Director, Administration and Facilities

Khalifa University is a world-class, research-intensive institution in Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The University’s mission is to seamlessly integrate research and education to produce world leaders and critical thinkers in science, engineering, and medicine, and also to be a catalyst towards Abu Dhabi’s 2030 vision for a knowledge-based economy. Khalifa University has two campuses in the city of Abu Dhabi – the KU Main Campus and the Sas Al Nakhl Campus, the latter housing two of KU’s flagship research institutes: Masdar Institute and Petroleum Institute.

The Director, Administration and Facilities is responsible for directing all Facilities related activities on the University’s campuses, ensuring that the staff and students are supported with adequate space, resources, services, and protection based on productivity and cost. The Director is also responsible for providing top management with expert advice and information on all aspects related to Administration and Facilities policies, plans, programs, and recommendations.

Strategic Responsibilities 

• Drive the formulation of the Department’s strategy, as well as annual business plans. 
• Develop the Department’s policies and procedures, adhering to the overall business objectives of the University, ensuring they promote leading practices and excellence.
• Develop and manage the Department’s budgets; monitor the performance of budgets and report back on a timely basis to ensure that divergences are addressed promptly

Operational Responsibilities

• Direct and manage services and processes that support the educational and administrative activities, includes advising the Vice President on the best solutions for the different Facilities related issues.
• Contribute to the formulation of University administration support strategy and policy, working with Vice President to act in the best interest of the University.
• Focus on the execution of strategic planning and coordination to ensure that the organization has the most suitable working environment for its employees and their activities as well as involvement in key operational issues.
• Direct and supervise the development of the Facilities Initiatives to ensure that the University requirements are achieved as well as adopting best business practices to improve efficiency in reducing operating costs and to increase productivity.
• Direct and supervise all the Facilities Operations. 
• Lead construction related projects in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders as required ensuring projects are delivered on time, within budget and in accordance to University business objectives and requirements.
• Encourage and lead initiatives aimed at enhancing existing facilities and making them more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.
• Ensure that appropriate maintenance is provided to all facilities in a timely manner and in conformance with University standards and external regulations and requirements.
• Develop, implement, and enforce facility standards, policies, and procedures; act as the main policy reference, and interprets administrative policy for users of the facilities.
• Implement evaluation and quality assurance strategies and ensure that developmental and corrective actions are implemented.
• Participate in committees and meetings to coordinate and align Strategic and operational activities.
• Monitor and demonstrate achievement of agreed service levels and to lead on improvement as well, through using performance management techniques and the appropriate implementation of FM Policies and Procedures. 
• Ensure adherence to the University’s information security policies and procedures, and report breaches or other security risks accordingly. 
• Ensure coordination with other departments to facilitate the accomplishment of tasks and responsibilities, as and when needed. 
• Perform any other tasks assigned by Line Manager.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Provide coaching, guidance and mentoring as required to enhance the internal capabilities of the team and ensure the achievement of established objectives and plans.
• Recommend appropriate training courses as per the pre-determined training needs, evaluate their effectiveness, and monitor their results. 
• Carry out performance appraisals for subordinates according to planned schedules and recommend necessary actions as per the applied practices. 
• Conduct periodic meetings with subordinates to ensure that priorities are clear and workflow is running smoothly.
• Follow-up on employees’ administrative affairs such as vacations, leaves and other administrative and related affairs.

Required Qualification

• A Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business Administration or related field.

Required Experience

• A minimum of 14 years of experience directly related to the duties and responsibilities specified, of which 5 years should have been in a Senior Managerial position, preferably in higher education.