Director of Facilities – Seattle Aquarium

Posted: 4/9/24
Deadline: 5/9/24
Salary: $98,000 - $125,000

About This Organization

Seattle Aquarium

Job Duties

Another Source’s client, Seattle Aquarium, is recruiting a Director of Facilities to join their team onsite in Seattle, WA.

Here’s a little about Seattle Aquarium and the position they are recruiting for:

Our lives depend on the ocean, the life support system for our blue planet. The Seattle Aquarium’s physical facilities and associated equipment in concert with the departmental personnel provide foundational infrastructure to facilitate delivery of the aquarium’s mission: Inspiring conservation of our marine environment. The facilities team works diligently to safely maintain, operate, and secure the Aquarium’s campus and offsite facility to support our shared of ocean conservation – starting here on Seattle’s waterfront.

All positions at the Aquarium support and advance our SALISH Values (Sustainable, Awe-Inspiring, Learning and Improving, Inclusive Community, Scientific Integrity, Honoring Place). As a part of our values, the Aquarium is committed to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization. We adopted a DEI strategic plan and Regenerative Plan. We envision a future in which ocean and coastal communities survive and thrive, where we can meet the needs of the present while building more resilient and equitable systems for the future.

Learn more about the Seattle Aquarium here: https://www.seattleaquarium.org/who-we-are  

About the role:

The Director of Facilities at the Seattle Aquarium is a key leadership role responsible for overseeing safety, security, habitats (exhibits), maintenance and efficient operations of our facilities. The position reports to the Vice President of Facilities and Operations, and has four direct reports (Facilities Operations Manager, Safety Manager, Security Manager, and Exhibits Technician), with an overall team of 32 staff members. The facilities department collaborates closely with all other Aquarium departments and partners to deliver infrastructure, systems and processes that facilitate mission-delivery across a wide range of organizational functions.

The anticipated yearly salary range for this position is: $98,000 – $125,000 based on experience.

How you will spend your time:

Team management and collaboration:

Leading, collaborating with, directing, and supporting the maintenance, operations, safety, security, and exhibits teams/functions. Creating and promoting a positive, supportive, and inclusive work environment.
Fostering professional growth of others through coaching and mentoring, providing feedback, training and professional development, accountability, team culture, and maintaining high performance standards.
Actively and effectively supporting internal and external collaborations and partnerships to operate and maintain the facilities and infrastructure in alignment with best practices.
Championing the advancement of the organization’s regenerative and equity practices.
Providing leadership in strengthening internal communications with staff throughout the organization while meeting the needs of diverse communication styles.

Facilities operations, safety, security, and exhibits:

Overseeing day-to-day operations of the Aquarium facilities, ensuring a world-class experience for visitors and staff.
Working cross-departmentally to update and/or create and implement facilities-related processes and procedures to promote efficient operations.
Providing oversight for our safety function to ensure with federal, state, and local regulatory agencies as they pertain to our facilities and operations.  Actively examining safety practices using an equity lens, improving accessibility and inclusion, and encouraging diversity in thought and perspectives.
Working alongside security team to continue to develop the security processes and procedures, enhance physical site security, and collaborate with external partners to deliver a secure environment for staff, volunteers, and guests.
Collaborating with the VP of Facilities and Operations, engineering team, and facilities operations staff to develop and implement standards of care and service level agreements for delivery of facilities-related services.
Authoring, reviewing, and managing facilities contracts.
Collaborating with external vendors, contractors, and service providers to ensure the timely and efficient completion of facility-related projects and maintenance tasks.
Participating in development, management, and leadership of facilities and exhibits-related capital projects.
Developing and maintaining emergency response plans and procedures to address various scenarios, including natural disasters and security incidents.

Strategic thinking, planning & development:

Serving as an active and collaborative member of the Aquarium’s management team to establish the short- and long-term strategic goals for the Aquarium’s facilities team and to manage and evaluate operations modeling cross-functional integration and collaborative ways of working.
Defining tasks and milestones to achieve objectives, considering impacts on all areas of the Aquarium operations while ensuring the optimal use of resources.
Preparing and managing departmental budget, aligning four team budgets within the scope of the departmental budget, ensuring effective and responsible fiscal practices, including development and management of the annual capital maintenance budget.
Serve on, and at times lead, various cross-departmental teams and working groups. Including, but not limited to, safety committee, exhibits committee, daily operations advisory group, etc.
Proactively adapt to meet changing business requirements, facilitating the implementation and acceptance of change within the workplace. Seek to continuously improve processes and practices and respond to challenges and opportunities with innovative solutions.
Leading, advancing and integrating diversity, equity, inclusion, and regenerative practices throughout team management, processes, and facilities projects. All Aquarium staff and volunteers are expected to participate in advancing and integrating into their work Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Regenerative practices in alignment with our S.A.L.I.S.H. Values.

Required Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

At least seven years of cumulative experience, showing continued growth and leadership in facilities management and/or operations management in a complex organization and growing responsibility in staff leadership and management.
Culturally responsive leadership and management skills, with demonstrated experience supervising and mentoring staff at multiple levels, including team development, career progression, and interdisciplinary teams.
Experience executing multi-faceted plans, projects, and initiatives across a complex organization.
Experience with environmental health and safety compliance
Experience implementing sustainable practices into operations.
Demonstrated history of implementing new ways of thinking and engagement while alternating strategic and tactical perspectives.
Deep understanding of resource management in terms of time, effort, and budget. Evidence of strategic decision making in allocation and tracking of resources. Solutions-oriented approach in addressing near- and long-term goals of the department.
Demonstrates an understanding of the Aquarium’s Mission and Values, including Regenerative and Equity work.  Strong ability to build and maintain positive, respectful relationships with people from diverse backgrounds. Ability to approach others from an empathetic, authentic and curious perspective.
A preference for Multilingual applicants and English speakers with comfort and practice communicating across cultural and language barriers.

What’s in it for you:

Full-time staff are eligible for the Seattle Aquarium’s comprehensive benefits package to include medical, vision, dental, an employer-funded health reimbursement account, medical and dependent care flexible spending accounts, life insurance, long-term disability, 403b retirement fund with employer match, access to a subsidized ORCA pass, a Seattle Aquarium Family Plus membership and generous paid time off.

Equal Employment Opportunity and Non-Discrimination:

The Seattle Aquarium is committed to expanding a diverse, equitable, and inclusive conservation movement. We are invested in building an Aquarium with a wide variety of backgrounds, identities, languages, cultural ways of knowing, and life experiences. We know research shows that society has conditioned communities of color, trans and gender non-conforming people, immigrants, people with disabilities, and other marginalized candidates to more frequently not apply to a job because they don’t feel that they meet all of the qualifications listed even if they are qualified. If you meet some of the requirements and you are passionate about our mission and our ocean, we encourage you to apply and look forward to learning more about you.

Another Source works with their clients, on a retained project basis. We are committed to building inclusive candidate pools as we partner with hiring teams. Veterans, women, people of color, LGBTQIA+, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply. As you read through the job posting and review the list of qualifications (required and/or preferred), please do not self-select out if you feel you do not meet every qualification. No one is 100% qualified. We encourage you to apply and share your story with us.

Salary

$98,000 - $125,000

Other Info

Please apply using this link.