Missions Director Jobs in Decatur, GA (NOW HIRING)

About Us
Georgia Highlands College is a multi-campus, state college member of the University System of Georgia. Founded in 1970 as Floyd Junior College, it now serves more than 6,000 students in Northwest Georgia and Northeast Alabama across its five locations in Rome, Cartersville, Marietta, and Dallas. GHC currently offers over 30 areas of study with associate degree and bachelor's degree options both in the classroom and online.
We are a growing and progressive institution with opportunities for great employees to grow in a fast-paced and challenging work environment that encourages employee wellness and overall success. Our combined efforts at GHC have led to numerous awards, honors, and countless stories of success for students and employees. This includes our most recent honor of being recognized as one of the semifinalists for the 2023 and 2025 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.
Job Summary
The Facilities Director is responsible for leading and directing the Facilities Management functions for a multi-campus college including Real Estate, Design and Construction, Maintenance and Operations, Fleet Management, Custodial Services, and Landscape and Grounds Maintenance. This position provides leadership to orchestrate the capital portfolio, mentor current management, elevate compliance and risk management, and increase delivery velocity.
Responsibilities

• Is responsible to understand, support, and carry out the college's missions, vision, and values and comply with mandates and regulations of government and accrediting bodies

Strategic Portfolio Oversight

• Translates organizational objectives into facilities strategies, long-range plans, and real estate decisions that support business growth and efficiency

• Prioritize and sequence projects

• Ensure milestone adherence across the active, funded/pending, and development projects

Risk & Compliance Governance

• Ensures facilities operations comply with safety, building codes, zoning laws, and regulatory standards

• Enforces required documentation for all departmental work projects

Vendor & Contractor Management

• Meets with prospective vendors, architects, and consultants

• Elevates vendor/contractor performance expectations, negotiates terms, and resolves escalations swiftly

Mentorship/Leadership

• Oversees setting strategic goals, creating frameworks for development, ensuring alignment with institution objectives, providing resources, fostering open communication, and driving accountability for results, ultimately bridging leadership vision with tangible team performance through coaching, feedback, and proactive problem-solving to enhance overall organizational success .

• Coaches the development of Facilities employees to develop and oversee a formalized succession plan

Resource Planning

• Develops and maintains department budgets, capital budgets, and MRR budgets

• Develops, monitors, and reports on facility budgets, including capital expenditure requests (AFEs) and ensuring projects stay within budget.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Acting as a liaison between senior leadership, department heads, property managers, and project teams to ensure project success and minimize operational disruption

• Serves as primary liaison with University System of Georgia (USG), Finance, Procurement, Academic Affairs, and campus leaders to ensure alignment and transparency.

Continuous Improvement

• Optimizes building performance, reducing costs, enhancing efficiency, and ensuring safety through strategic planning, data-driven decisions, and implementing best practices like preventative maintenance, energy management ultimately supporting overall business goals

• Monitors KPIs, analyzing performance, identifying root causes of issues, and leading teams to implement sustainable solutions for maintenance, space, and operations

• Implements standard operating procedures (SOP), project dashboards, and post-project reviews for institutional learning

Project Management

• Leads the planning, design, and implementation of major projects such as new construction, expansions, or significant renovations, and applies formal project management (PM) disciplines

• Oversees standardization of project stage gates dividing projects into distinct stages separated by decision points where management decides whether to continue, modify, or discontinue the project based on predefined criteria such as business value, risk, and alignment with strategy .

• Partners with procurement/supply chain to create bid packages, evaluate proposals, negotiate contracts, and manage performance of external project teams.

Facilities Management

• Develops departmental priorities to support the mission of the college

• Oversees development of prioritized lists of major and minor repair and renovation needs

• Assists with forecasts of future space needs/moves and plan layouts to optimize real estate utilization.

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Baccalaureate degree in a course of study related to the occupational field such as Facilities/Project Management, Engineering, and signigficant field related experience in facilities operations and management is required with 5 years of related experience sufficient to thoroughly understand the diverse objectives and functions of the position to direct and coordinate work within the department OR a Master's degree in a course of study related to the occupational field with a minimum of 3 years of related experience.
• Relevant certifications are beneficial.

• Possession of or ability to readily obtain a valid driver's license for the type of vehicle or equipment operated

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience successfully serving a higher education institution as facility director with 10 or more years of experience

• Experience as employee of the University System of Georgia (USG)

Proposed Salary
Salary: $111,612 annually
This is a fully benefitted position under the University System of Georiga. More information can be found at https://benefits.usg.edu/.
Required Documents to Attach

• Cover letter
• Resume
• Transcripts

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Knowledge of regulations and compliance - OSHA, environmental laws, building codes, ADA.

• Knowledge of financial management - budgeting, cost control, capital planning, and financial analysis.

• Knowledge of information technology - facility management software, data analytics.

• Knowledge of risk management - emergency preparedness, business continuity, insurance.

• Knowledge of strategic planning - aligning facilities with corporate goals.

• Knowledge of maintenance principles and practices - HVAC, electrical, plumbing, generators, and buildings, grounds, and custodial services

• Knowledge of project management.

• Skill in leadership management and supervision - team building, training and supervising staff, decision-making, motivating staff, and managing multiple projects.

• Skill in communications - excellent verbal/written skills, negotiation, relationship building with staff, vendors, and executives.

• Skill in problem-solving - analytical thinking, implementation of solutions to resolve complex operational issues.

• Skill in project management - overseeing renovations, new builds, and service implementations.

• Skill in business acumen - understanding business objectives, vendor negotiation, contract management.

• Skill in negotiation of contracts

• Skill in adaptability and organization - managing multitasking, staying calm in emergencies, and strong time management.

Apply Before Date
Applications will be accepted until position is filled.
Contact Information
For more information or questions about a job posting, please contact Human Resources by email at jobs@highlands.edu
For technical support, please call the USG Service Desk at (877) 251.2644, or email support@usg.edu .
USG Core Values
The University System of Georgia is comprised of our 25 institutions of higher education and learning as well as the System Office. Our USG Statement of Core Values are Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect. These values serve as the foundation for all that we do as an organization, and each USG community member is responsible for demonstrating and upholding these standards. More details on the USG Statement of Core Values and Code of Conduct are available in USG Board Policy 8.2.18.1.2 and can be found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section8/C224/#p8.2.18_personnel_conduct .
Additionally, USG supports Freedom of Expression as stated in Board Policy 6.5 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section6/C2653 .
Conditions of Employment
Offers of employment are contingent upon completion of a background investigation including a criminal background check demonstrating your eligibility for employment with Georgia Highlands College, as determined by Georgia Highlands College in its sole discretion, confirmation of the credentials and employment history reflected in your application materials and, if applicable, a satisfactory credit check.
Offers are made expressly subject to the applicable federal and state laws, to the statutes, rules and regulations of this institution and to the Bylaws and Policies of the Board of Regents (BOR) of the University System of Georgia (USG), which are available for your inspection upon request.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Georgia Highlands College provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.
Other Information
This position has direct supervision for facilities administration and operations staff. Direct reports include Assistant Director of Facilities, Project Manager, and Facilities Administration Coordinator.
The work is typically performed in an interior office, external building(s), and outdoor environment, occasionally in inclement weather. The employee may be exposed to dust, dirt, grease, noise, and machinery with moving parts.
The work is typically performed while sitting at a desk or table or while intermittently sitting, standing, stooping, bending or crouching. The employee occasionally lifts light and heavy objects, climbs ladders, uses tools or equipment requiring a high degree of dexterity, distinguishes between shades of color, and utilizes the sense of smell.
The individual fulfilling the responsibilities of this position will be designated as Essential Personnel. As referenced in policy HR.262, Emergency/Inclement Weather Closing. Employees whose job responsibilities may require that they work during hazardous or emergency weather conditions to maintain critical institutional functions may be designated as Essential Employees. Essential Employees may be called upon to perform their essential functions even during a campus/instructional site closing.
This position requires the incumbent to be accessible by cell phone and other electronic means during and after regular business hours.
This position has financial responsibilities.
This role is considered a position of trust.