Vice-President of Facilities and Construction (Full-Time)

Cheekwood Estate & Gardens

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Job Summary

Cheekwood Estate & Gardens

Cheekwood is distinguished as one of the leading Country Place Era estates in the nation and is currently the third highest attended destination in Nashville, Tennessee, welcoming on average 400,000 visitors annually, with a membership base of 18,000. Formerly the family home of Mabel and Leslie Cheek, this 1930s estate, with its 30,000-square-foot Mansion and 55 acres of gardens, today serves the public as a botanical garden, arboretum, and art museum with furnished period rooms and galleries devoted to American art from the 18th to mid-20th centuries. The property includes 13 distinct gardens as well as a 1.5-mile woodland trail featuring outdoor monumental sculpture and regularly hosts contemporary sculpture exhibitions on its expansive property. Annually it presents seasonal festivals, including Orchids at Cheekwood, Cheekwood in Bloom, Harvest at Cheekwood, and Holiday LIGHTS. Cheekwood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and nationally as a Level II Arboretum. It is a three-time voted USA Today Top 10 Botanical Garden and in 2021 was recognized by Fodor’s as one of the 12 Most Beautiful Gardens in the American South.

Position Overview

The VP of Facilities & Construction provides strategic and operational leadership for all aspects of the three core functions of facilities management: daily operations (including custodial and event set-ups), facility maintenance, and construction. This role serves as a member of the senior leadership team and collaborates across the organization.

Job Responsibilities

Essential Functions & Responsibilities – General

• Exhibits commitment to Cheekwood’s mission and values, ensuring that strategic and operational objectives are met.
• Provides leadership, management, and training to all housekeeping and maintenance staff; maintains a positive team culture.
• Supervises contract services associated with facilities maintenance, custodial operations, and waste management to ensure compliance with contract terms and Cheekwood’s policies and goals.
• Prepares and manages the Facilities department’s operating budget, monitors expenditures, obtains competitive bids, and ensures compliance with Cheekwood’s financial policies.
• Ensures adherence to safe workplace practices and maintains safe, well-organized, and clean work areas and storage facilities.
• Ensures equipment is inventoried, well-maintained, properly stored, and in good working order.
• Attend weekly logistics meetings, monthly safety committee meetings, and other meetings as required.
• Serves as the staff liaison for the Facilities Committee and works with the Committee Chairperson to conduct quarterly meetings.
• Ensures repairs, maintenance, and construction comply with applicable laws, building and safety codes, and other regulations.

Management of the Facilities Department’s Three Core Functional Areas

Daily Operations

• Organizes housekeeping support for Cheekwood’s daily public operations, including highly attended festivals and programs, as well as internal operations.
• Maintains a constant awareness of the guest experience to ensure the highest standards of cleanliness and safety for all visitors.
• Determines appropriate staffing levels, including the use of contract labor and in-house housekeeping staff.
• Oversees the preparation of spaces and setup for in-house meetings, rental events, and special events and attends events as necessary.

Facilities Maintenance

• Supervises the daily activities of department managers, building superintendents, and maintenance technicians.
• Coordinates and manages preventive maintenance and repair of significant historic buildings, other public and private building spaces, parking lots and roadways, fleet vehicles, and utilities and infrastructure.
• Directs an efficient work order system and manages interdepartmental communications to ensure repairs of facilities, infrastructure, and equipment meet acceptable timelines.
• Regularly updates and evaluates the facility condition index to identify short-term and long-term improvement needs and to prioritize deferred restoration and critical repairs.

Construction Projects

• Plans, and executes major capital projects, including new projects, renovations, and large capital repairs.
• Functions as the primary project manager in all phases of capital construction, including planning and design, budget development, implementation, and project close-out.
• Focuses project-related information flow to Senior Leadership to facilitate effective decision-making.
• Collaborates with Operations Teams and Senior Leadership to coordinate and ensure construction projects and facility maintenance activities accommodate the institution’s public and special event operations.

Qualifications

Job Requirements

• Minimum of a bachelor’s degree in a related field and at least five years of management experience that demonstrates progressively responsible leadership roles, preferably in a complex organization.
• Experience in non-profit and/or facility operations preferred.
• Experience in budgetary and cost controls.
• Strategic thinker, self-motivated, and detail-oriented.
• Effective written and oral communication, organizational, time management, and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated leadership skills, including motivating, developing, and coaching staff and providing effective management and delegation in a complex and dynamic environment.
• Team player with proven ability to work collaboratively with executive leadership, operational staff, guests and members, and donors.
• Committed to quality of service and sensitivity to diversity and inclusion; ability to work in a dynamic, culturally diverse community.
• Proficiency in computer software as needed.
• Availability to work flexible hours, including nights/weekends.
• Valid driver’s license to drive garden vehicles and personal vehicles for business purposes.

Additional Information

Benefits

How to Apply

Please submit your cover letter and resume at: https://cheekwood.org/about/join-our-team/

Details

• Date Posted: December 4, 2024
• Type: Full-Time
• Job Function: Other
• Service Area: Arts / Culture