Assistant Director for Facilities and Safety, PRI

This position is not eligible for any type of sponsorship for work authorization

The Prairie Research Institute (PRI), a research and service institute of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign centrally located between Chicago, St. Louis, and Indianapolis, houses five large scientific surveys covering a wide range of expertise including biology, water resources, climate, geology, sustainable technology, and archaeology.

PRI’s mission is to provide objective, integrated scientific research and service that allow citizens and decision-makers to make choices that ensure sustainable economic development, enduring environmental quality, and cultural resource preservation for the people, businesses, and governments of Illinois. Learn more inois.edu/PRIjobs .

PRI is seeing to hire an Assistant Director for Facilities and Safety to serve as a member of the PRI Executive Leadership Team. Provide leadership and oversight for the Institute's facilities, environmental health and safety, emergency preparedness, and operational risk management programs. Establish organizational priorities and develop comprehensive strategies that promote a safe, compliant, and sustainable work environment across PRI and its scientific surveys.

Oversee facilities operations, capital improvement and maintenance initiatives, and compliance with applicable federal, state, university, and regulatory requirements. Advance PRI's facilities infrastructure and culture of safety through strategic planning, operational leadership, and cross-functional collaboration, ensuring the Institute's physical assets and work environments effectively support PRI's mission of advancing interdisciplinary research in the environmental, social, and economic sciences and related technologies.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Serve as a key member of the Executive Director’s leadership team, providing strategic vision and expertise in all aspects of the facilities portfolio.
• Directly advise the Office of the Executive Director on Institute-wide facilities, space, capital, and operational planning, including long-range priorities, major investments, and emerging infrastructure needs.
• Collaborate with PRI leadership, campus partners, and external agencies to develop policies, programs, and best practices that support research, teaching, and administrative operations.
• Provide executive oversight for the facilities and safety portfolio, including shipping/receiving, garage/shop, fleet maintenance and operations, capital planning, facilities management, and related support functions.
• Translate PRI strategic priorities into an Institute-wide facilities, safety, and operational risk agenda, establishing priorities across the Scientific Surveys and advising the Executive Director on tradeoffs, sequencing, and resource allocation.
• Establish governance, performance goals, and reporting for the facilities and safety portfolio; regularly assess progress, service effectiveness, major risks, and emerging needs for PRI leadership.
• Lead cross-Survey prioritization of significant facilities, space, safety, and operational investments to ensure transparent decision making and alignment with PRI's research mission and long-range plans.
• Identify enterprise-level operational vulnerabilities and continuity risks and sponsor coordinated mitigation strategies that protect people, research programs, critical assets, and essential operations.
• Provide leadership and guidance to safety and facilities representatives across PRI's scientific surveys to promote collaboration and consistent safety practices
• Lead the performance, development, and engagement of facilities portfolio personnel through coaching, mentoring, and effective supervision.
• Develop and oversee budget and program expenditures in coordination with the Executive Director and the Associate Director for Budget and Management.
• Act as an institute-level liaison between PRI and campus units, external agencies, vendors, and service partners on significant facilities, safety, and operational matters.

Facilities Operations/Capital Planning

• Lead collaboration with Facilities and Services and Capital Projects departments to oversee the planning, design, execution, closeout, and successful completion of capital improvement, renovation, and infrastructure projects.
• Provide strategic oversight of facilities-related procurement activities to ensure appropriate…