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What does a senior facilities manager do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read
Quoted expert
Irene Thomas Johnson

A senior facilities manager is responsible for services, security, and maintenance of work facilities, ensuring that they meet the organization's and employees' needs. Typical day-to-day duties include overseeing and negotiating with service providers such as parking, cleaning, and security, supervising staff including maintenance, security, and grounds personnel, and managing and allocating space in the building. As a senior facilities manager, you may also be tasked to give advice on maintaining cost-effectiveness and improving energy efficiency.

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Senior facilities manager responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior facilities manager resumes:

  • Manage regularly schedule facility inspection, building construction/maintenance, electrical construction/maintenance, HVAC, property and grounds upkeep.
  • Well verse in reading and interpreting architectural, plumbing, and electrical plans.
  • Organize monthly safety meetings to ensure both OSHA and the insurance carriers' requirements are satisfy.
  • Perform minor repairs as needed such as plumbing, painting, minor electrical, office configurations.
  • Assist with the implementation of new CMMS in support of maintenance operations to ensure industry standard best practices.
  • Inspect facilities and evaluate factors, including HVAC systems, lighting, size, condition, and stability for occupancy.
  • Ensure that all sites are compliant with corporate procedures and policies, thereby meeting OSHA and corporate safety and security standards.
  • Render strategic oversight and full control over terminal expenses.
  • Utilize CMMS reporting and business intelligence analysis for continuous improvement.
  • Function as liaison between facility departments and rehabilitation services; implement programs to aid in identifying appropriate candidates for therapy services.
  • Involve in daily operations of troubleshooting, maintaining, and repairing PLC controls, microprocessors, and electrical control systems.
  • Administer senior technical support on automate production machinery, machine modifications, machine design, and PLC programming.

Senior facilities manager skills and personality traits

We calculated that 8% of Senior Facilities Managers are proficient in Facility Management, Portfolio, and Real Estate. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Detail oriented, and Leadership skills.

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

  • Facility Management, 8%

    Developed new opportunities with other business units to improve Duke Energy's cost structure and service delivery for facility management.

  • Portfolio, 7%

    Oversee third-party management of a Residential Portfolio including spearheading remodeling plans, capital improvements, marketing, and resident policy revisions.

  • Real Estate, 7%

    Facilitate global real estate requests for office renovations, expansion, relocation and development.

  • Customer Service, 7%

    Welcomed residents and guests; General administrative duties; Customer service related tasks

  • Capital Projects, 5%

    Managed the annual budget process that includes forecasting capital projects, depreciation schedules and operating expenses.

  • Project Management, 5%

    Project management of design/construction/fabrication including: Conceptual/Front End/Detail Design engineering, Fabrication, Installation & Hook-up & Commissioning (HUC).

"facility management," "portfolio," and "real estate" are among the most common skills that senior facilities managers use at work. You can find even more senior facilities manager responsibilities below, including:

Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a senior facilities manager to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what senior facilities managers do because "much of an administrative services manager’s time is spent working with other people." Additionally, a senior facilities manager resume shows how senior facilities managers use communication skills: "review and oversight of tenant improvement projects including extensive stakeholder communication. "

Detail oriented. Many senior facilities manager duties rely on detail oriented. "administrative services managers must pay attention to details," so a senior facilities manager will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways senior facilities manager responsibilities rely on detail oriented: "coached facility management teams on becoming more customer/colleague-oriented, which resulted in a better collaborative work environment. "

Leadership skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of senior facilities managers is leadership skills. This skill is critical to many everyday senior facilities manager duties, as "in managing workers and coordinating administrative duties, administrative services managers must be able to motivate employees and deal with issues that may arise." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "developed and maintained full oversight of the construction project pipeline schedule and provided routine updates to senior leadership. "

Analytical skills. A big part of what senior facilities managers do relies on "analytical skills." You can see how essential it is to senior facilities manager responsibilities because "administrative services managers must be able to review an organization’s procedures and find ways to improve efficiency." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical senior facilities manager tasks: "managed the conversion of 2,000 sf room from office space to analysis and reporting center with 21 foot video wall. "

All senior facilities manager skills

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Senior Facilities Manager Resume
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Senior Facilities Manager Resume
Senior Facilities Manager Resume
Senior Facilities Manager Resume
Senior Facilities Manager Resume
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Compare different senior facilities managers

Senior facilities manager vs. Administration vice president

An Administration Vice President oversees the administrative teams and operations of an organization together with the president. They have the authority to set objectives and guidelines, establish budgets and timelines, gather and analyze data, coordinate managers, delegate tasks, and develop strategies to optimize operations. They also liaise with internal and external parties, maintain records, address issues and concerns, and participate in hiring new members of the workforce. An Administration Vice President implements an organization's policies and regulations, creating new ones when necessary.

If we compare the average senior facilities manager annual salary with that of an administration vice president, we find that administration vice presidents typically earn a $59,724 higher salary than senior facilities managers make annually.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between senior facilities managers and administration vice presidents are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like portfolio, real estate, and project management.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a senior facilities manager are more likely to require skills like "facility management," "customer service," "capital projects," and "hvac." On the other hand, a job as an administration vice president requires skills like "financial statements," "human resources," "risk management," and "payroll." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Administration vice presidents really shine in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $126,763. Comparatively, senior facilities managers tend to make the most money in the technology industry with an average salary of $97,868.administration vice presidents tend to reach similar levels of education than senior facilities managers. In fact, administration vice presidents are 4.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.0% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Senior facilities manager 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.

Business office director positions earn higher pay than senior facilities manager roles. They earn a $31,810 higher salary than senior facilities managers per year.A few skills overlap for senior facilities managers and business office directors. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "direct reports," "oversight," and "office equipment. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, senior facilities manager responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "facility management," "portfolio," "real estate," and "customer service." Meanwhile, a business office director has duties that require skills in areas such as "human resources," "patients," "office management," and "leave administration." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Business office directors may earn a higher salary than senior facilities managers, but business office directors earn the most pay in the professional industry with an average salary of $91,526. On the other hand, senior facilities managers receive higher pay in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $97,868.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Business office directors tend to reach higher levels of education than senior facilities managers. In fact, they're 5.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for senior facilities managers in the next 3-5 years?

Irene Thomas JohnsonIrene Thomas Johnson LinkedIn profile

Executive Director, Solutions Development

Integrating technology into the workplace will shift greatly in the next 3 to 5 years. Smart building technology is continuing to evolve, and I see this as important and prevalent in building management in the future. It will be more focused on the wellbeing of its occupants, focusing on the customer experience while continuing to drive efficiency and savings for building owners and occupiers.

Senior facilities manager 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.

On average, administrative directors earn higher salaries than senior facilities managers, with a $7,598 difference per year.senior facilities managers and administrative directors both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "customer service," "project management," and "direct reports," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, senior facilities managers are more likely to have skills like "facility management," "portfolio," "real estate," and "capital projects." But a administrative director is more likely to have skills like "patients," "patient care," "human resources," and "financial reports."

Administrative directors earn the best pay in the media industry, where they command an average salary of $98,897. Senior facilities managers earn the highest pay from the technology industry, with an average salary of $97,868.administrative directors typically earn higher educational levels compared to senior facilities managers. Specifically, they're 8.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.9% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Senior facilities manager vs. Maintenance director

Maintenance directors are responsible for managing the company's maintenance department, which includes directing, overseeing, and leading the maintenance supervisors. It is their responsibility to set goals, create strategies, and design objectives for everyone in the department to accomplish the company objectives. Also, they construct maintenance policies and procedures that are compliant to Occupational Safety and Health regulation. Additionally, they create a preventative maintenance system and procedures to manage daily operations efficiently. Management certifications and technical certifications are important requirements for a professional maintenance director.

Maintenance directors average a lower salary than the annual salary of senior facilities managers. The difference is about $3,659 per year.According to resumes from senior facilities managers and maintenance directors, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "customer service," "capital projects," and "direct reports. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between senior facilities managers and maintenance directors, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a senior facilities manager might have more use for skills like "facility management," "portfolio," "real estate," and "project management." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of maintenance directors require skills like "patients," "rehabilitation," "facility maintenance," and "safety regulations. "

In general, maintenance directors earn the most working in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $74,594. The highest-paying industry for a senior facilities manager is the technology industry.The average resume of maintenance directors showed that they earn lower levels of education compared to senior facilities managers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 6.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.1%.

Types of senior facilities manager

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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