Facilities & Custodial Field Lead

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is one of the largest school districts in the United States, serving over 320,000 students in 600+ schools and employing approximately 40,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life.  In order to fulfill this mission, we make three commitments to our students, their families, and all Chicagoans: academic progress, financial stability, and integrity.  Six core values are embedded within these commitments – student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning.

The Department of Facilities and Capital Operations is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of CPS schools, modular buildings, annexes, and administrative offices. The department ensures that the district’s schools and facilities are clean, safe, heated and cooled, and dry. 

Job Summary: 

Reporting to a Facilities Management Lead, the  Facilities & Custodial Field Lead is responsible for ensuring the effective execution of the custodial program, including supervision of custodial staff and completing a variety of quality assurance and facility management duties. To ensure all CPS-owned and operated facilities meet quality standards and adhere to safety regulations, this role is responsible for conducting regular inspections and identifying maintenance needs for all CPS-owned and operated facilities, including, but not limited to school buildings, stadiums, swimming pools, and sports/recreation/athletics centers within their assigned school zones.  In addition, the role is responsible for reviewing work completed by CPS-approved vendors to ensure quality and regulatory compliance.   

The Facilities & Custodial Field Lead will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• Supervise and lead assigned custodial staff in the completion of their duties, including:
• Providing effective training and guidance to team members
• Evaluating, developing, and optimizing staff schedules and managing timecards
• Ensuring tasks are performed following established procedures and in compliance with safety and regulatory requirements
• Monitoring custodians' use of custodial operations software (e.g. CrowdComfort), and utilizing the data to ensure spaces are cleaned
• Completing employee performance evaluations per the guidelines of the CBA and/or Talent Office
• Plan, prepare, and perform scheduled school visits to carry out quality product/process inspections for the facility cleaning/maintenance services provided by the CPS-approved Vendors; visit assigned schools weekly
• Conduct regular building inspections to assess their condition, identify and report necessary repairs or maintenance needs (e.g. landscaping issues, pest control issues, non-functioning door lock, and facility and/or engineering deficiencies), and make recommendations for improvement
• Complete and document clear, concise, fair, neutral, detailed, objective, and factual Quality inspections, including evidence of service non-conformances supported with relevant documents, records, pictures, and videos, as appropriate
• Possess and maintain adequate familiarity with facility custodial duties, tasks, APPA 2 standard requirements, pest controls, environmental health & safety, preventive/predictive maintenance, repair and replacements, and the workmanship of machine/equipment, but not limited to the following: Mechanical Electrical, Plumbing, Carpentry, HVAC, Floor Covering, Glazing, Painting, Pipefitting, Sprinkler Fittings, Plastering, Roofing and Sheet Metal Work and E.T.C.
• Enter and track deficiencies into CMMS as a work order; Work with the Facilities team to resolve any issues
• Collaborate with other departments to ensure that cleaning and maintenance projects do not disrupt students or other operations
• Help staffing group to manage roving custodians and ensure custodians are utilizing substitution software when calling off 
• Perform periodic inventory counts, and order supplemental supplies;  Request the purchase of necessary custodial equipment
• Report broken/malfunctioning custodial equipment in the work order system and update the work order as repairs are in progress and completed
• Participate in internal and external audits relating to custodial and engineering operations
• Maintain private custodian CPS email accounts
• Maintain Board and private custodian assignments in the CPS database
• Other duties as assigned

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Facilities & Custodial Field Lead must possess the following qualifications: 

Education Required: 

• High school diploma or GED equivalent is required
• Associate degree is preferred

Experience Required: 

• Minimum of five (5) years of professional Facilities Management experience is required
• Custodial experience in a related industry is strongly preferred
• Lead or supervisory experience is strongly preferred

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 

• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• Ability to work well under pressure, while handling multiple priorities simultaneously
• Working knowledge of building operations
• Familiarity with OSHA, EPA, municipal and state regulatory requirements
• Ability to work systematically with a high degree of autonomy; Demonstrate good judgment and decision-making
• Ability to execute validation protocols and adhere to accepted quality standards
• Understand common analytical and quality reporting methods
• Knowledge of systems used in the facilities work environment such as work order, asset management, etc.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, etc.) and Google Suite
• Familiarity with commonly used statistical process control (SPC) methods
• Capable of success working both independently and as a collaborative member of a team, partnering with colleagues and internal stakeholders across departments and schools as well as external stakeholders
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, capable of communicating with internal and external stakeholders
• Ability to work systematically with a high degree of autonomy and demonstrate good judgment and decision-making
• Ability to work around hazardous chemicals and allergenic antigens
• Capable of traveling to multiple locations
• Ability to define problems, analyze data, and outline valid conclusions and action steps

Conditions of Employment

As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to:

• Establish/Maintain Chicago Residency - Employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district. The Chicago residency requirement does not apply to temporary/part-time positions, however, all CPS employees must be residents of Illinois.
• Be Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19 - Unless approved for a medical or religious exemption, all employees are required to be up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters, and to submit proof of vaccination to the district within 30 days of hire. “Up-to-date” on vaccination is defined as being at least two weeks past all primary vaccine doses and any applicable boosters.