Facilities and Operations Specialist, and Residential

Wayne State University is searching for an experienced Facilities and Operations Specialist, Housing and Residential Life at its Detroit campus location.

Wayne State is a premier, public, urban research university located in the heart of Detroit, Michigan where students from all backgrounds are offered a rich, high-quality education. Our deep-rooted commitment to excellence, collaboration, integrity, diversity and inclusion creates exceptional educational opportunities which prepare students for success in a global society.

Job Purpose

Reporting to the Senior Director, the Facilities and Operations Specialist coordinates the operational functions that support a safe, functional, high-quality residential living and dining environment within the university’s student auxiliary facilities. The position serves as the primary liaison among residents, campus departments, and external service providers to ensure timely resolution of facility-related needs and effective delivery of support services. The Specialist oversees facility operations processes, manages residence hall opening, closing, and transition activities, monitors building conditions and service quality, and collaborates with stakeholders to promote operational efficiency, regulatory compliance, and an exceptional student residential and dining experience.

This position reports to the Senior Director, Housing and Residential Life.

Essential Functions

(Essential functions are the primary duties/major job responsibilities that an employee must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation. The essential functions are listed in order of importance.)

Essential Function 25%

Collaborate with campus partners such as Facilities Planning & Management (FP&M), third‑party housing partner Corvias, and dining partner Sodexo Magic to ensure student needs are met, facility issues are resolved, and departmental goals and needs are supported.

Communicate regularly with staff and residents to understand facility concerns and assist with resolution.

Work closely with in‑building teams (Area Managers, Community Directors, Assistant Area Coordinators, Resident Assistants, Dining Managers and Supervisors) to assess building conditions and identify ongoing needs.

Oversee and manage dining equipment repair vendor arrangements, including developing scope of work, soliciting pricing, and ensuring appropriate completion of work.

Oversee the renovation and brand refresh work needed in dining facilities. This includes scope definition and review, pricing, and coordination with WSU ERM, EHS and FP&M.

Oversee facilities repair and maintenance and renovation funding.

Serve as the day‑to‑day contract administration point of contact with Corvias.

Essential Function 20%

Represent HRL and Dining in assessing and approving building‑wide system outages with partners and ensure staff and residents receive timely and accurate notifications about impacts.

Oversee planning and executing cyclical building readiness and inspections, including fall move in, spring move out, and mid semester transitions.

Determine operational needs and coordinate with internal partners (Parking, FP&M, Corvias, Sodexo Magic, etc.) and external partners to ensure smooth processes.

Responsible for departmental equipment such as vehicles, carts, and wagons, including inventory and maintenance tracking.

Essential Function 20%

Oversee departmental facilities quality control program. Work with partners to perform regular facility walk‑throughs, document issues, and report both positive observations and items requiring correction to appropriate partners. Ensure follow‑up and correction based on…