VP-Facilities Operations & Maintenance

Join St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where we are united by a mission to advance cures and means of prevention for pediatric catastrophic diseases. As Director of Facilities Operations, you will provide strategic leadership, management, and oversight of all buildings, infrastructure, and grounds, ensuring our physical environment continues to meet the highest standards of safety, compliance, and operational excellence in support of groundbreaking research and compassionate care.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and direction for the management and operation of all facilities, infrastructure, and grounds across the St. Jude campus.

• Align facility operations and long-term capital planning with institutional priorities, optimizing resources and strengthening stakeholder confidence through data-informed decision-making.

• Drive a culture of operational excellence, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement within the Facilities team.

• Build and maintain effective relationships with internal stakeholders—including executive leadership, staff, and researchers—as well as external partners, vendors, utilities, and regulatory agencies such as Factory Mutual.

• Oversee cost-effective programs for energy management, preventive maintenance, deferred maintenance, engineering, and work order management.

• Collaborate with the Critical Event Planning and Response team to design and implement emergency preparedness and disaster recovery strategies.

• Partner with Campus Planning and Analytics to maintain the facility condition assessment and the 10-year capital plan.

• Work with Design and Construction and institutional partners to develop and maintain facility design standards.

• Ensure full regulatory compliance and adherence to safety standards in all aspects of facility operations.

• Monitor and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) to continuously enhance operational efficiency and resilience.

• Lead the development and management of the facilities operations budget, ensuring cost-effective and transparent resource utilization.

• Oversee contracts, procurement strategies, and vendor relationships related to facility services and equipment.

• Promote professional development through mentoring, training, and certification opportunities for staff.

• Foster a safety-first culture that prioritizes well-being, productivity, and service excellence.

• Perform other duties as assigned to support departmental and institutional goals.

Minimum Education and Training

• Bachelor’s degree in Facilities Management, Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field required.

• Master’s degree preferred.

Minimum Experience

• Minimum of 15 years of progressive leadership experience in facilities management or operations, preferably within a healthcare or research environment.

• Certified Healthcare Facility Management (CHFM) and APPA Certified Educational Facilities Professional (CEFP) or similar credential preferred.

No Search Firms

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. Please do not call or email. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee or other representative at St. Jude via email, the internet or in any form and/or method without a valid written search agreement in place and approved by HR will result in no fee being paid in the event the candidate is hired by St. Jude.