Business & Facilities Manager

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How to Apply

All applicants must submit a cover letter and resume to be considered for this position.  In order for the Career Portal System to accept a cover letter, please include a cover letter as the first page of your resume. The letter should:

Specifically outline the reasons for your interest in the position.

Outline your skills and experience that directly relate to this position.

Summary

Merit Network, Inc. a non-profit corporation governed by Michigan's public universities, operates America's longest-running regional research and education network. Since 1966, Merit has been providing performance-driven networking solutions to Michigan's educational communities, including universities, colleges, K-12 schools, libraries, state government, healthcare, and other non-profit organizations. Merit advances member success, research, economic development, collaboration, and professional development by leveraging its network infrastructure, expertise and the value of its member communities. To learn more about Merit Network, please go to https://www.merit.edu/ .

Reporting to Merit's Vice President for Finance and Administration/CFO, the Business and Facilities Manager leads the maintenance, use and organization of Merit's office space, offsite locations and works with other employees to ensure offsite asset records are maintained. Serves as liaison between the CFO, landlord and vendors. Conducts research and leads special projects as assigned. In addition, this position will work across the organization to ensure the success of onsite meetings and events.

Responsibilities*

Essential Functions for this position are followed by an (E).

As the Business and Facilities Manager, this position's key responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Facilities Management (60%)

• Liaise with landlord on various facility matters including maintenance, cleaning, lighting, safety and other issues as they arise (E)
• Manage the coordination of building space allocation, layout and facility expansion (E)
• Work with the CFO to plan budgets and schedule facility maintenance and modification, including cost estimates (E)
• Establish, maintain and utilize various vendor relationships for proper use and function of the facilities (E)
• Work with CFO and other necessary staff to manage vendor contracts for the facility (E)
• Inspect office space for safety violations and effect modification, working with the CFO to correct any issues that arise (E)
• Manage preventive maintenance of facility equipment, office equipment and vendors shared with landlord (E)
• Make recommendations for changes to improve office organization and operations, supervise office inventory and the office supplies procurement processes (E)
• Inspect contractor's progress and final work products, working with Finance to ensure approved invoices are properly paid (E)
• Respond to all after-hours facility emergency notifications, escalating to CFO, President and working with vendor(s) for a quick solution, when necessary (E)        

       Business Support (20%)

• Provide on-the-job-training, monitoring and coaching to directly supervised personnel (E)
• Work with Shipping & Receiving personnel to ensure company assets are responsibly maintained, correctly recorded in the database and properly disposed of at the end of life (E)
• Maintain leases and University contracts for office equipment (E)
• Conduct research into landlord costs, equipment and/or asset status or other applicable data as needed for ad hoc reporting and analysis (E)
• Work with CFO and other necessary staff to manage vendor contracts for the facility (E)
• Establish, improve and/or maintain procedures for the Facilities area
• Provide backup for Shipping & Receiving personnel for all fleet maintenance

           Special Projects: (20%)

• Lead annual Insurance policy renewal (E)
• Collaborate across the organization to provide necessary insurance information and documentation (E)
• Work with affected employees, insurance brokers, etc. as needed to document, submit and finalize any insurance claims (E)
• Manage Merit's Internship Program, coordinating needs with management and working with Merit Human Resources to on-board and off-board interns for each program cycle (E)
• Explore and attend various job fairs, working with various management when appropriate, to promote Merit's Internship Program (E)
• Manage Merit's Apprenticeship Program, coordinating needs with management and working with Merit Human Resources to on-board and off-board apprentices for each program cycle (E)
• Perform other duties as requested by the CFO

Other Duties

This job description is not designated to cover a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job.  Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Required Qualifications*

• Bachelor's Degree in Business preferred and a minimum of 3 to 5 years of experience in performing facility management functions, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Ability to organize and coordinate a large and diverse workload with attention to detail and meet deadlines in a timely manner while demonstrating flexibility when priorities and deadlines change
• Capacity to exercise initiative, independent judgment, diplomacy, and confidentiality with a positive service-oriented attitude
• Ability to manage conflicting needs; handle matters expeditiously, proactively, and follows-through on projects to successful completion, often with deadline pressures
• Strong problem-solving, decision-making, analytical, organizational and critical thinking skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to work cooperatively with staff from various departments
• Ability to determine when to act independently and when to refer issues to the CFO
• Excellent verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills with a strong customer focus and an ability to interact with a wide variety of individuals in a professional manner
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, and Power Point), Adobe Acrobat, and Gmail
• Ability to collaborate and work as a team player. Assistance with workload(s) outside of defined job descriptions is expected
• Excellent work ethic and commitment to the mission of the organization
• Experience working in a fast-paced professional environment and ability to work under pressure independently and in teams
  

Desired Qualifications*

• Knowledge of University policies, procedures and regulations, and of the university administrative and functional organization
• Proficiency with the NetSuite ERP system
• Experience in a networking or telecommunications organization
• Experience managing an internship and/or apprenticeship program
• Experience in building/space management

Additional Information

We are committed to offering a high-quality benefits package to support staff and their families. Learn more about our 2:1 retirement plan, healthcare plans with nationwide coverage including prescription drug coverage, multiple dental plans, a vision plan, flexible spending account, well-being programs, long-term disability for healthcare and dependent care expenses, automatic life insurance, general legal services, multiple early childhood centers, time away from work and work-life programs to promote balance. Learn more at https://careers.umich.edu/benefits/

Supervisory Responsibilities

This position has formal supervisory responsibilities

Work Environment

This job operates in a professional office environment

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee (with or without accommodations) to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Employee must frequently work at computer stations, answer telephone calls, emails and/or other forms of customer/client communications. Employee may on occasion be required to move items of various sizes and weights throughout the office or building.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

Some flexibility in hours is allowed, but the employee must be available during the "core" work hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.. The employee must be available to work in-person at Merit's office 3 days per week, depending on the schedule of events. Occasional evening and weekend work may be required as job duties demand.

Travel

Travel may be required

Background Screening

The University of Michigan/Merit Network conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks.  Background checks will be performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Contact Information

• If you have any questions regarding this job, please contact: [email protected]
• If you need assistance completing this application, please call (734) 615-2000, option 1

Application Deadline

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven (7) calendar days.  This job may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended.

U-M EEO/AA Statement

The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.