Director of Facilities

What You'll Do

Central Synagogue is seeking a strategic and hands-on Director of Facilities (DoF) to oversee the maintenance, optimization, and long-term preservation of our mechanical and physical assets. You will lead the management and operational excellence of Central Synagogue's real estate portfolio, which includes the landmark Sanctuary and the adjacent Community House. A successful Director will identify priority upgrades and set a road map for building maintenance and system modernization, while ensuring that our sacred spaces are safe and suitable for community use. Our congregants value our spaces as places of worship, education, and host of major life events. This role is critical to ensuring the safety, functionality, and sustainability of a landmark institution that serves as a spiritual and community hub.

Key Responsibilities

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Facilities Operations & Maintenance

• Oversee all mechanical, electrical, plumbing (MEP), and HVAC systems across multiple buildings.
• Manage and prioritize a backlog of maintenance projects to ensure building safety and longevity.
• Act as the primary point of contact for facility emergencies, serving on-call to address urgent issues like pipe bursts or system failures.
• Supervise and manage maintenance staff, vendors, and contractors, ensuring high-quality workmanship and accountability.

Systems Evaluation & Digital Transformation

• Establish and oversee standardized facilities processes and SOPs that support preventive maintenance, lifecycle management of all physical assets, and long-term asset sustainability, including clear escalation and response procedures for emergency and unplanned situations.
• Evaluate current Building Management Systems (BMS) and, in conjunction with outside experts, lead the strategy for potential consolidation and overhaul.
• Implement and manage a digital asset management, work order and inventory system to replace informal or spreadsheet-based tracking.
• Establish a systematic approach to digital file storage for building plans, warranties, and technical documentation

Strategic Planning & Project Management

• Partner with the Director of Capital Programs to align facility needs with long-term capital improvement plans.
• Develop a multi-year roadmap for the repair and replacement of aging infrastructure.
• Lead the prioritization of facilities-related budget items, ensuring resources are directed toward the most critical needs.
• Collaborate with the CFO and General Counsel on procurement, contracting, and vendor performance management.
• Provide guidance or feedback regarding additional off-site spaces that may be added in the next few years.

Who You'll Work With

• You will report to the Chief of Operations
• You will supervise the Facilities Department, including a Senior Manager of Maintenance and Engineering.
• You will frequently collaborate with Directors of Building Operations (who manages custodial and event set-up staff) and Capital Programs (who manages architectural/non-MEP projects).

• Proven experience managing complex building systems (HVAC, mechanical, electrical, plumbing) in an urban environment, preferably with historic or landmarked properties. Experience managing at least one of HVAC or MEP is a must-have.
• Ability to evaluate aging infrastructure and develop data-driven plans for maintenance and modernization.
• Proficiency in implementing digital facilities management tools, including asset management and work order systems and electronic document storage.
• Ability to make sense of and prioritize across disparate and urgent work streams.
• Experience coordinating with internal and external partners to manage multi-faceted projects.'
• Experience managing and contributing to the development of budgets.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to work effectively across departments, with colleagues from security, IT, legal, finance, and nursery school programs.
• Ability to communicate maintenance and operational concepts to non-experts.
• A "roll up your sleeves" mentality with the ability to navigate both high-level strategy and technical, hands-on problem-solving.
• Familiar with best practices with respect to procurement, contracting, and permitting.

Compensation

The expected salary range for this position is $135-160K. Central Synagogue offers an extensive benefits package designed to meet the needs of our dedicated and diverse community. The salary is commensurate with experience based on several factors, including but not limited to skills, knowledge, training, education, areas of specialization, and depth and scope of experience. The above salary range represents the Synagogue's good faith and reasonable estimate of the possible compensation range at the time of posting.

Additional Details

Central Synagogue is located in Midtown Manhattan; as such, the DoF must be based in New York City or within easily commutable distance. The DoF will be expected to be present onsite 5 days per week, with some flexibility regarding the specific hours on site based on ongoing maintenance or facility improvements.

In partnership with their team, the DoF may be expected to support and participate in events, which may include weekends and evenings. Working on the High Holy Days, specifically Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, may be required.

Central Synagogue is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to complying with all federal, state, and local equal employment laws. To that end, we are dedicated to maintaining a work environment that is free from harassment and discrimination on the basis of age, race, creed, color, national origin (including ancestry), religion, gender or sex, sexual orientation (including transgender status, gender identity or expression), pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation, and related medical conditions), alienage or citizenship status (unless required by law), disability, reproductive health decision making (including, but not limited to, the decision to use or access a particular drug, device, or medical service), marital status, partnership status, caregiver status, domestic violence victim status, familial status, military status, unemployment status, genetic information (including genetic characteristics), or any other protected status under federal, state, or local laws. We are dedicated to the fulfillment of this policy with respect to all aspects of employment, including, but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, placement, transfer, training, promotion, compensation, termination, and all other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment.