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What does a director of facilities do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
What does a director of facilities do

The director of facilities is responsible for monitoring the facilities' operations, including the inspection of tools, equipment, and machinery, scheduling routine maintenance, and managing resource budgets. Directors of facilities also maintain the safety and security of the facilities, immediately reporting potential risks to avoid hazards within the premises. They facilitate training and programs for the employees to mitigate risks, negotiate with contractors, and coordinate with the management for any facility remodeling and renovation. A director of the facility must have excellent communication and leadership skills, especially for managing staff's performance and needs.

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Director of facilities responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real director of facilities resumes:

  • Manage hospital EVS staff assuring logs are document for terminal cleaning.
  • Lead the department through smooth and successful accreditation surveys by TJC.
  • Manage environmental health, safety and security program for entire organization, ensuring OSHA general duty compliance.
  • Manage, delegate and perform facility repairs, apartment renovations, preventive maintenance and inventory control utilizing CMMS program for maintenance.
  • Develop and implement a bi-weekly facility maintenance schedule to ensure program cleanliness.
  • Direct all electrical, HVAC, custodial, and plumbing maintenance along with facility upgrades/renovations and operations support for this organization.
  • Provide oversight concerning real estate actions; direct negotiations, collaborate on course of action on acquisitions, renewals and dispositions.
  • Ensure compliance with TJC and AHCA.
  • Check and clean areas around the plant to maintain safety and cleanliness.
  • Create a security team to meet the ever increasing dangers that threaten a healthcare organization.
  • Maintain compliance with state and national standards and regulatory bodies including DHH, TJC, and NFPA.
  • Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations including NFPA, MIOSHA, ASHE and EPA.
  • Oversee all tenant improvements such as: general repairs, plumbing, electrical, landscaping, A/C, and handicap accessibility.
  • Repair any electrical and plumbing problems.
  • Reorganize maintenance department by fully utilizing CMMS.

Director of facilities skills and personality traits

We calculated that 8% of Directors Of Facilities are proficient in Customer Service, Life Safety, and HVAC. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Leadership skills, and Communication skills.

We break down the percentage of Directors Of Facilities that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Customer Service, 8%

    Provide superior customer service, maximizing occupancy, achieving financial goals, developing team members and managing vendor services.

  • Life Safety, 6%

    Plant Management infrastructure, includes emergency generators, life safety, engineering and Operations and Maintenance of multiple campuses.

  • HVAC, 5%

    Directed all electrical, HVAC, custodial, and plumbing maintenance along with facility upgrades/renovations and operations support for this organization.

  • Project Management, 5%

    Implemented extensive project management methodologies, improving staff understanding of requirements to complete initiatives and provide future planning/forecasting to Senior Executives.

  • Patients, 5%

    Performed Functional Capacity Evaluations for Worker Compensation Patients and clients seeking disability.

  • Facilities Management, 5%

    Maintained rapport with university partners to ensure that the needs of Enrollment Management are met regarding Facilities Management and Technology.

Most directors of facilities use their skills in "customer service," "life safety," and "hvac" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential director of facilities responsibilities here:

Detail oriented. The most essential soft skill for a director of facilities to carry out their responsibilities is detail oriented. This skill is important for the role because "administrative services managers must pay attention to details." Additionally, a director of facilities resume shows how their duties depend on detail oriented: "worked in partnership with sodexo and client c.f.o to complete detailed capital improvement projects totaling $2.5m. "

Leadership skills. Another essential skill to perform director of facilities duties is leadership skills. Directors of facilities responsibilities require that "in managing workers and coordinating administrative duties, administrative services managers must be able to motivate employees and deal with issues that may arise." Directors of facilities also use leadership skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "provided leadership to 26 team members in: maintenance, environmental services, laundry, security and reception. "

Communication skills. This is an important skill for directors of facilities to perform their duties. For an example of how director of facilities responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "much of an administrative services manager’s time is spent working with other people." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a director of facilities: "developed and maintained departmental budget and resource utilization for plant operations, communications, maintenance, linen, housekeeping and security. ".

Analytical skills. For certain director of facilities responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "analytical skills." The day-to-day duties of a director of facilities rely on this skill, as "administrative services managers must be able to review an organization’s procedures and find ways to improve efficiency." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what directors of facilities do: "analyzed and recommended capital improvement projects to senior management and board of directors. "

See the full list of director of facilities skills

Choose from 10+ customizable director of facilities resume templates

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Compare different directors of facilities

Director of facilities vs. Engineering/maintenance manager

Engineering and maintenance managers are skilled executive professionals who manage the daily activities of the engineering department while directing the maintenance of all types of machinery in a manufacturing plant. These managers are required to develop preventive maintenance procedures and inspections for all manufacturing equipment so that they can reduce machine downtime. They must ensure that contractors are trained to respond to emergencies and follow all the processes that are documented within the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations. Engineering and maintenance managers must also create a budget to manage the expenditures related to plant equipment upgrades.

We looked at the average director of facilities salary and compared it with the wages of an engineering/maintenance manager. Generally speaking, engineering/maintenance managers are paid $9,387 higher than directors of facilities per year.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both director of facilities and engineering/maintenance manager positions are skilled in hvac, project management, and osha.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between directors of facilities and engineering/maintenance manager. For instance, director of facilities responsibilities require skills such as "customer service," "life safety," "patients," and "facilities management." Whereas a engineering/maintenance manager is skilled in "capital projects," "facility maintenance," "plant maintenance," and "predictive maintenance." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Engineering/maintenance managers tend to make the most money working in the manufacturing industry, where they earn an average salary of $98,678. In contrast, directors of facilities make the biggest average salary, $87,213, in the media industry.The education levels that engineering/maintenance managers earn slightly differ from directors of facilities. In particular, engineering/maintenance managers are 2.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a director of facilities. Additionally, they're 1.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Director of facilities vs. Administrative manager

An administrative manager is an employee responsible for supervising an organization's standard clerical and administrative process such as faxing, photocopying, and liaise between employees and the management. Executive managers would assist human resource (HR) professionals in recruiting and training new administrative employees and reporting their government's progress. They help organize meeting schedules of different departments and assists with various events. They also respond to incoming communications and create written and typed reports such as memos and business letters.

On average, administrative managers earn a $20,126 lower salary than directors of facilities a year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Directors of facilities and administrative managers both require similar skills like "customer service," "project management," and "patients" to carry out their responsibilities.

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that director of facilities responsibilities requires skills like "life safety," "hvac," "osha," and "plumbing." But an administrative manager might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "office procedures," "financial statements," "administrative functions," and "powerpoint."

Administrative managers may earn a lower salary than directors of facilities, but administrative managers earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $78,635. On the other hand, directors of facilities receive higher pay in the media industry, where they earn an average salary of $87,213.administrative managers earn similar levels of education than directors of facilities in general. They're 3.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Director of facilities vs. Business office director

A business office director is an executive professional who is responsible for directing professionals who are involved in performing professional or clerical duties of an organization. This director must participate in developing and implementing the organization's business office policies and procedures and ensure that their employees are following them. The director is required to prepare payroll and monitor the clerical functions of employees as well as approve supply requisitions to maintain the inventory of office supplies. This director must also collaborate with the human resources personnel to address and resolve employee relations and performance issues.

On average, business office directors earn higher salaries than directors of facilities, with a $13,850 difference per year.directors of facilities and business office directors both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "patients," "oversight," and "human resources," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, directors of facilities are more likely to have skills like "customer service," "life safety," "hvac," and "project management." But a business office director is more likely to have skills like "office equipment," "office management," "leave administration," and "business office functions."

Business office directors earn the highest salary when working in the professional industry, where they receive an average salary of $91,526. Comparatively, directors of facilities have the highest earning potential in the media industry, with an average salary of $87,213.Most business office directors achieve a similar degree level compared to directors of facilities. For example, they're 1.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Director of facilities vs. Administrative director

An administrative director primarily functions to oversee daily operations within a company, ensuring everything is running smoothly. Among their responsibilities include monitoring the budget and audits, allocating funds to every department, coordinating with supervisors, and analyzing key data such as finances and progress reports. Additionally, they are also responsible for implementing policies and regulations, even crafting new ones when necessary. They typically report all progress and concerns to higher officials such as the president and vice president.

Administrative directors typically earn lower pay than directors of facilities. On average, administrative directors earn a $10,362 lower salary per year.While both directors of facilities and administrative directors complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like customer service, project management, and patients, the two careers vary in some skills.While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "life safety," "hvac," "oversight," and "osha" are skills that commonly show up on director of facilities resumes. On the other hand, administrative directors use skills like patient care, financial reports, payroll, and program development on their resumes.In general, administrative directors earn the most working in the media industry, with an average salary of $98,897. The highest-paying industry for a director of facilities is the media industry.In general, administrative directors hold higher degree levels compared to directors of facilities. Administrative directors are 5.1% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of director of facilities

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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