Associate Director, Facilities

Catlin Gabel is an independent, progressive PreK–12 school in Portland, Oregon. Our mission is to foster compassionate and curious citizens of the world by inspiring in every student a love of learning and the courage to take responsible action.

Our Facilities team helps make that mission possible by creating safe, welcoming, and well-functioning spaces for

learning, working, gathering, and community. We work collaboratively across the School and take pride in being responsive, resourceful, and excellent partners to the students, colleagues, and families we serve.

For this role in particular, we believe great facilities leadership is also people leadership . We want to build a team where people find their work rewarding, take pride in what they accomplish together, continue developing their skills, and know that their work matters to the people who use our campus every day.

Catlin Gabel School is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, disability, or any other protected characteristic under federal, state, or local law. If you have any questions, please reach out to HR.

Catlin Gabel School is seeking an experienced Associate Director, Facilities to lead and develop our Campus Technician team and help create an exceptional culture of service across Facilities.

This is a role for someone who finds joy in a dynamic school environment in which no two days are quite the same. Students and colleagues are active across campus, and Facilities teamwork makes a visible difference every day. The ideal candidate is an experienced facilities people leader who loves building strong teams, developing others, solving problems, and creating the conditions for people to do their very best work.

Working as the Director of Facilities’ second in charge, the Associate Director provides hands‑on leadership to the Campus Technician team and helps ensure our campus is operationally safe, welcoming, functional, and ready for everything from an ordinary school day to a major community event. We’re looking for someone who brings deep facilities experience, excellent judgment, a strong service orientation, and a leadership style that builds trust, accountability, teamwork in a way that promotes a fun, professional work environment.

The Associate Director, Facilities reports to the Director of Facilities and is responsible for four primary areas:

• Lead & Develop the Campus Technician Team: Lead, coach, schedule, and develop the Campus Technician team to be a positive team culture that delivers reliable, responsive, and high-quality service and grow as employees. Set clear expectations, provide regular feedback, invest in employees’ growth, and build a positive team culture grounded in respect, trust, accountability, and shared ownership.
• Deliver Excellent Facilities Operations & Service: Coordinate daily maintenance, custodial, event, and operational needs across campus. Build strong relationships with School partners, turn requests into clear work plans, prioritize effectively, and ensure excellent communication and follow-through.
• Strengthen Systems, Safety & Continuous Improvement: Use work-order systems, preventive maintenance, documentation, data, and clear processes to make the team’s work safer, more proactive, and more effective. Help lead emergency preparedness, regulatory compliance, and a strong culture of safety and situational awareness.
• Steward Projects, Vendors & Resources: Partner with the Director on maintenance and capital projects, contractors, budgets, building systems, and other Facilities resources. Bring sound judgment and a stewardship mindset to decisions that support day‑to‑day operations and long‑term needs of the campus.

To be successful in this role, you will excel in these areas:

• People Leadership & Culture Building: You genuinely enjoy leading people. You set clear expectations, coach and develop others, address challenges constructively, and know how to create a team environment where people feel valued,…