Facilities Specialist

Position Title: Facilities Specialist

Supported by: Facilities Administrator

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt, Full-Time

Our Story

Food Bank for the Heartland has connected our communities with food, resources, and hope since 1981. The fight against hunger is our ongoing, collaborative effort. We work with individuals, organizations, food manufacturers and distributors, grocery stores, the USDA, and Feeding America to procure food and purchase food to supplement donations.

Through the collective power of our leadership, employees, partners, volunteers, and donors, we can reach more communities, serve more people, and address food insecurity more directly and effectively. As new needs arise, we are ready.

Our Philosophy: Every service we provide, program we offer, and decision we make is rooted in our core Mission, Vision, and Values.

In Short

The Facilities Specialist’s seat at our table is important as this position will play a key role in the upkeep and maintenance of our facilities to ensure a safe, clean, and efficient environment to ensure that we are able to carry out our mission to eliminate hunger in the heartland.

This role includes performing various maintenance tasks, janitorial duties, and managing and prioritizing work orders ensuring that maintenance needs are addressed promptly. The specialist will also assist our Facilities Administrator in ensuring compliance with safety regulations, as well as communicating effectively with internal teams, external contractors, and other stakeholders.

Your Mission

Facilities Upkeep: A large component of this position will be facilities upkeep in a variety of different ways.

• Performing routine inspections of building systems, including electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and fire safety, to identify potential issues.
• Conducting minor repairs such as fixing leaks, clearing clogs, replacing light ballasts, patching walls, performing minor paint repairs, replacing damaged fixtures, and addressing small cracks in concrete.
• Carrying out various maintenance tasks, including replacing light bulbs, maintaining both interior and exterior building areas, changing HVAC filters, and checking alarms and detection systems.
• Communicating with external contractors for repairs, renovations, and larger maintenance projects, as well as working with vendors to ensure ongoing building upkeep, such as snow removal, floor cleaning, and pest control.

Janitorial Services: This position will work closely with our janitorial specialist on various janitorial duties including serving as a backup to that position. The Facilities Specialist will be responsible for periodic and deep cleaning, exterior cleaning, waste management, minor snow removal and minor landscaping duties.

Champion Safety: This position is vital in championing safety throughout our organization.

This is done primarily by working with the Food Safety Committee, People Safety Committee and Facilities Administrator to coordinate safety related functions, including various inspections, assistance in fire drills, tornado drills, compliance training, and the utilization of Safety Culture in evaluating reported safety concerns and repairs.

This includes monitoring facility for safety hazards and addressing them promptly.

Communication Hub and Team Collaborator: Respond to employee concerns and complaints regarding facility issues in a timely manner, keeping our team informed about updates, procedures, and policies while working closely with various departments to understand their facility needs and provide tailored solutions. Receive and prioritize work order requests and track the status of those orders and ensure timely completion.

Other duties entrusted within your scope of practice.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Commitment to the FBFH mission and values
• Computer and technology skills around Microsoft Office and general technology.
• Effective interpersonal and communication skills to be able to work effectively with internal and external stakeholders.
• Consistent organizational skills with a passion for thriving in a fast-paced, multi-tasking environment prioritizing work orders, and meet deadlines.
• Hand-on skills: ability to preform repairs and maintenance tasks using basic tools.
• Problem-solving skills with the ability to identify and troubleshoot facility issues effectively.
• Ability to consistently commit to trustworthiness, dependability, and reliability.
• Ability to establish credibility, trust, and partnership at all levels in the organization.
• Ability to withstand working in various elements.
• Ability to operate scissor lift as well as ladders at varying heights.
• Ability to lift up to 50lbs.

Your Story

• Minimum of one (1) year of proven technical knowledge with basic understanding of building systems including electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and fire safety systems preferred.
• Lived experience with the impacts of systemic racism or marginalization is a plus.

About The Team

Everyone at Food Bank for the Heartland, from our administrative staff and warehouse employees to our team members working in partnership in the various community locations, shares a common vision: to help eliminate hunger in our service area—one initiative, program, and thoughtful decision at a time.

Our culture is committed to welcoming you to our table, supporting your passion and drive, and focusing on diversity, growth, and community involvement.

This role is vital to the Food Bank for the Heartland’s Facilities team and is directly supported by our Facilities Administrator.

We provide an environment to help you succeed.

Food Bank for the Heartland is an equal-opportunity employer, and we’re excited to work with talented and empathetic people of all identities. As required by law and in line with our commitment to diversity, inclusion, belonging, and equity, FBFH does not discriminate based on someone’s identity in any aspect of hiring or employment.

Our code of conduct provides a beacon for the kind of company we strive to be, and we celebrate our differences. FBFH will consider all qualified applicants.

FBFH is committed to inclusions.  As part of this commitment, FBFH welcomes applications from individuals with disabilities and will work to provide reasonable accommodation.  If reasonable accommodations are needed to participate in the job application or interview process, don't hesitate to get in touch with adurr@foodbankheartland.org

We support your well-being.

We offer medical, retirement, supplemental, and leave benefits. We have resources such as our Employee Assistance Program to support your mental health.