Specialist Facilities Planning, Facilities - Calgary, Canada - The University of Calgary

The University of Calgary

Verified Company

Calgary, Canada

1 week ago

Posted by:

Sophia Lee

beBee Recruiter

Description

Description
The
Campus Planning within the
Facilities Development is currently seeking a Full-time Regular
Specialist, Facilities Planning.

Nature of the Work:

Reporting to the Director, Campus Planning, working closely with the Proposal Process Coordinator, and having management accountabilities for the Space and Utilization Planner, the Specialist, Facilities Planning (the Specialist) works to develop space solutions across various faculties, units, and campuses to meet the university's growing and ever changing space requirements.

As part of the larger Facilities Development group, the Specialist is a member of a team of professionals including architects, engineers, designers, technicians, and project managers, all of whom are dedicated to ensuring that the University of Calgary optimizes the use, development, and renewal of its space resources to support teaching, research, and service objectives.

Given the high volume of work associated with the position, the Specialist is often required to balance competing initiatives with multiple and often simultaneous deadlines.

The impact of the work is significant and involves risk at the enterprise level, where error can result in significant cost and time to remediate.

The nature of the work requires attention to detail, self-initiative, and a high degree of adaptability and resiliency.

Further, as a limited resource that's critical to an effective working environment, space is a highly emotional issue for stakeholders (stakeholders will include Deans, Department Heads, Vice-Presidents, and Directors).

To help navigate stakeholder emotions and successfully resolve complex space issues, the Specialist will need to be both competent and professional, and will need to bring objectivity, tact, and patience to all discussions of space.

This Specialist works Monday to Friday, regular business hours.

Currently the work is hybrid with the expectation of in office work Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursdays with the option to work remotely Monday, and Fridays.

Work outside of regular business hours may be required during periods of peak activity.

The position is based out of the Physical Plant (a busy, collaborative, open-office environment) located at the west edge of main campus.

Travel to main campus and to other university campuses (e.g. Foothills, Spyhill, etc.) is required. Valid drivers license to be able to commute to other campuses is required. Access to a fleet vehicle will be provided.

Primary Purpose of the Position:

The key role of the Specialist position is to be highly familiar with space allocations and space functions across the entirety of the university (Main Campus, Foothills Campus, Spyhill Campus, Priddis, etc).

This familiarity is developed over time, through walking tours, renovation project site visits, investigation of space data errors, and day-to-day interactions with faculties and units.

The Specialists' familiarity is then drawn upon to vet the reasonableness of space requests that route to Facilities Development, and to help resolve space issues by leveraging knowledge of underutilized and vacant spaces, and finding synergies in common functions.

Through regular communication with leadership in faculties and units, close involvement in larger space renovations, as well as periodic space audits with the Specialist's direct report (the Planner) the Specialist will remain well-informed on all spaces across all campuses.

A second key role of the Specialist position is to serve as the first line of assessment for all renovation requests that route to Facilities Development and are processed by the Proposal Process Coordinator.

In many cases requests are routine and can move directly to other units within Facilities Development for scoping and estimating (e.g. Campus Architecture, Campus Engineering).

However, for the remainder, the Specialist may confer with the Director (if needed) and will follow-up with the requesting faculty / unit to obtain additional detail and context, and may partner with the leads in Campus Architecture and Campus Engineering as the proposal moves through scoping and estimating and into construction (becoming a project).

A third key role of the Specialist position is to develop space programs for major capital initiatives (often in consult with the Director), and larger renovation requests.

Associated with the development of space programs are various briefing notes and supporting documentation required to meet the university's governance obligations.

Summary of Key Responsibilities (job functions include but are not limited to):

Space Planning and Programming:

As needed, and generally in response to questions / queries from the Coordinator, contacts faculties and units to obtain additional detail and context on renovations requests (proposals) that route to Facilities Development. Relays details to the Coordinator and / or proposal leads to ensure requests are actioned appropriatel