Opus Partners - Executive Director of Capital Projects

Asian American Architects/Engineers Association

Job Description / Primary Objective Barnard College is dedicated to empowering exceptional women to change the world and the way we think about it. A private liberal-arts college in a unique partnership with Columbia University, it is one of the most selective academic institutions in the United States. As the College’s administrative leadership structure forms under its new president, Barnard invites applications and nominations for the newly- created position of Executive Director of Capital Projects.

The Position

Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Facilities, Capital Projects & Sustainability (“AVP”), the Executive Director of Capital Projects (“Executive Director”) will manage and direct Barnard’s capital program, which comprises two transformative projects (see Facilities at Barnard section, below) and a portfolio of smaller projects driven by renovation and repair and space optimization. The Executive Director will play a key role in the successful completion of these high-profile, large-scale campus projects, leading a staff of project managers to deliver planning, programming, design, and construction of capital projects on schedule and within budget.

In addition to working with owner’s representatives, architects, engineers and construction firms, this position requires extensive collaboration with an array of academic and administrative departments across Barnard as well as with outside regulatory agencies, Columbia University, and other local stakeholders.

The Executive Director will be a creative problem solver and change management leader who will look to improve operational efficiencies, increase the use of analytics, and implement best practices within the capital projects team ether with the AVP, the Executive Director will also develop Barnard’s first-ever strategic facilities plan, which will look to assess, identify, prioritize, and plan for all major and minor capital constructions, renovations and remodels, and deferred maintenance projects.

The Executive Director will possess strong working knowledge of sustainable and green building design methods and will look to incorporate these practices into remodel, renovation, and construction projects wherever possible.

The Executive Director is responsible for the leadership, direction, and coordination of four FTE and for managing a 10-year capital budget of approximately $450M.

Facilities at Barnard

Barnard College's 4-acre campus is located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan between 116th and 120th Streets along the west side of Broadway. Barnard’s campus encompasses over 1.2 million total square feet of built space among its 16 buildings.

Barnard is embarking upon two exciting capital projects which the Executive Director will manage in collaboration with owner representatives, senior management, faculty, and trustees. First, a $250M rehabilitation of Altschuh Hall into the Roy and Diana Vagelos Science Center, known as the R&D Science Center. Upon completion, the Center will be a 14-story facility that will modernize and double the overall programmable science spaces in the building and provide students and faculty with state-of-the-art technology and facilities.

The R&D Science Center is expected to open in the first half of 2026 and will be one of the first all-electric buildings in New York State. And second, a $25M rehabilitation of three floors within Barnard Hall to create the Francine

A. LeFrak Foundation Center for Well-Being, which will include state-of-the-art spaces for financial fluency and wellness programs, a fitness center, and dance spaces. The Lefrak Wellness Center is expected to open in Late Spring 2024.

Barnard joined the NYC Carbon Challenge in 2009 and is proud to be one of the first NYC institutions to reach the initial goal of 30% emissions reductions from 2005 levels. In 2017, the College signed the “We Are Still In” pledge, underscoring its effort to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. Barnard is currently developing a pathway to net-zero emissions that includes building retrofits…