Superintendent Building & Grounds

The Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds is responsible for the management and operation of all City facilities maintenance and cleaning, including all City buildings, schools and schoolyards, parks, playgrounds, community paths and athletic courts.

Essential Functions

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various type of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

• Manages a staff of custodians, electricians, plumbers, foremen, motor equipment operators, mechanics and laborers spanning the Buildings Division and the Grounds Division in the Department of Public Works.
• Plans, organizes, and directs the delivery of maintenance services for:
  
  • All repairs, scheduled maintenance, custodial services, and furniture moves for a portfolio of over 45 buildings and schools.
  • All planting beds, irrigation systems, surfaces and play structures for a portfolio of over 60 public open spaces.
• Implements and monitors a variety of service contracts related to building maintenance including heating plant maintenance and control, electrical system repairs, plumbing repairs, elevator repairs and maintenance alarm systems, glass repairs, integrated pest management, roofing, flooring, and moving services.
• Implements and monitors a variety of service contracts related to grounds maintenance including landscaping, irrigation maintenance and repairs, play structure maintenance and repairs.
• Manages City vendors, including assessing and documenting vendor performance and efficiency.
• Oversees seasonal changeovers and decoration on City property.
• Coordinates departmental cooperation with stakeholders in other City departments, including City Administration, the School Department, Parks and Recreation, Constituent Services, Planning Department, Capital Projects, Inspectional Services and others.
• Supports the City’s Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plan in Schools, City buildings and parks and playgrounds.
• Prepares a wide variety of written materials (e.g. Board agenda items and briefings, contracts for professional services, budgets, property contracts, legislative updates, contract changes, requests for proposals, a variety of narrative and statistical reports related to constructions, maintenance, and modernization of facilities) for the purpose of documenting activities, providing written reference, seeking input, and/or conveying information.
• Oversees and administers the purchasing of supplies and equipment according to Federal, State and City purchasing policies and procedures.
• Makes preliminary estimates of the cost of repairs and maintenance to City and School facilities.
• Researches new products, laws, and regulations for the purpose of recommending purchases, contracts, maintaining city-wide services and compliance.
• Selects vendors and contractors who provide building and grounds maintenance services.
• Reviews, comments on, and closes out all Buildings and Grounds service orders, and ensures that work is completed appropriately and efficiently.
• Schedules and coordinates all required inspections of elevators, generators and fire escapes.
• On site availability, at any hour, for all severe weather events including snow and flooding.
• Other related duties as assigned.
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• Recommended Minimum Qualifications                                                                

Education and Experience: Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Engineering, General Construction, Architecture, Landscape Architecture or a related field, with five to seven (5-7) years of work experience managing one or more crews or laborers, with a preference for experience maintaining a portfolio of buildings, parks and playgrounds, or similar assets; or any equivalent combination of education, training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the essential functions of the job.           

Knowledge, Abilities and Skill

Knowledge:

• Knowledge of building maintenance and operation activities, including principles and practices of heating plant and air conditioning operations and safety precautions; coordinating maintenance and custodial staff and material; application of technology in support of building maintenance functions; building and construction trades. 
• Knowledge of operations, services and activities of a comprehensive park management program, including principles and practices of park management and facilities maintenance; playground safety, inspections and record keeping; irrigation system installation, maintenance and operations; tree, shrub and lawn care; installation and maintenance of large-scale landscape environments.
• Knowledge and experience with Computer Maintenance Management Systems (Maximo, Facility Dude, SAP or similar) and ability to prioritize, schedule frequencies and assign work orders.
• Knowledge of principles and practices of municipal budget preparation and administration.
• Working knowledge of state procurement laws.
• Knowledge of grant administration preferred.

Abilities:

• Ability to manage staff and oversee multiple work crews and individuals subject to distinct collective bargaining agreements and operating in a variety of buildings and open spaces.
• Ability to lead others, enforce policies and regulations, coordinate trainings and professional development, receive feedback, and problem-solve.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks in a detailed and accurate manner.
• Ability to read and interpret construction plans, diagrams, and blueprints.
• Ability to write and schedule preventive maintenance job plans, prepare technical reports and formulate recommendations.
• Ability to think creatively, exercise emotional intelligence and maintain or shift focus in accordance with changing priorities.
• Ability to establish effective working relationships with employees and contractors doing business with the City.
• Ability to deal with disgruntled members of the public in a tactful and professional manner.

Skill:

• Strong administrative, leadership and mentoring skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Computer and technological fluency in Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Computer Management Maintenance Systems (CMMS); ability to learn City financial and constituent service request tracking software systems.
• Bi-lingual or multilingual ability in Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian-Creole and/or Nepali is preferred.

Work Environment              

The work environment involves everyday discomforts typical of offices, with occasional exposure to outside elements.  Noise or physical surroundings may be distracting, but conditions are generally not unpleasant.  Employee may be required to work beyond normal business hours in response to attend evening meetings or complete work assignments.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the position’s essential functions.

Send your resume and cover letter by Wednesday, February 17, 2021 to:

City Hall Personnel Office
93 Highland Avenue
Somerville MA 02143
Fax: 617-666-4426
TTY: 1-866-808-4851
Email: employment_opportunities@somervillema.gov

City of Somerville residents are especially encouraged to apply.

The City of Somerville is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability or any other protected category. Women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures will be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities free of charge, upon request.

Individuals with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication, written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures, in order to access the programs and activities of the City of Somerville or to attend meetings, should contact the City’s ADA Coordinator, Nency Salamoun, at 617-625-6600 x2323 or NSalamoun@somervillema.gov.

Work effort principally involves sitting to perform work tasks, with intermittent periods of stooping, walking, and standing. There may also be some occasional lifting of objects such as books, office equipment and computer paper (up to 30 lbs.)

Motor Skills:

Duties are largely mental rather than physical, but the job may occasionally require minimal motor skills for activities such as moving objects, operating a telephone system, computer and/or most other office equipment, typing and/or word processing, filing, and sorting.

Visual Skills:

Visual demands include constantly reading documents for general understanding and for analytical purposes and routinely reviewing maps and blueprints with a need for color vision.