Director of Physical Plan

About Albright College

Founded in 1856, Albright College is a nationally recognized liberal arts institution located in Reading, Pennsylvania, offering a distinctive, interdisciplinary educational experience built around its unique Connections curriculum. The College’s approximately 118-acre residential campus combines historic architecture with modern academic, residential, athletic, and administrative facilities. Albright’s physical plant includes instructional buildings, residence halls, performance and fine arts spaces, science laboratories, dining facilities, athletic and recreation facilities, and extensive landscaped grounds that serve both the campus community and visiting guests.

The condition, safety, appearance, and functionality of the campus are critical to supporting the College’s academic mission, student life programs, and community engagement. The Director of Physical Plan plays a central role in ensuring that Albright’s physical environment remains welcoming, operationally efficient, and aligned with institutional goals for sustainability, accessibility, and long-term campus stewardship.

Position Summary

The Director of Physical Plan provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for all physical plant functions at Albright College, including maintenance, custodial services, and grounds. This position ensures that campus buildings, infrastructure, and outdoor spaces are safe, clean, well-maintained, sustainable, and visually attractive. Reporting to the Vice President for Finance and Administration, the Director works collaboratively to support campus operations, long-term facilities planning, capital improvements, and regulatory compliance.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Leadership & Administration

• Provide vision, leadership, and management oversight to departmental managers and staff responsible for maintenance, housekeeping, custodial, and grounds functions.
• Foster a culture of service excellence focused on safety, accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
• Represent Facilities & Operations on campus committees related to planning, sustainability, safety, emergency preparedness, and capital development.
• Support campus events, conferences, athletics, and residential operations through responsive facilities services and coordination.

Campus Operations Management

• Oversee daily physical plant operations to maintain Albright’s diverse portfolio of historic and modern academic buildings, residence halls, athletic facilities, performance venues, and administrative spaces.
• Ensure custodial and housekeeping services maintain cleanliness standards that enhance campus safety, sanitation, and community pride.
• Direct maintenance programs for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, life safety systems, and general building infrastructure.
• Manage campus grounds operations including landscaping, snow removal (contracted), athletic field maintenance, walkways, parking areas, and seasonal campus beautification.
• Establish and monitor a comprehensive preventive maintenance program to prolong asset life, reduce reactive service needs, and maintain regulatory compliance.
• Utilize an online work-order system to track work orders, measure service response times, and identify performance trends.

Financial Management

• Work collaboratively with the Vice President of Finance and Administration to develop, manage, and monitor operating budgets for all supervised departments.
• Evaluate staffing levels, equipment needs, and vendor services to ensure cost-effective operations.
• Solicit and manage service contracts and ensure vendors meet performance, safety, and financial standards.
• Identify opportunities for operational efficiencies and cost savings while maintaining high service standards.

Capital Planning & Project Management

• Participate in campus master planning and space utilization initiatives.
• Lead or coordinate renovation projects and campus improvement initiatives.
• Serve as primary facilities liaison for architects, engineers, and contractors during project design and implementation phases.
• Monitor construction project budgets, timelines, quality assurance, safety compliance, and campus coordination.

Regulatory Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local codes governing building operations, environmental safety, fire safety, OSHA requirements, ADA accessibility, stormwater management, indoor air quality, and hazardous materials handling.
• Conduct routine safety inspections and correct deficiencies in a timely manner.
• Collaborate with Public Safety, Environmental Health & Safety, and emergency response teams to ensure campus emergency preparedness and facility readiness.
• Maintain required compliance documentation and reporting records.

Sustainability & Energy Stewardship

• Advance Albright College’s sustainability initiatives through energy management strategies, waste reduction programs, recycling efforts, water conservation projects, and sustainable groundskeeping practices.
• Identify opportunities to improve building efficiency and reduce carbon footprint through building automation systems, lighting upgrades, preventative equipment replacement, and green cleaning standards.
• Recommend capital investments that support environmental responsibility and long-term cost savings.

Campus Partnerships & Customer Service

• Serve as the primary point of contact for faculty, staff, and students regarding facilities services.
• Ensure courteous, efficient service delivery and timely resolution of concerns.
• Develop communication protocols to keep the campus informed of maintenance schedules, renovations, or service disruptions.
• Implement performance metrics and satisfaction feedback tools to continuously enhance service quality.

Supervision

The Director provides direct supervision to the following departments:

• Maintenance Services (internal)
• Custodial Services (Internal)
• Grounds and Landscape Services (contracted)

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of training and experience
• Minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in facilities or operations management within a complex campus, institutional, or commercial setting.
• Demonstrated leadership experience managing multi-functional teams and operating budgets.
• Working knowledge of campus facility systems including HVAC, plumbing, electrical, life safety systems, custodial operations, and grounds maintenance.
• Familiarity with regulatory compliance standards (OSHA, ADA, fire safety, building codes).
• Strong project management and vendor management experience.
• Proficiency with CMMS platforms and standard office software.

Preferred

• Higher education facilities experience.
• Professional certifications such as Certified Facility Manager (CFM), Facilities Management Professional (FMP), or Project Management Professional (PMP).
• Experience implementing sustainability or energy efficiency initiatives.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to traverse campus regularly, including stairs, ladders, rooftops, and mechanical spaces.
• Ability to lift up to 25 pounds.
• Capability to respond to after-hours emergencies and inclement weather conditions.

Work Schedule

This position requires flexibility to meet the needs of a residential campus, including rotating evening, weekend, holiday, and on-call responsibilities.