"Facilities Manager - Science & Research Laboratories"

Facilities Manager - Science & Research Laboratories

Boston College Introduction

Founded in 1863, Boston College is a Jesuit, Catholic university located six miles from downtown Boston with an enrollment of 9,654 full-time undergraduates and 5,072 graduate and professional students. Ranked 37 among national universities, Boston College has 923 full-time and 1,336 FTE faculty, 2,822 non-faculty employees, an operating budget of $1.4 billion, and an endowment in excess of $3.9 billion.

The Facilities Manager is a vital member of the Facilities Services Team and will report to the Director, Trades Services in Facilities Services. This individual is responsible for facilities needs supporting the R1 Research locations on campus.

The Facilities Manager is responsible for the safe, compliant, and efficient operation of scientific and research laboratory facilities. This role oversees building systems, lab infrastructure, maintenance programs, vendor relationships, and regulatory compliance to ensure laboratories operate reliably and safely in support of research, development, and innovation activities.

Manage daily facility operations including HVAC, electrical, plumbing, cold rooms, lab vacuum, lab air, processed chilled water, RODI, and other building systems. Oversee the maintenance and repairs of facilities equipment consistent with a research and life science environment.

Key Responsibilities

Laboratory Facilities & Infrastructure

• Manage daily operations of academic laboratory buildings, including HVAC, electrical, plumbing, laboratory gases, vacuum systems, and specialty research utilities
• Ensure uninterrupted operation of critical research infrastructure (e.g., environmental controls, teaching labs, shared core facilities, cleanrooms, cold rooms, freezers, vivariums, instrument suites, backup power)
• Coordinate preventive maintenance programs to minimize disruptions to teaching schedules and research activities.
• Assignment of work orders to the Trade shop employees, including inspection of work upon completion.
• Develop and implement preventive maintenance and asset lifecycle programs for lab equipment and building systems

Safety & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with all applicable regulations and standards, including State, MWRA, biosafety, chemical safety, and local building codes
• Partner with EH&S teams to support lab biosafety, radiation, and hazardous waste programs, inspections, audits, and corrective actions
• Maintain documentation related to permits, certifications, inspections, and standard operating procedures

Vendor & Contractor Management

• Manage service contracts and relationships with vendors, contractors, and consultants
• Oversee contractor safety, work quality, and adherence to lab-specific protocols
• Review bids, negotiate contracts, and manage budgets for facilities services and capital projects

Financial & Project Management

• Develop and manage facilities operating and capital budgets,
• Track expenditures, forecast maintenance and upgrade needs, and identify cost-saving opportunities. Reconcile monthly expenditures per university regulations.
• Support capital improvement projects and system upgrades

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Work closely with scientists, researchers, lab managers, IT, EHS, and leadership to understand operational needs
• Respond to facilities-related requests and issues with a customer-focused approach
• Communicate clearly about planned maintenance, outages, and project timelines

Full-Time Equivalent Hiring Range: $86,000 to $107,500; salary commensurate with relevant experience.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Facilities Management, Engineering, Building Sciences, or a related field (or equivalent experience)
• 5+ years of facilities management experience, preferably in laboratory, research, healthcare, or regulated environments
• Candidates will need to demonstrate a general knowledge of trades (Electrical, Carpentry, Mechanical, Plumbing). Preference to hold additional trade Licenses such as Electric and/or Refrigeration.
• Knowledge of and familiar with energy management systems (EMS) and building automation systems (BAS). Preferably Johnson Controls and Schneider Electric
• Working knowledge of laboratory building systems and research infrastructure
• Familiarity with regulatory requirements affecting research and laboratory facilities
• Experience managing vendors, budgets, and facilities projects
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office. Proficiency with Google Workspace (Sheets, Docs, Chat and Drive)
• Maintain a valid driver's license.
• Comm. of Mass Wastewater License (I1or I2) or willing to obtain within first year of employment

Normal work schedule is 7:30AM - 4:00PM Monday- Friday but occasional evening, weekend, or on-call work may be required to support classes, research continuity, safety inspections, emergency response, or critical infrastructure outages.

The Facilities Manager is expected to participate in and may need to respond to after-hours emergencies, alarms, or critical system failures. The Facilities Manager position is considered to be essential and may require reporting to work during extreme weather conditions on nights, weekends and holidays.

Work is primarily performed on-site in academic laboratory, classroom, mechanical, and office environments

Regular presence in active research and teaching laboratories, including spaces with chemicals, biological materials, radiation sources, noise, or specialized equipment (with appropriate training and personal protective equipment provided)

Ability to walk campus buildings, climb stairs, scale ladders, access mechanical rooms, rooftops, and utility spaces, and navigate stairs and confined areas, at times in inclement weather.

Ability to lift, carry, push, or pull equipment or materials weighing up to [25-50] pounds, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Closing Statement

Boston College offers a broad and competitive range of benefits depending on your job classification eligibility:

• Tuition remission for Employees
• Tuition remission for Spouses and Children who meet eligibility requirements
• Generous Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Low-Cost Life Insurance
• Eligibility for both University-Funded 401k and Employer-Sponsored 403b Retirement Plans
• Paid Holidays Annually
• Generous Sick and Vacation Pay
• Additional benefits can be found on https://www.bc.edu/employeehandbook

Boston College conducts pre-employment background checks as part of the hiring process.

Boston College is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of any legally protected category, including disability and protected veteran status. Boston College's Notice of Nondiscrimination can be viewed at https://www.bc.edu/nondiscrimination.