Needs From: BrownEngage

Application: https://providenceschools.schoolspring.com?jobid=5343927

The Providence Public School District (PPSD) serves approximately 22,000 students attending our 35 schools. PPSD employs more than 3,200 professionals who work in and provide support to our schools, which include 19 elementary schools, 6 middle schools, 10 high schools and 2 public district charter schools. Of our employees, approximately 2,000 are educators, and more than 600 others directly support students and families in our schools.

Our schools are diverse learning communities. Approximately 68% of our students are Latinx, 15% Black, 7% White, 4% Asian, 5.5% Multi-racial and 1% Native American. Approximately 40% of students are multilingual learners, and about 16% of students receive special education services. Approximately 55% of students come from homes where English is not the primary language spoken. Combined, our students and families speak more than 55 different languages and hail from 91 countries of origin.

The Executive Director of Facilities and Capital Planning (hereinafter Director) will report to the Chief of Operations and will interact at a significant level with a wide range of staff across PPSD, the City of Providence Department of Public Property, the Rhode Island Department of Education, the Rhode Island Governor’s Office, as well as with other public agencies. The Director will be responsible for supporting the advancement of district capital planning, new school construction, and major school renovation projects, ensuring capital budgeting through final project execution are completed efficiently and with the interests of Providence’s students foremost in mind. 

The individual in this role will also be responsible for managing the district’s maintenance and custodial budget, ensuring contracted maintenance and custodial activities meet standards of high-quality and are appropriately delivered. We are looking for a seasoned facilities leader to meet the ambitious goals set forth by the district.

This role is an exciting opportunity to serve as a leader within a diverse and dynamic team committed to the audacious task of transforming public education in Providence Public Schools. By any measure, and over many years, the Providence Public School District (PPSD) has failed to deliver on its most fundamental obligation: fair and equitable access to a rigorous education for all children. The time for change is now and the district is in the process of a game-changing transformation led by a newly appointed State Turnaround Superintendent, in coordination with the Rhode Island Department of Education and with the support of the larger Providence community.

Since the beginning of the state intervention, expectations for what is possible with district facilities has changed dramatically. While just a short while ago the district’s capital plan was focused on small, band-aid fixes, it is now a comprehensive, multi-year plan focused on getting 100% of students in new or like new schools by 2030.

**Contingent upon funding**

EDUCATION TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE:

Meets the requirements of being a Certified Educational Facilities Manager:

Has been certified an educational facilities manager through an industry accepted certification offered at a regionally accredited institution of higher education or an approved postsecondary institution located within or outside Rhode Island; or 

Has a college degree in a field related to facilities management

Minimum of 10 years of supervisory experience in construction, facilities management, or related fields.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS STANDARDS:

Knowledge, Skills, and Mindsets Required

A deep belief in the capacity of all students to achieve at high levels

The demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with a diverse set of partners and stakeholders to drive transformative change within and outside of an organization

Ability to exercise good judgment and focus on detail as required by the job

Proven ability to motivate staff/contractors to produce projects on time and within budget

Excellent interpersonal skills, exhibiting an ability to effectively communicate with multiple stakeholders across a complex ecosystem, including school leaders administrators, colleagues, parents, contractors, and other Providence stakeholders

Excellent presentation skills, coupled with experience presenting to senior management, board-level staff, and/or elected officials

Available outside business hours, as needed, for meetings and project-specific tasks

Technical Qualifications

Ideal candidates will ideally have a minimum of 10 years of supervisory experience in construction, facilities management, or related fields. Knowledge of capital budgeting, contract practices, procurement, and construction regulations.

Familiarity with state environmental regulations related to school buildings.

Meets the requirements of being a Certified Educational Facilities Manager:

Has been certified an educational facilities manager through an industry accepted certification offered at a regionally accredited institution of higher education or an approved postsecondary institution located within or outside Rhode Island; or 

Has a college degree in a field related to facilities management.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Executive Director will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

Serve as Lead and In-House Expert on District Facilities 

Serve as the district’s lead responsible for developing a vision for the district’s facilities  aligned to the Superintendent’s educational vision for the district;

Evaluate the governance and management of facilities as needed to ensure the educational vision of the district is the primary priority of capital planning;

Ensure that the district’s facilities are appropriately managed and coordinated in conjunction with the city.

Lead District Capital and Long-Term Facilities Planning

Serve as the district’s primary lead and expert on facilities, maintenance, and oversight of the development and execution of the city-led capital planning process;

Develop space planning scenarios/configurations, as new projects roll out requiring different uses of school space and as the district’s needs for swing space continue to evolve; 

Work collaboratively with district academic leaders to ensure that the district’s capital plan supports broader district academic goals

Assist in regular assessments of the district footprint, together with demographers where appropriate, to inform decisions about facilities. 

Drive community engagement efforts to ensure that the Providence school community is informed of and provides meaningful input into the district’s capital plan.

Oversee District-Occupied Facilities 

On an ongoing basis, conduct site visits and otherwise evaluate the quality and condition of all district-occupied facilities; 

On an ongoing basis, develop remediation and/or improvement plans for issues flagged during evaluation of district-occupied facilities;

On an ongoing basis, ensure accountability over school managers who occupy district-occupied facilities and do not comply with maintenance expectations and or other facility use expectations; 

Maintain relationships with relevant contractors; 

Assemble and maintain school building maintenance schedules, in partnership with the city; 

Visit school buildings to assess facility needs and monitor ongoing projects.

Manage District’s Maintenance and Custodial Services

Ensure the district’s maintenance and custodial budget is appropriately allocated, and project manage the provision of any contracted maintenance or custodial services; 

Ensure maintenance and custodial contracts deliver on intended contractual outcomes and provide a high-quality, clean learning environment; 

Lead the negotiation and development of new contracted services as necessary.

Management Of Facilities Intergovernmental Relations

Partner/coordinate with the state School Building Authority and the City of Providence’s Department of Public Property regarding school construction-related activities, as described above; 

Coordinate with external partners, including City Hall and community based organizations, to align efforts citywide; 

Strengthen systems for managing all of the above.

Position Type:Full-Time

Salary:$134,787 to $151,290 Per Year

Application: https://providenceschools.schoolspring.com?jobid=5343927

Reporting to the Chief Talent Officer, the Executive Director of Labor Relations and Employee Services oversees two key teams within the department of Human Resources.  Position oversees a team to support the Chief Talent Officer with day-to-day management of labor relations and employment issues, ensuring District compliance with applicable local, state and federal laws and regulations.  In addition, the position will communicate policy decisions, ensure a high-level of customer service from the team, and set goals and benchmarks with the team. The Executive Director will also communicate regularly with General Counsel and serve as a member of the Human Resources senior leadership team.

***Contingent upon funding***

EDUCATION TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE:

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategic Support and Leadership

Provide direct oversight and accountability with the Labor Relations and Employee Services teams, including developing and coaching direct reports

Provide guidance and coaching to labor relations and employee services team

Sets clear individual and team performance goals aligned to department and district priorities, and effectively lead team towards meeting these goals

Utilize human capital data to drive decision-making, including the prioritization of support for high-need schools and shortage areas 

Labor Relations

Assists the Chief Talent Officer with day-to-day management of labor relations and employment issues

Serves as the lead negotiator for the District 

Analyzes negotiated contracts and develops interpretation of intent, spirit, and terms of contract to counsel management in development and application of labor relations policies

Prepares, assists and/or conducts various forums relative to employee relations matters including, but not limited to, grievance hearings, and mediations.

Interprets labor contracts for administrative staff

Coordinates and directs professional standards and employee relations programs and functions, ensuring compliance with applicable local, state and federal laws and regulations

Develops and manages confidential procedures for the receipt, handling, investigation and processing of grievances, complaints and allegations in all terms and conditions of employment

Oversees the investigations into grievances and non-criminal disciplinary cases; provides guidance and recommendations concerning course of action

Provides consultation and advisement to senior administrative staff regarding disciplinary matters and collective bargaining issues

Participates and consults in the formulation of policies and procedures to comply with local, state and federal laws and regulatory standards and negotiated agreements

Employee Services

Provides overall leadership of a team that is responsible for the day to day oversight of:

Substitute Management

Leave Management 

Employee Information Management

Customer Service Call Center

Develops strategic goals, provides strong leadership and direction to ensure the Employee Services supports the employment lifecycle and division recruitment and retention goals

Research and develop procedures and resource alternatives to improve services and productivity

Establish and manage metrics for the team and measure performance

Serve as a subject matter expert on HC policies and assist team with questions

Conducts customer service delivery assessments, tracks quality data and prepares reports with recommendations for quality and process improvements

Provides oversight and supervises the workflow of the Employee Services team to include managing the day to day operations

Collaborates with multiple departments (i.e. Information Technology, Payroll, Benefits, etc.) and provides subject matter expertise, feedback and customer service reports to staff to ensure continual improvement and growth in all service delivery areas; instills a climate of continuous process improvement and customer focus

Compliance and Employee Information Management: Management and oversight of employee leave policies and procedures, managing and tracking employee attendance, maintaining employee records, coordination of the employee separation process, and supporting confidential employee related processes as needed

Employee Customer Service: Providing responsive and superior customer service via walk-in, email, and phone

Substitute Management: Management off substitute staffing which includes hiring, placement, and separation

Oversees the coordination of all active, terminated and retired employee records; analyzing internal processes and recommends and implements procedural or policy changes to improve operations

Develops, maintains, verifies and evaluates existing records and document management systems

Ensures the records management strategy and practices are based on and compliant with legal requirements, record keeping best practice and Human Resources  business requirements

Keeps management informed on all records management requirements

Provides human capital metrics and analytics for respective functional area to senior leadership and superintendents; cabinet

Maintains the confidentiality of information to which exposed

Performs other duties as assigned

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS STANDARDS:

Five (5) or more years of successful experience in labor and contract negotiations for a large school system or comparable governmental entity

Two (2) years of experience in a position requiring investigation of employee relations issues

Extensive knowledge of labor and employment laws and regulations. SHRM-certified professional (PHR) or Senior Professional (SPHR) preferred

Thorough understanding of human resources principles and practices

Experience in grievance procedure arbitration

Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment and maintain consistency in decisions

Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate, both orally and in writing. Must be able to prepare comprehensive reports and represent ideas clearly and concisely

Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships across diverse groups, including schools, departments, labor unions/associations and community/business partners

Position Type:Full-Time

Salary:$128,921 to $144,706 Per Year