Facilities Operations Manager
About UMass Amherst
UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth's flagship campus, is a nationally ranked public research university offering a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, and offers a rich cultural environment in a bucolic setting close to major urban centers. In addition, the University is part of the Five Colleges (including Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College), which adds to the intellectual energy of the region.
Job Summary
The Department of Polymer Science and Engineering seeks to hire a Facilities Operations Manager who will have responsibilities to ensure the efficient operation of the Silvio O. Conte National Center for Polymer Research and to facilitate the research, education, and service missions of the Center's faculty members, students, and staff members.
Essential Functions
- Monitor building infrastructure in the laboratory and office wings of the Conte Building and implement repairs and improvements as needed by occupants (projects that do not require work requests). Purchase the necessary materials and supplies to complete these projects.
- Supervise laboratory renovations performed by UMass Facilities and Campus Services personnel and/or outside vendors to accommodate new research instrumentation and assist with new instrument installations. Where necessary, assist in the disposal of obsolete instruments. Design, coordinate, and oversee project completions in a timely manner.
- Coordinate laboratory and office renovations for new and existing faculty members. Work with faculty and staff members to understand needs and find solutions. Find ways to minimize impacts of these projects on research, office work, and teaching.
- Liaison with campus facilities, physical plant, and custodial staff to ensure timely upgrades and maintenance of the Conte Building. Anticipate and plan long term maintenance projects in coordination with UMass Facilities and Campus Services through regular meetings with their staff.
- Liaison with campus UMass Facilities and Campus Services and outside contractors on all other major Conte building projects such as those involving ventilation, gas and water delivery, and electrical services.
- Lead responses to laboratory and building incidents (flooding, power outages, etc.), which on occasion, requires unplanned after-hours in-person work.
- As requested by laboratory PIs, oversee chemical management issues and equipment maintenance, taking into consideration State, Federal Codes and Regulations, and University Policies.
- Interface with UMass Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) on laboratory safety practices/issues. This activity will sometimes involve going into laboratories using hazardous materials that are carcinogenic, radioactive, or explosive. Implement guidelines and safety initiatives directed by EH&S and the relevant Departmental Safety Committee. Some projects will require skills in handling hazardous materials.
- Ensure Laboratory Safety Training compliance for all researchers in Conte. Maintain current credentials for Lab Safety Trainings and send out trainings reminders as necessary. Inform the appropriate administrators of any serious training deficiencies.
- Coordinate Conte building and laboratory access (keys and electronic cards), ensuring that only designated persons can enter nonpublic spaces.
- Conduct space audits and instrumentation inventories.
- Prepare billings for the shared instrumentation/support services provided by the Conte cost centers not associated with the Institute for Applied Life Sciences (IALS); such centers currently include Gel Permeation Chromatography, Thermal Analysis, and Nitrogen; assist directors of these facilities with instrument needs and help trained users operate these facilities when their director is unavailable.
- Supervise the Conte loading dock as well as arrange for departmental shipping and receiving. In addition to Conte, the loading dock serves many neighboring buildings.
- Ensure that submitted work requests in Conte are completed in a timely manner, and communicate to building occupants notifications from physical plant for planned service interruptions. Assist occupants in management of these interruptions.
- Prepare the facility modifications needed for special events hosted in Conte.
- Partner with IT staff to update physical infrastructure in laboratory and office wings.
- Facilitate the organization of teaching laboratories with instructors and teaching assistants, including the installation and take-down of instruments.
- Support the IALS core facilities and facility directors housed in Conte.
Other Functions
- Work collaboratively and effectively to promote teamwork, diversity, equality and inclusiveness.
- Work in partnership with colleagues within the CNS community and across the campus to support the Polymer Science and Engineering Departments strategic priorities.
- Perform other duties as assigned in support of the mission and goals of the College of Natural Sciences.
Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)
- Bachelors Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) discipline.
- 3-5 years of experience working in a laboratory environment.
- Excellent organizational skills.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Physical Demands/Working Conditions
Entering laboratories where research is being conducted involving hazardous materials that could be toxic, carcinogenic, and/or explosive. The Operations Facility Manager will be issued a cell phone for emergencies, and will be listed as a back-up on contact for the PIs in case of a laboratory accident after normal business hours.
Work Schedule
Monday – Friday 8:30am – 5:00pm, with occasional evening or weekends.
Additional Details
All faculty, staff, and students, graduates and undergraduates, post-doctorates, visiting scholars, and volunteers working in a laboratory are required to attend and successfully complete classroom laboratory training and classroom fire safety training. Same applies to biological and radiation safety if individuals work with these materials. All classroom trainings must be repeated and successfully completed every 5 years and on-line (OWL) refresher trainings in the intervening years.
Salary Information
Level 27
Special Instructions to Applicants
Submit a letter of application, resume and contact information for three (3) professional references. Search may remain open until a suitable candidate pool has been identified.
As part of a commitment to their own multicultural community, CNS seeks an individual
with a demonstrated commitment to diversity and one who will understand and embrace university initiatives and aspirations. In addition to application materials above, candidates will need to submit a Statement of Contribution to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The Diversity Statement should identify past experiences and future goals. These contributions may result from lived experiences, scholarships, and/or mentoring, teaching, and outreach activities. (https://www.cns.umass.edu/diversity-equity-inclusion)
UMass Amherst is committed to a policy of equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, military status, or genetic information in employment, admission to and participation in academic programs, activities, and services, and the selection of vendors who provide services or products to the University. To fulfill that policy, UMass Amherst is further committed to a program of affirmative action to eliminate or mitigate artificial barriers and to increase opportunities for the recruitment and advancement of qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and covered veterans. It is the policy of the UMass Amherst to comply with the applicable federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations concerning equal opportunity and affirmative action