Director of Building Services

Overview

Avanath is proud to be named one of the top property management companies that provide affordable housing for the workforce.

Cultivating the American Dream is the purpose that binds the Avanath team. At Avanath, every day is an opportunity to make a difference in someone's life. Whether it is helping residents call one of our communities home, providing excellence in customer service, or championing our workforce, we are committed to creating an unforgettable experience as a great place to live, work, and be. 

The Role

The Director of Building Services is a critical contributor to our success in achieving our Corporate Purpose, living our Mission, and honoring our Core Values.  The Director of Building Services fosters a high company morale and culture that results in the retention and attraction of top talent.  This role impacts every maintenance team member within their assigned portfolio from their very first days with our company through the progression of their career with us.  This role supports our brand, helps build our reputation, focuses our efforts on consistently achieving excellence, and enhances the service we bring to our residents, guests, associates, and our properties. This role heightens our ability to grow by recommending and executing upon constant innovative improvements to the management platform with a focus on improving overall maintenance operations.

The Director of Building Services is heavily focused on the training of our maintenance team members in the areas of troubleshooting, diagnosing, repairing, and preventively maintaining all building systems.  The successful Director will contribute to the organization's efficiency and compliance with all procedures related to customer service, expense management, market turns, contracts, use of technology, and the long-term asset preservation of Avanath’s communities. 

This role’s training efforts will include motivational coursework and training sessions designed to provide mentorship and coaching opportunities to all maintenance team members and ensure training is provided to enhance technical skills for maintenance associates.   They’ll provide feedback regarding individual associate strengths and opportunities for improvement and craft programs that ensure capitalization of the associate’s strengths and address any challenges that impair their long-term success.

In exercising their responsibilities, they must promote an atmosphere that supports the greatest possible satisfaction and well-being of all individuals associated with the properties, including fellow team members and residents, and that is consistent with the goals and objectives of the Company and property owners. 

The incumbent in this role must possess a high degree of professionalism and positive engagement with our residents and the workforce.

• An Aptitude for Connecting - Must possess a strong sense for creating a sense of community, as well as the drive to go the extra mile to create a positive experience for all residents and team members. Your success and purpose are driven by the relationships that you build within your communities, including vendor partners, regulatory, and social services partnerships. This includes adopting a collaborative approach to create consistent, favorable circumstances that foster success and effectiveness for the Organization and the communities.
• An Authentic Attitude - Consistently demonstrate an open and professional attitude and approach when assessing and resolving resident and team member concerns. This Includes, but Is not limited to, seeking resources throughout the organization via the organizations' support services and senior leadership.
• An Approach that is positive and Professional - Consistently demonstrate an approach of active listening and understand that your participation and support are integral to the success of Avanath, ensuring that each resident and team member feels seen, heard, and valued as you and the team work to resolve challenges.

Qualifications

• 5-7 years of experience in property management, facilities management, or a building services leadership role.
• Strong understanding of building systems, maintenance, and construction.
• Certifications in HVAC, CPO, and OSHA are highly desired.
• Proficiency in relevant software and data management tools.
• Must have the ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Ability to develop and implement long-range and short-term property development and maintenance educational programming.
• Ability to create momentum and foster organizational change.
• Demonstrated knowledge and skills in operating and maintaining year-round programs and facilities.
• Willingness to offer quality internal and external customer service, to assist, and to enhance company guidelines and initiatives.
• Ability and willingness to travel to various locations within the US for purposes of associate training, property inspections, and property acquisitions/dispositions. On-site visits are required, a minimum of 3x per week.
• Strong interpersonal skills as well as strong verbal and written communication skills required.
• Advanced working knowledge of the following software programs: Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and Office 365.
• Aptitude for undertaking administrative tasks such as reporting, budgeting, and working with spreadsheets, etc.
• Be detail-oriented, cost-conscious, and reliable to meet deadlines.
• Adept at mathematical calculations, equations, and spreadsheet analysis.
• Exhibit strong organizational skills and excellent training ability.
• Exhibit superior business judgment and acumen, with an acute concern for customer satisfaction. A strong sense of fairness and integrity.
• Ability to interact effectively with senior executives, business vendors, community partners, and investor contacts as needed.
• Ability to work well under time and other constraints.

Key Accountabilities

• Assist in developing and maintaining Avanath’s maintenance standardization program for all communities, including safety programs.
• Assist in expanding and/or refining Policies and Procedures in the Operational Manuals or support documents to include areas with a focus on Maintenance, general site operations, safety, and/or other disciplines as assigned.
• Yardi maintenance dashboard oversight to ensure property complies with Avanath’s maintenance operations (i.e., purchase orders, make readies, work orders, turn management, etc.).
• Assist with budget preparation and execution.
• Monitor maintenance KPIs for all assigned properties to maximize performance and enforce standards.
• Streamline and recommend on-site maintenance policies and procedures to enhance NOI and performance.
• Conduct monthly property inspections to ensure the property complies with Avanath standards of maintenance operations. Prepare follow-up status reports for senior leadership. Follow up with Maintenance Supervisors on completion or correction of deficiencies found in inspections.
• Maintain a consistent and strong customer service orientation, with a focus on integrity.
• Offer recommendations to senior leadership on expense Programs regarding improvements to the overall operations.
• Recommend, develop, execute, and monitor all capital and non-routine improvement needs and projects. Assist Maintenance Supervisors with property-level management of such projects and oversee non-routine and capital improvements when the scope is too large or complex for Maintenance Supervisors.
• Execute companywide service contracts to secure quality services at the best price point available.
• Monitor, forecast, and provide recommendations for common expenditures at a Company-wide level for maintenance-related items.
• Assist with issues or concerns sites have with vendors, especially Avanath's preferred vendors.
• Develop and train maintenance associates with new hire and mentorship programs in coordination with other key stakeholders, which may include, but are not limited to, assisting with orientation and other onboarding practices.
• Establish training schedules for maintenance associates with the assistance of the Training Manager, Grace Hill Vision, and Interplay or other technology utilized to promote ongoing and effective training of Avanath associates.
• Maintain personal technical skills necessary to aid on-site team members in troubleshooting, diagnosing, and executing repairs as needed.
• Research new programs to enhance operations and support/implement new company initiatives.
• Ensure all maintenance staff follow safe working practices in relation to proper equipment handling and safety practices.
• Identify and research common life safety issues, ensuring these issues are corrected in a timely manner by sites and implement operational polices to limit their occurrences in the future.
• Assist with developing, customizing, and implementing Avanath’s Preventative Maintenance Program on a site-by-site basis to ensure that repairs are minimized and to improve the community’s operating efficiently to maintain Avanath and regulatory standards.
• Identify and implement creative programs to increase the property value and company morale, and to offer services to residents and associates.
• Contribute to and support Associate Recognition programs.
• Contribute to and assist with performance evaluations and development of strategic planning relating to personnel.
• Assist with interviewing new hires, as requested.
• Recommend rewards and disciplinary action, and assist with resolving associate concerns or complaints.
• Assist Maintenance Supervisors in ensuring the property’s compliance with all applicable regulatory standards.
• Perform all job-related responsibilities in complete accordance with local, state, county, local health, safety, land use, and Federal Fair Housing regulations and ensure properties conform to these regulations.
• Evaluate and bid out existing portfolio/corporate contracts.
• Must be available to assist and coordinate on-call functions in response to emergency situations such as fire, flood, severe wind damage, ice damming, and security breaches, as directed by supervisor.
• Exhibit an upbeat professional demeanor.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Vice President, Building Services, or other senior leadership.
• Manage tools and parts inventory program compliance in coordination with property maintenance supervisors.
• Must adhere to company safety policies and ensure that all employees work in a safe and secure environment.
• Must comply with all OSHA safety regulations, federal, state, and local applicable laws regarding health, safety, or environment, including Avanath’s standard operating procedures and policies.

Physical Demands & Working Conditions

• The incumbent in this position is classified as essential staff and is expected to report to work and adhere to all safety and business protocols.
• Frequent sitting and walking.
• Travel within the region and to other business offices and events via airline, train, and automobile.
• Repetitive use of the computer, keyboard, mouse, and phone
• Reading, comprehending, writing, performing calculations, and communicating verbally.
• May work in an elevated site, may walk on uneven ground.
• Occasional squatting, bending neck/waist, twisting neck/waist, pushing, and pulling.

How Avanath Supports You

We know that our teams are the heart of our success and growth, and we are committed to showing our appreciation.

We offer:

• Culture Built on Purpose and Core Values - A Commitment to Integrity, A Spirit of Caring, and A Focus on Continuous Improvement.
• Comprehensive Benefits – health, dental & vision, 401(k), personal time off, paid holidays and more!
• Growth is based on achievement and an emphasis on promoting from within our ranks versus just external candidates.
• Development – a commitment to creating opportunities to learn and expand your knowledge in the industry, from online training platforms to training classes to one-on-one coaching.

Diversity & Inclusion

Avanath Capital is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Our human capital is the most valuable asset we have, and Diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”) are at the very core of Avanath’s operating and investment philosophy. We believe that bringing together people with diverse thoughts, backgrounds, talents, and experiences at all levels of our organization, including the executive team, enables us to proactively and creatively achieve our mission to enable opportunities for hard-working American families. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities, and talent that our employees invest in their work represents a significant part of our culture, our reputation, and our achievements.

We embrace and encourage our employees’ differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our employees unique.

Our organization’s diversity initiatives include—but are not limited to—our practices and policies on recruitment and selection; compensation and benefits; professional development and training; promotions; transfers; and the ongoing development of a work environment built on the premise of gender and diversity equity that encourages and enforces:

• Respectful communication and cooperation between all employees.
• Teamwork and employee participation, permitting the representation of all groups and employee perspectives.
• Work/life balance through flexible work schedules to accommodate employees’ varying needs.
• Employer and employee contributions to the communities we serve to promote a greater understanding and respect for diversity.