Director of Utility Services

Job Description

Reporting to the Assistant Vice President for Infrastructure and Chief Sustainability Officer, the Director of Utility Services is responsible for the oversight of campus utility services and infrastructure. The incumbent will serve as an expert leader with proven experience in the utilities management field and is adept at complex decision-making in a high-risk environment with a record of being collaborative and innovative in their approach to meeting the needs of partners and customers. The unit of approximately 100 personnel is responsible for supporting the university’s over 12 million square foot Blacksburg campus and includes responsibility for the Virginia Tech Electric Service (VTES), Power Plant, and underground distribution systems. VTES is the electric utility provider for the Blacksburg campus and has about 6,000 residential and commercial customers in the Town of Blacksburg. The Power Plant generates steam output and provides campus buildings with a portion of their heat, hot water, and electricity needs. The underground distribution systems include domestic water, chilled water, sanitary, storm, steam, and condensate. The director serves alongside other members of the Division of Campus Planning, Infrastructure, and Facilities with an expert professional vision for strategic, sustainable, and efficient university utility systems.

The director will help support the long-term infrastructure frameworks highlighted in Beyond Boundaries 2047: The Campus Plan, the Virginia Tech Climate Action Commitment, and Virginia Tech Design and Construction Standards by:

• Leading and coordinating activities of the utilities team and outside consultants with a high level of professional acumen and technical expertise in support of university-wide success by directing, monitoring, and evaluating these professional engineering activities.
• Coaching staff to perform at a high level of competence. Ensures that performance metrics relevant to engineering services are met or exceeded. Encourages individual professional growth and team development.
• Professionally guiding and partnering with Campus Planning, Infrastructure, and Facilities team members in utility services aspects of project delivery, providing engineering oversight and analysis for scopes ranging from large scale multiyear multimillion-dollar campus and infrastructure systems, new capital construction projects, existing building evaluations, and other smaller-scale utilities focused construction and renovation projects.
• Responsible for the financial oversight and performance of the utility services’ funding streams.
• Maintaining a deep level of knowledge, technical expertise, and understanding of the many campus infrastructure, utilities, and engineering systems –to support best practices in design and operations.
• Championing the delivery of long-term sustainable environments, systems, and programs - focusing on but not necessarily limited to - energy efficiencies, utility distribution system best practices, renewals, occupant health and wellness in conjunction with other team members in the Division of Campus Planning, Infrastructure, and Facilities and campus sustainability leadership.
• Ensure the development and oversight of the units’ core functions through sound standard operating procedures and business procedures for routine maintenance, preventative maintenance, customer projects, customer service, and vendor-controlled service contracts.

The incumbent must be detail, action, solution, and results-oriented, and dedicated to continuous improvement. The incumbent is expected to fulfill identified responsibilities independently while maintaining effective communication with leadership. This position is designated as “Emergency Personnel”

Required Qualifications

• Advanced degree in engineering, business, or related field; or training and work experience that equates to an advanced degree.
• Significant experience with facilities management, utilities, maintenance and repair, budgeting, fiscal administration, people management, client management, and operational planning.
• Experience should demonstrate a broad understanding of public sector or higher education business issues and facilities services operations.
• Experience researching and preparing technically complex executive-level documents, position papers, reports, proposals, and presentations on a variety of strategic topics.
• Demonstrated commitment to data-driven decision-making and the use of key performance indicators in the execution (development, analysis, corrective action, communication, and pursuit and provision of feedback) of tactical, operational, and strategic responsibilities.
• Exceptional communication skills, interpersonal skills, diplomacy, and the ability to effectively interact and build trusted relationships with diverse internal and external constituencies.
• Demonstrated commitment to exceptionally responsive, consistent, and transparent service delivery to all campus constituents. Champions a responsive workforce that embraces a culture of continuous improvement, self-assessment, and accountability in a dynamic environment. Deploys, accepts, and acts on all mechanisms of customer feedback to achieve results and effect change
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks and projects; excellent organizational, leadership, and delegation skills; and ability to work collaboratively. Must have strong problem solving and conflict resolution skills to manage complex tasks and/or those that require balancing competing interests.
• Strong analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to see patterns, be a fast thinker, and make decisions with strong attention to accuracy, detail, and local context.
• Demonstrated patience, reliability, composure, and stability under pressure as well as a strong personal ethics commitment.
• Extensive leadership and team-building skills with a demonstrated ability to work independently and with minimal supervision.
• Proficient with facilities-related software and enterprise systems.
• Ability to travel to on-campus and off-campus facilities sites, with occasional overnight travel.
• This position is designated as “Emergency Personnel”. Must be available twenty-four hours per day, seven days a week to provide support during planned, emergencies, or events to include being physically on-site if deemed necessary.
• Understanding of utility systems serving a large number of clients through district heating, cooling, and electrical distribution systems.
• Good knowledge of budgeting and resource allocation procedures.
• Ability to find innovative ways to resolve problems.
• Experience in program delivery through total life cycle cost methods from design, build, finance, operate, and maintain for the term of the utility program.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven experience in facilities management with a focus on utilities systems and procurement of energy in higher education or public sector organizations
• Professional Engineer (PE) registration.
• Additional degree or advanced certification in management, statistics, or a related field.
• Intermediate to expert knowledge of Assetworks’ AiM or similar maintenance management software.

Appointment Type

Regular

Salary Information

Commensurate with experience

Review Date

March 29th, 2022

Additional Information

• Work is performed primarily in an office environment but must have the ability to travel and review work sites which require the ability to be in extreme temperatures (hot and cold) and be exposed to extreme weather conditions.
• When at worksites may be required to stand, walk, reach, bend, push/pull, climb 4 5 flights of stairs, and have the ability to safely handle and maneuver weights of 20-50 pounds.
• Repetitive motion is performed primarily through computer keyboarding.
• Must have a criminal background check
• Must have a driver's license check
• Emergency Personnel
• Must be available 24 hours per day, seven days a week to provide support during planned events or emergencies including being physically on-site if deemed necessary.
• Some overtime, weekend work, or overnight travel may be required.

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

About Virginia Tech

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges , a school of medicine , a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School , and Honors College . The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including the Innovation Campus in Northern Virginia; the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke; sites in Newport News and Richmond; and numerous Extension offices and research centers . A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $500 million in research annually.

Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or military status, or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by law.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Operations HR at opshr-g@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.

Advertised: March 9, 2022
Applications close: