Manager, Maintenance and Trades

About Queen's University

Queen’s University is the Canadian research intensive university with a transformative student learning experience. Here the employment experience is as diverse as it is interesting. We have opportunities in multiple areas of globally recognized research, faculty administration, engineering & construction, athletics & recreation, power generation, corporate shared services, and many more.

We are committed to employment equity and diversity in the workplace and welcome applications from individuals from equity seeking groups such as women, racialized/visible minorities, Indigenous/Aboriginal peoples, persons with a disability, persons who identify in the LGBTQ+ community and others who reflect the diversity of Canadian society.

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Job Summary

Facilities proudly builds, maintains and improves campus facilities to create a safe and welcoming environment in support of teaching, learning and research. Reporting to the Assistant Director, Operations and Maintenance, the Manager, Maintenance and Trades (Manager), is an integral member of the Facilities operations management team and Facilities leadership team that is committed to a reputation as a trusted client focused service provider to the university community.

The Manager provides campus-wide leadership for the university’s centralized trades and technical services team and is responsible for the safe, reliable and efficient delivery of specialized maintenance, repair and technical services across the university’s buildings and infrastructure. The portfolio includes electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, refrigeration, building automation and controls, millwright, carpentry, door and lock systems, and other specialized building services.

Working closely with Area Managers, Building Operators, Engineering, Environmental Health and Safety, Energy and Sustainability, and Fixit Client Services, the Manager ensures that specialized work is properly prioritized, planned, assigned, completed and documented through the computerized maintenance management system (CMMS). While the Area Managers and Building Operators retain responsibility for building-level ownership, routine inspections and first-level maintenance, the Manager leads the centralized technical resources required for specialized, licensed, complex or higher-risk work.

With a strategic results driven approach, the Manager establishes consistent technical standards, strengthens preventive maintenance and regulatory compliance, improves equipment reliability, and champions an inclusive service-oriented trades team that celebrates the diversity of others and where team members take pride in their work and their contribution to the mission of Facilities and the university. In addition, Manager participates in establishing long term goals and is responsible for providing leadership and expertise on strategic initiatives and policies, as well as contributing to their development, implementation, and related communication, and will ensure that proposed solutions meet stakeholder needs through ongoing assessment of process and deliverables.

The Manager must be available to respond to emergency calls outside of normal working hours. In addition, the Manager works an assigned shift and is on a rotating call-in list for emergency calls from the Emergency Response Centre.

 

Job Description

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Maintenance Planning and Work Execution
• Lead the intake, assessment, prioritization, planning, scheduling and assignment of specialized trades work received through the CMMS.
• Ensure that work is directed to the appropriate internal trade, technical specialist or external contractor.
• Establish service priorities based on health and safety, regulatory compliance, life safety, operational impact, asset criticality and client requirements.
• Monitor preventive and corrective maintenance backlogs, response times, work completion, overtime, contractor use and recurring equipment failures.
• Ensure completed work orders include accurate labour, material, asset, failure and corrective-action information.
• Establish key performance indicators and use maintenance and asset data to identify trends, improve planning and address recurring problems through root-cause analysis.
• Develop consistent maintenance procedures, job plans, inspection requirements and quality-control practices.
• Ensure temporary repairs are documented, monitored and followed by permanent corrective action.
  
  

Technical and Regulatory Oversight

• Provide technical leadership for building mechanical, electrical, refrigeration, controls and related systems within the assigned portfolio.
• Ensure work is completed in accordance with applicable legislation, regulations, codes, standards, manufacturer requirements and university policies.
• Support compliance associated with TSSA-regulated equipment, refrigeration systems, pressure vessels, electrical systems, fuel-burning equipment and other regulated building systems.
• Ensure required inspections, tests, maintenance activities, licences, certificates and operating records are current, complete and readily available.
• Work with Engineering, Environmental Health and Safety, the Central Heating Plant and other technical authorities to clarify requirements and address identified risks.
• Immediately escalate to the Assistant Director, unsafe conditions, overdue regulatory work and significant equipment risks.
• Participate in investigations involving equipment failures, service disruptions, safety incidents and regulatory concerns.
• Review and audit technical work completed by employees and contractors to confirm quality, completeness and compliance.
  
  

Preventive Maintenance and Asset Reliability

• Strengthen preventive, predictive and condition-based maintenance programs for critical building systems.
• Review equipment history, failure patterns and maintenance performance to improve reliability and reduce unplanned downtime.
• Establish critical-equipment priorities and support the development of contingency and business-continuity plans.
• Work with Engineering and Asset Management to identify aging infrastructure, deferred maintenance and renewal priorities.
• Participate in equipment selection, commissioning, project turnover and the transfer of new assets into operations.
• Ensure operating and maintenance information, warranties, spare-parts requirements and preventive maintenance procedures are captured before project closeout.
• Support energy-efficient equipment operation and collaborate on initiatives that reduce utility consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions without compromising safety or service.
  
  

Operational Coordination and Client Service

• Work closely with Area Managers and Building Operators to define service responsibilities and ensure effective escalation of specialized work.
• Provide technical advice during complex building problems, occupant comfort concerns, equipment failures and service interruptions.
• Coordinate planned outages and major maintenance activities with affected departments and campus partners.
• Ensure clients receive timely, clear and accurate information regarding work status, operational impacts and expected completion.
• Establish service expectations between the centralized trades team and campus operating areas.
• Collaborate with Fixit Client Service to improve work-order quality, scheduling, requester notifications and performance reporting.
• Participate in emergency response and recovery activities affecting university facilities.

Contractor, Financial and Resource Management

• Determine when work should be completed by internal resources or external contractors based on capacity, competency, risk, urgency and value.
• Develop scopes of work, review quotations and provide technical input into procurement and contract-award processes.
• Oversee contractor performance, safety, quality, schedule, documentation and compliance with university requirements.
• Develop and manage assigned operating budgets and support monthly forecasting and variance reporting.
• Monitor overtime, materials, service contracts and contractor expenditures.
• Identify opportunities to improve productivity, reduce avoidable costs and make better use of internal technical resources.
• Maintain appropriate tools, equipment, vehicles, materials and critical spare-parts inventories.

Health and Safety

• Demonstrate visible leadership and accountability for health and safety.
• Ensure work is properly planned and performed in accordance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and university policies and procedures.
• Confirm that required hazard assessments, permits, isolation procedures and safe-work plans are completed.
• Maintain effective programs for lockout/tagout, confined-space entry, hot work, working at heights, electrical safety, refrigerant management and other applicable hazards.
• Investigate incidents and near misses and ensure corrective actions are completed.
• Exercise stop-work authority where an unsafe condition or activity is identified.

Leadership and People Management

• Provide direct leadership to a multidisciplinary team of licensed tradespeople, technical specialists, apprentices and other assigned employees.
• Establish clear roles, performance expectations, service standards and accountability across the centralized trades team.
• Plan and balance workloads based on operational risk, regulatory requirements, campus priorities and available resources.
• Plan, prioritize and manage the work of employees, providing strategic and tactical advice, guidance and coaching.
• Identify the need for staff resources, participate on staffing committees, and make effective recommendations regarding employee selection.
• Manage performance by establishing performance standards, reviewing and evaluating performance and conducting formal performance reviews on an ongoing basis.
• Assess staff training and development needs, and ensure that employees receive training required to improve and sustain successful performance.
• Investigate, address and resolve employee/labour relations issues, including disciplinary matters. Make decisions or effective recommendations on matters involving possible discipline, discharge and probationary termination.
• Ensure employees maintain the licences, certifications and technical competencies required for their assigned work.
• Promote collaboration, respectful workplace practices, continuous improvement and a strong service culture.
• Support apprenticeship, technical training and professional development opportunities.
• Coordinate after-hours coverage and provide leadership during operational emergencies, major equipment failures and planned shutdowns.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• University degree or college diploma in engineering, engineering technology, facilities management, building systems or a related discipline; or a recognized skilled-trade qualification combined with equivalent education and experience.
• Greater than 7 years of progressively responsible experience managing the maintenance and operation of complex institutional, commercial or industrial facilities.
• Demonstrated leadership experience supervising licensed tradespeople and technical employees across multiple disciplines.
• Strong working knowledge of mechanical, electrical, HVAC, refrigeration, controls and building automation systems.
• Experience managing in a unionized environment and applying collective agreements, organizational policies and established employment practices.
• Demonstrated experience with preventive maintenance, asset reliability, regulatory compliance and maintenance planning.
• Experience using a CMMS to plan work, manage backlogs, maintain asset records and measure performance.
• Experience managing operating budgets, contractors, service agreements and procurement activities.
• Working knowledge of relevant Ontario legislation, regulations, building and safety codes.
• Capacity to be a competent supervisor within the meaning of the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act.
• Valid Province of Ontario Full Class G driver’s licence and insurable under the university’s insurance plan.
• Satisfactory criminal record check.
• An equivalent combination of education and relevant experience may be considered.

ASSETS:

• Professional Engineer, Certified Engineering Technologist, Certified Technician, relevant Red Seal trade certification or comparable professional designation.
• Power Engineering or TSSA operating certification.
• Facilities-management certification such as FMP, CFM, BOMI or equivalent.
• Experience in a university, hospital, laboratory or similarly complex institutional environment.
• Experience leading organizational change or implementing a centralized trades or building-operator model.
• Training in project management, reliability-centred maintenance or asset management.

SPECIAL SKILLS:

• Promotes the value of diversity and the importance of being an inclusive organization and ensures equitable and fair treatment of others and actively works to make the workplace inclusive for all individuals.
• Role models continual learning on the topics of equity and inclusivity.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (verbal and written) to develop and maintain strong relationships with a diverse range of individuals, including university facilities and operations managers, department managers, researchers, and administrators.
• Broad technical understanding and the ability to lead employees from different trade disciplines.
• Strong operational judgment and the ability to make timely decisions during emergencies and service disruptions.
• Ability to prioritize competing demands using safety, compliance, operational impact and asset risk.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to use maintenance data to identify problems and improve performance.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical matters to non-technical audiences.
• Strong relationship-management, conflict-resolution and performance-management skills.
• Ability to establish accountability while maintaining a respectful, supportive and collaborative workplace.
• Sound financial judgment and an understanding of public-sector stewardship.
• Commitment to client service, continuous improvement and reliable campus operations.
• Proficient administrative skills, including use of computers for data analysis, spreadsheets and word processing. Ability to adapt to and support implementation of new technologies.

DECISION MAKING:

• Takes equity and inclusivity into consideration when completing day to day tasks and decisions. Establishes priorities and assigns centralized technical resources.
• Determines the appropriate trade, specialist or contractor required for assigned work.
• Makes operational decisions during equipment failures and building emergencies.
• Recommends equipment shutdowns where continued operation presents an unacceptable safety, compliance or asset risk.
• Escalates significant regulatory, life-safety, operational and financial risks.
• Approves overtime, materials and contractor expenditures within delegated authority.
• Makes recommendations regarding staffing, training, equipment renewal, service contracts and operating budgets.
• Contributes technical evidence and operational data to capital-planning and infrastructure-renewal decisions.
• Establishes budgets and approves expenditures of funds.
• Evaluates job candidates and make effective recommendations on suitable hires.
• Makes decisions and/or effective recommendations regarding transfers and promotions.
• Evaluates employee performance and decide on appropriate training or coaching to address lack of proficiency in carrying out responsibilities, or remedial action for staff disciplinary situations.
• Assesses investigation outcome of grievances and makes effective recommendations on appropriate course of action or next steps on grievances.
• Makes effective recommendations on level of discipline up to discharge and probationary termination.

Employment Equity and Accessibility Statement

The University invites applications from all qualified individuals. Queen's is strongly committed to employment equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace and encourages applications from Black, racialized persons, Indigenous people, women, persons with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQI+ persons. In accordance with Canadian Immigration requirements, priority will be given to those who are legally eligible to work in Canada.

The University provides support in its recruitment processes to all applicants who require accommodation due to a protected ground under the Ontario Human Rights Code, including those with disabilities. Candidates requiring accommodation during the recruitment process are asked to contact Human Resources at hradmin@queensu.ca.