Director, Building Maintenance

Primary Purpose

Reporting to the Executive Director, Facilities, the Director, Building Maintenance provides leadership and operational oversight for the University of Waterloo’s building maintenance programs across all campuses. The role is responsible for ensuring the safe, reliable, and efficient maintenance of building infrastructure and building envelope systems that support teaching, research, and campus operations.

The Director leads teams responsible for maintenance of building structures, building envelope systems, and associated infrastructure including carpentry, masonry, roofing, painting, locksmith services, signage, and building operations at satellite campuses. The position also provides oversight of electrical safety programs and workforce training, safety, and compliance initiatives within the division.

The University of Waterloo campus comprises nearly nine million square feet of academic, research, and administrative space across multiple campuses and satellite locations. Maintaining the integrity of building systems is critical to ensuring a safe, functional, and sustainable campus environment.

This role contributes to the Plant Operations goal of providing a safe, reliable, accessible, and well‑maintained campus environment through operational excellence, effective stewardship of assets, and strong client service.

• Leads the development and ongoing refinement of long‑term maintenance strategies for building infrastructure and building envelope systems across campus in alignment with the University’s long‑term academic, research, and campus growth objectives.
• Contributes to the development of Facilities strategic planning and capital renewal planning related to building systems and infrastructure lifecycle management.
• Identifies priorities related to deferred maintenance, infrastructure risk, and asset lifecycle renewal to mitigate risks associated with aging buildings.
• Provides strategic advice to the Executive Director, Facilities and senior leadership on issues related to building conditions, maintenance priorities, and infrastructure risk management.
• Develops performance indicators and operational metrics to support efficient delivery of building maintenance services.
• Monitors industry trends related to building envelope systems, construction practices, building materials, and regulatory changes, and assesses their potential impact on campus building maintenance strategies and infrastructure stewardship.

• Provides leadership and oversight for building maintenance services including carpentry, masonry, roofing, painting, locksmith services, signage, and building operations at satellite campuses.
• Ensures the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of building maintenance services supporting campus facilities.
• Oversees the coordination of maintenance activities to ensure minimal disruption to teaching, research, and administrative operations.
• Ensures that maintenance activities comply with relevant building codes, safety regulations, and University policies.
• Ensures effective response to building‑related incidents including water infiltration, structural issues, vandalism, and other facility failures.
• Works collaboratively with other Facilities units to coordinate maintenance activities affecting building systems.

• Provides leadership in the identification and prioritization of building infrastructure renewal initiatives, including roof replacements, envelope repairs, structural improvements, and interior system upgrades.
• Directs the preparation of business cases and capital funding requests related to building maintenance and infrastructure renewal.
• Collaborates with the Design and Construction team to ensure maintenance considerations are integrated into renovation and capital projects.
• Oversees assessment of building condition risks and lifecycle planning to support long‑term campus infrastructure sustainability.
• Ensures coordination between maintenance teams and capital projects to maximize operational efficiency.

• Provides oversight of maintenance‑related projects…