, including OSHA, ADA, fire and life safety, environmental, and building code requirements.
• Develop emergency preparedness, business continuity, and crisis response plans while serving as a key leader during operational emergencies.
• Partner closely with Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Security, and program leadership to support organizational priorities and improve operational effectiveness.
• Develop facilities budgets, monitor expenditures, analyze operational metrics, and identify opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce long-term costs.
• Implement operational standards, policies, procedures, and performance metrics that drive consistency and continuous improvement across the facilities function.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to executive leadership on facilities planning, infrastructure investments, organizational risk, and operational strategy.
• Schedule
• Preference for candidates located within the New York metropolitan area.
• Hybrid work schedule with regular on-site leadership across multiple facilities.
• This position requires flexibility to respond to operational emergencies, occasional evening and weekend responsibilities, and travel between facilities.