Manager of Facilities, Safety, and Space Planning

SCHOOL/UNIT DESCRIPTION:

The Geballe Lab for Advanced Materials (GLAM) is a transdisciplinary Independent Laboratory within the Office of the Vice Provost & Dean of Research, which spearheads innovative, collaborative, and high-impact research in bio-inspired materials, environmental sustainability, quantum science and engineering, and electronic and magnetic systems. With 30 faculty and ~250 students, postdocs, and scientific staff spanning six home departments – primarily Physics, Applied Physics, and Materials Science & Engineering – GLAM’s research portfolio is large, complex, and highly-heterogeneous, involving strong relationships with many Stanford academic and administrative units, SLAC, and federal and non-federal sponsors. As GLAM advances its three-pronged mission of inclusive research excellence, safety and infrastructural health, and community-led programming for interdisciplinary collaboration, it relies upon 16 high-performing administrative staff to comprehensively support its researchers, trainees, visitors, and campus partners.

The Office of the Vice Provost & Dean of Research (VPDoR) provides guidance and support to facilitate, nurture, and safeguard a thriving research ecosystem at Stanford. To this end, the VPDoR assumes dual roles. As Cognizant Dean for the independent academic units, the VPDoR oversees the program scope and resources for the fifteen multi-disciplinary and independent laboratories, centers, and institutes which operate outside of the schools’ boundaries. As Vice Provost and the University’s Chief Research Officer, the VPDoR recommends and promulgates new policy and oversees its implementation; manages the mission-support offices that provide services of research compliance and administration, health and safety, and technology transfer to Stanford’s research enterprise; advises the President and Provost in a broad array of academic issues pertaining to and beyond research.

Our VPDoR Diversity Journey:

• We create a hub of innovation through the power of diversity of disciplines and people.
• We provide equitable access and opportunity to all members of the community in order to do their best work, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
• We listen to and value all colleagues who bring diverse perspectives to the advancement and development of a respectful community.
• We promote a culture of belonging, equity, and safety.
• We embed these values in excellence of education, research, and operation.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Manager of Facilities, Safety, and Space Planning (Facilities Services Manager 2) is a highly visible leadership position that protects and advances GLAM’s physical infrastructure and safety enterprise. Reporting directly to the Facilities Director within the Office of the Vice Provost & Dean of Research, and with a dotted-line reporting structure to the GLAM Faculty Director, the Manager of Facilities, Safety, and Space Planning will manage a large number of complex projects designed to achieve GLAM’s goals of research excellence, infrastructural sustainability, and community safety. This position is a special combination of leader and doer, of communicator, this is a hands-on leadership position which requires strong communication skills, the ability to resolve issues with strategic thinking and experience, and fixer. The successful incumbent may spend one day coordinating capital renovation projects of GLAM research labs, and the other day under a desk tightening a screw; as such, the Manager of Facilities, Safety, and Space Planning's success is critically defined by flexibility and adaptiveness, the pragmatic ability to achieve short- and long-term results, and the stewardship of the interpersonal relationships necessary to support GLAM researchers and administrative staff. 

The Manager of Facilities, Safety, and Space Planning will work closely with VPDoR’s Facilities Director and GLAM’s Associate Director to support the GLAM community of 30 faculty, 20 staff scientists, 70 postdoctoral scholars, 150 graduate students, and an ever-changing community of short- and long-term external visitors, high school interns, and campus partners. The Manager of Facilities, Safety, and Space Planning has a broad portfolio of responsibilities, and provides strategic management of and leadership for GLAM’s facilities, including 134k gross square feet of research lab and office space across two buildings (McCullough 04-490 and Moore 04-480), ~1k annual work orders, and directly supervising two full-time facilities staff.

 CORE DUTIES:

Research Facilities & Infrastructural Excellence (40%)

• Oversee the daily operation and management of GLAM’s comprehensive physical infrastructure, including scheduling and assigning work to staff and coordinating with campus partners (predominantly LBRE, EH&S, and UIT), subcontractors (notably nitrogen suppliers), and/or external vendors.
• Coordinate scheduled preventative maintenance projects for all GLAM research labs, including projects related to electricity, HVAC, process cooling water, and others that have an impact on standard lab operations.
• Comprehensively manage the liquid and gas nitrogen infrastructure for the McCullough and Moore Buildings, including pulling monthly data reports for financial chargebacks, seeking ongoing feedback and guidance from researchers, and constantly monitoring inventory to ensure stable supplies. Proactively communicate foreseen disruptions and proposed solutions to GLAM and VPDoR leadership.
• Oversee GLAM’s highly-complex and fast-paced shipping and receiving function, including managing the organization’s relationship with FedEx, UPS, and all other shipping companies who operate within the McCullough Building’s loading dock. Collaborate with VPDoR’s Export Controls Office on reviewing and seeking approval for shipments to and from other nations. Deploy new technologies for communications and data management to support all GLAM researchers and administrative staff in their shipping and receiving needs. 
• Oversee GLAM’s comprehensive property administration efforts, which involve troubleshooting, tagging, data entry & inventory, completing purchase orders, receiving, record keeping, establishing tracking system, and gathering information to support leadership’s decision-making. 
• Coordinate and communicate all aspects of capital projects and renovations within the McCullough and Moore Buildings, including for research labs, common areas, offices, classrooms, and adjacent infrastructures when construction activities pose any large or small disruptions (eg noise, vibrations, air quality) to standard GLAM operations. Ensure that all GLAM community members are made aware before construction begins and provide ongoing communications and customer support to impacted community members when necessary.

Safety Management, Training & Partnerships (30%)

• Serve as GLAM’s primary emergency point-of-contact, 24 hours per day and seven days per week, including during nights, weekends, holidays, and the university’s Winter Closure. Maintain full reachability and accountability for immediately responding to all communicated emergencies (real or false), and serve as the central resource for emergency response, including with all GLAM personnel, the Fire Marshal, Environmental Health & Safety, LBRE, Public Safety, and city and state officials, as needed. Proactively and calmly communicate emergency and recovery plans to affected groups, recognizing that community emotional perceptions of safety are important irrespective of the pragmatic validity of the safety incident. 
• Identify, assess, and monitor workplace hazards (including hazards that are chemical, physical, biological, or radiological in nature) that could be present in the work area; remediate hazards, and/or recommend improvements to minimize future hazard potential.
• Investigate accidents, incidents, injuries, and complaints concerning potential hazards or unsafe conditions in the workplace. Escalate incidents to appropriate GLAM and university-level officials, and proactively take responsibility for achieving compliant and efficient resolutions. 
• Alongside Environmental Health & Safety, co-chair GLAM’s Lab Safety Coordinating Committee, which meets quarterly and is composed of one researcher representative from each of GLAM’s ~30 lab groups. Develop meeting agendas, invite and brief special guests, present updates, and complete follow-up assignments as directed by the Committee. Manage the Committee’s listserv to ensure efficient communications.
• Lead monthly and as-needed safety training for all new GLAM researchers - primarily incoming postdocs and students - in best practices for laboratory safety. Track participation in these trainings as requirements for researchers’ gaining physical access to McCullough and Moore Building facilities and spaces.
• Coordinate comprehensive safety management by correcting identified safety issues, performing root cause analysis, and identifying and tracking corrective actions.
• Track the purchasing, inventory, and disposal of chemicals and other hazardous waste and controlled substances. Develop, coordinate, evaluate, and ensure compliance with disposal procedures in laboratory settings.
• Provide technical advice and university interpretation of various federal, state, county, and university policies.

Leadership, Personnel Management & Strategic Initiatives (15%)

• Working closely with VPDoR’s Facilities Director and GLAM’s Associate Director, provide comprehensive managerial guidance and support for two full-time staff, including holding weekly check-in meetings, team coordination meetings, annual performance reviews, salary- and goal-settings, and as-needed performance management. Regularly communicate staff issues and progress to VPDoR’s Facilities Director, GLAM’s Faculty Director, and Associate Director. 
• Continuously investigate and evaluate emerging technologies in data management and communications designed to foster greater transparency and efficiency for GLAM’s facilities operations. Working closely with VPDoR’s Facilities Director and GLAM’s Associate Director, develop implementation and evaluation plans for new technology integrations.
• Serve on GLAM’s Inclusion Committee, composed of GLAM researchers and administrative staff, to identify emerging opportunities for creating greater belonging and equity within the community, and communicating expectations and progress appropriately to all stakeholders. Consistently model GLAM’s commitment to inclusive research excellence, emotional intelligence, and respectful communications. 
• Serve as GLAM’s primary point-of-contact for Stanford’s Diversity & Access Office, ensuring that all physical facilities maintain unwavering compliance with applicable regulations and are fully accessible to and supportive of people with disabilities. Coordinate as-needed space improvements (including capital projects) to bring GLAM facilities in continuous alignment with ADA guidelines. 
• With GLAM’s Senior Operations Coordinator, co-plan the annual “Lab-Office Clean-Up Day” to enable researchers to safely and freely dispose of unwanted materials, supplies, and equipment. Advertise event services, engage internal partners and external vendors, build and rebuild event budgets, reflect on historic events to identify opportunities for improvement and innovation, and generally work to ensure optimal community engagement. 

General Office Facilities, Space Planning & Finance (15%)

• Maintain a robust data infrastructure of 300+ desks for postdocs, students, and external visitors within the McCullough Building, and automate systems for updating data to reflect new hires, departures, and transitions. Frequently leverage this data to support GLAM leadership (who has responsibility, accountability, and ownership of the McCullough and Moore Buildings) in their space planning and decision-making. Collaborate closely with the Senior Administrative Coordinator in maintaining a data system for ~10 McCullough offices occupied by GLAM’s theoretical physicists. 
• Oversee the distribution of physical keys to labs and offices, including accepting and returning cash deposits, and ensuring that all incoming and outgoing building occupants have the appropriate levels of keyed-in access. 
• Regularly solicit and compile feedback from a diverse array of stakeholders who interact with and depend upon the Manager of Facilities, Safety, and Space Planning's portfolio, including faculty, postdocs, students, administrative staff, and campus partners. Armed with a growth mindset, translate feedback into continuous operational improvements aimed at providing increasingly better service to clients in a more efficient and communicative manner. 
• Coordinate communications services (IT network administration, desktop support, primary troubleshooting), provide updates, alerts, and notifications to building occupants, and generally oversee mailing services, shipping, and delivery.
• In close collaboration with GLAM’s Associate Director, build project-specific and yearlong operating budgets to ensure continuity, growth, and the generally smooth operation of GLAM’s facilities team. 
• Other duties as assigned by VPDoR’s Facilities Director and GLAM’s Faculty Director.