Environmental Services Manager

The posting

Location: Bennington,Vermont,United States

Bennington College is seeking an Environmental Services Manager to join the Buildings and Grounds (B&G) facilities team. The Manager serves as the primary point of contact for conference services inquiries and collaborates with the Associate Vice President for Facilities Management on service execution, ensuring a high-quality, effective, and positive customer experience.

Reporting directly to the Associate Vice President for Facilities Management, the Environmental Services Manager oversees 16 housekeepers and 2 utility cleaners/movers to maintain a clean, orderly, and well-kept campus. Core responsibilities include assigning daily duties, inspecting completed work, addressing housekeeping and event set-up concerns, and resolving service issues. Additionally, this role provides operational oversight for trades staff when the Associate Vice President for Facilities Management or the Systems Manager and Chemical Hygiene Officer are unavailable.

This is an on-site position. The role requires participation in the regular manager-on-call rotation, emergency response readiness, and occasional irregular hours (including extended shifts, weekends, or holidays). Travel requirements for the position are minimal.

Bennington serves a diverse student population inclusive of members of ethnically/racially minoritized, international, LGBTQIA+, and disability communities, as well as diverse gender identities, socioeconomic backgrounds, religions, and political beliefs. Our staff and faculty also reflect diverse and intersecting backgrounds and identities. All employees are expected to be respectful and responsive to these differences in the service of building a community that promotes student and employee success and community cohesiveness. Each individual (faculty, staff and students) will be accountable for upholding these values. The College’s approach to pluralism and inclusivity—both as fields of inquiry and practice—is to prioritize flexible thought, and to invite the examination of access, value, power, and privilege through its institutional policies and areas of study. We encourage applicants from diverse realms of interest, backgrounds, experience, and accomplishment to apply.

Qualifications

1. A minimum of 5 years of direct experience, specifically handling large-scale custodial inspections, housing data systems, or property compliance as would be acquired through a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in a related field including Facilities and Hospitality, Social and Public Services, Environmental and Health Sciences. Demonstrated knowledge in a hospitality, institutional or other commercial cleaning environment (in multi-building environment required.
2. Experience must evidence a strong commitment to providing a superior customer service experience for all guests/individuals.
3. A minimum of three years supervisory experience with demonstrated knowledge and experience supervising and motivating teams and coaching employees.
4. Valid/current drivers license required.
5. Knowledge and experience with commercial cleaning practices, protocols and materials.
6. Knowledge of Federal and State regulations pertaining to designated work.
7. Strong written and oral communication skills and organizational skills. The position requires the ability to work with limited direction, multitask and prioritize competing deadlines.
8. Valid driving license.
9. Position requires the successful completion and results of a background check.
10. Excellent interpersonal skills, conflict management and mediation skills.
11. Strong computer proficiency; experience with Google Suite, ADP payroll and attendance systems, and work order systems (i.e., Schooldude).

All offers of employment are contingent on successful completion and acceptable results of a background check.

Compensation: The annual salary for this position starts at $68,000.

Bennington College offers a comprehensive benefits program that includes medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance, retirement, and tuition benefits, including Tuition Exchange scholarships. The College also offers an on-site fitness center as well as generous time off benefits.

General Responsibilities

• Supervise all housekeeping and utility cleaner/movers staff. Coordinate work schedules and work assignments. Manage hiring, coaching and ongoing evaluation of staff, including probationary and annual performance management evaluations; promptly and effectively deal with issues of concern. Manage employees effectively and in compliance with the collective bargaining agreement and other College procedures. Promote teamwork and ensure active and participatory engagement with staff; establish and maintain regular meetings with staff.
• Inspect campus spaces regularly, and generate work order requests daily to address noted issues. Review, evaluate and prioritize work orders. Coordinate and assign all moving and set up requests for special events (graduation, orientation, alumni and family weekend, Board of Trustees and faculty meetings, etc.) and oversee their implementation.
• Responsible for Beginning of Term and End of Term Room checks. Ensure that student rooms are cleaned, set up, and when needed, turned over for the opening of term and summer/winter programs. Work closely with Associate Vice President for Facilities Management and other key staff to coordinate schedules to ensure facilities are prepared for the arrival of special groups. Examine and inspect rooms for repairs as well as the need for repair/replacement of furniture. Manage “house damage” student billing at the end of each term and when necessary, handle phone calls from parents.
• Work closely with the Office of Student Life regarding a variety of matters including student housing, providing input for the student handbook, furniture placement/removal, house chairs issues, organizing the opening and closing of school, and organizations of events around this.
• As directed, manage faculty and staff campus housing leases in accordance with established college policy.
• Work closely with outside contractors during projects to organize cleaning and work schedules to meet the needs of the project completions, as well as working with outside contractors to organize work to be completed.Hire temporary housekeepers (seasonal and ad hoc needs), in partnership with Human Resources, to help with programs and cover ongoing needs (i.e., periods of vacancies, vacation, and leave time).
• Process weekly payroll using established payroll procedures. Ensure that staff are accurately recording hours of work and monitor payroll to ensure that staff are being paid at appropriate rates of pay. Ensure that payroll expenses remain within the established Housekeeping budget.
• Assist with the development of the annual Housekeeping budget. Evaluate staffing needs. Manage and monitor expenses to ensure compliance with established Housekeeping budget
• Serve as the initial contact for inquiries around conference services. Work in conjunction with the Associate Vice President for Facilities Management to execute conference services. Facilitate logistical support for programs, as well as assist with space scheduling and booking housing..
• As directed, provide coverage for the Associate Vice President for Facilities Management, or Facilities Management Assistant during periods of Absence.
• Assist with the supervision and coordination of schedules for dining services staff placed in Buildings and Grounds during Field Work Term (FWT) and other non-term times. Help coordinate the transition of staff with the Associate Vice President for Facilities Management, the Systems Manager and Chemical Hygiene Officer, and the General Manager of Dining Services or designee.
• Promote a positive and congenial atmosphere and working relationship with students, employees, supervisors and other individuals with whom this position may come in contact. Work effectively with other personnel to complete designated duties.
• Work extensively with the Design & Planning Coordinator and/or Associate Vice President for Facilities Management on furniture for the student houses (i.e., ordering furniture, repairing furniture, finding fabric, placing furniture, making trips to IKEA/other shops).
• Oversee storage and work with an outside moving company. As needed, order storage containers, hire additional moving staff and vehicles for various projects that require additional capacity. Determine placement of items in storage and disposition of storage items (i.e., saved, discarded, donated). Act as a liaison with other departments and outside agencies.
• Order supplies as needed such as pillows, blankets, bedspreads, linen, lamps, shower curtains, vacuum cleaners, and other housekeeping supplies and equipment. Arrange for supplies to be sent out for cleaning.
• Related work as required to ensure a superior customer service experience and to maintain clean and orderly campus facilities.

The College

Bennington College is a small residential liberal arts college in southern Vermont, long distinguished for its progressive approach to higher education. The College was founded in 1932 on the principle of active engagement in learning, which is manifest in individualized plans of study developed by students together with faculty. We serve a diverse student population, and our faculty and staff also reflect diverse backgrounds and identities. Our aim is to educate students towards self-fulfillment and constructive social purposes, and we believe that equity, diversity, and inclusivity--in community and in curriculum--are vital to achieving those aims.

Nestled at the foot of the Green Mountains in Vermont, the campus consists of approximately 370 acres. The College was named one of ten with the best architecture by Architectural Digest. From campus, it is a short drive to the cultural offerings of the northern Berkshires in Massachusetts, Albany, New York, and many of Vermont’s top recreational centers. New York City, Boston, and Burlington, Vermont are all within three and a half hours by car.

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