The International Facility Management Association’s “Profiles 2011” report showed a sample of more than 7,000 different job titles within the facility management industry. With impending baby boomer retirements, the growth of new technologies and little economic impact, positions in facility and maintenance management are not only widely available, but there’s also a sense of safety from recession.
Jeffrey W. Rogers, Ph.D., of the Rochester Institute of Technology said, “Facility management, as a profession, is recession-proof. If organizations are not expending their physical assets in good economic times, they are maintaining their existing physical assets in bad economic times. Therefore, all organizations that have physical assets must hire facility managers.”
Furthermore, Joel Leonard, president of SkillTV, refers to the increasing gap in the skilled workforce as the “maintenance crisis.” Using Harley Davidson as an example, Leonard said, “Harley Davidson has 4,500 manufacturing personnel—and the average age is 55—it’s one of the most legendary entities in the United States. If that’s not scary, I don’t know what is.”
An April 2012 Star Tribune article reported that 72 percent of HR professionals interviewed expressed a concern about the impending retirement of baby boomers, particularly because approximately 56 percent of these roles are maintenance related. Because fewer young people are pursuing skilled labor roles, organizations across the country, are finding innovative ways to conquer this problem.
As a result, there are many roles within the facility and maintenance management sector that are growing quickly in availability. With several expert interviews within the facility managment sector, as well as recruiters and professors, here’s a list of four of today’s most in-demand careers in facility management along with an overview of the positions, skills necessary to obtain these roles, and educational backgrounds and professional accreditations that makes someone more marketable in facility management careers.
Maintenance managers
A company’s maintenance department oversees asset performance with the ultimate goal of prolonging an asset’s lifespan. A maintenance manager is responsible for scheduling both routine (preventive) and predictive maintenance tasks, managing the maintenance team and storing an asset’s maintenance history.
Dianna Rudd, president of Rudd Executive Search, explained why maintenance managers are in high demand: “Deferred maintenance and cost cutting has led to the need to perform more maintenance in the coming years.”
Some necessary skills for maintenance managers include a capability of un-derstanding technical dilemmas and the ability to problem solve, identify solutions and assess approaches to maintenance issues; a solid understanding of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) policies; and often, specialized knowledge such as heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) or electricity.
Building automation system (BAS) technicians
These technicians oversee, manage and respond to the needs of state-of-the-art building automation systems that are growing in popularity as environmental performance goals become more aggressive. Technicians with an explicit knowledge of such systems, who can address the complexities of these systems as well as monitor wandering building performance and occupant behavior, are crucial to maximize the value and purpose of BAS.
“As organizations are installing heavily automated technologies, they need someone to be able to manage it, not only the work on it, but even the contracting and leveraging it out,” said Leonard. “This is a critical role.”
These roles require an understanding of direct digital controls, the ability to read blueprints and schematics, a thorough understanding of electronics in general and, in BAS specifically, immense mathematical understanding.
Sustainability managers, engineers
These managers and engineers are responsible for establishing environmental performance goals and implementing strategies to actually achieve those goals. Sustainability managers and engineers also identify areas in which consumption can be lessened or other problematic and inefficient areas within a building’s performance.
Because green building is a growing trend and many buildings, including those being retrofitted and upgraded or new design initiatives, are establishing high performance goals, Leonard elaborated on the value of these roles, “Energy management positions are essential roles with the conservation efforts that are underway.”
These roles require a holistic understanding of building operations—keeping in mind that a building’s overall performance is impacted by both systematic tendencies and occupant behavior. Establishing this understanding through various professional accreditations, such as the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design® Accredited Professional (LEED AP), is highly valuable. Management is another key skill given this role is overseeing a facility’s entire staff and must offer a sense of engagement to meet established goals.
Analysts
Analysts are highly valued roles and are very important in facility management. A quantitative role, analysts can save an organization a significant amount of money by measuring overall operational efficiency. Using key performance indicators (KPIs), analysts can report and troubleshoot areas such as man-hour productivity, current replacement value ratios and consumption patterns.
Analysts’ primary function is to identify and target inadequacies, and issues plans of action to address areas needing improvement. Over time, this identification can save an organization from unnecessary spending, and heighten efficiency in operations and performance.
Depending on the nature of a facility, analysts generally require skills including a thorough understanding of metric-based KPIs, problem solving mentality, an understanding of complex mathematical concepts and general business expertise.
Education, professional considerations
“Profiles 2011” also showed that more than two-thirds of facility managers have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Of those, 20 percent have a master’s degree or higher. These statistics demonstrate the value of higher education for this particular job market.
Regina F. Cahill, associate provost and dean of facilities technologies at TCI College of Technology, explained the importance of higher education and the resulting aptitude: “Employers are looking for persons who have college degrees which usually are accompanied with a higher level of critical thinking and communication skills, have the technical vocabulary and aptitude and hold certifications from the regulatory agencies of the Environmental Protection Agency, OSHA and Department of Environmental Protection.”
When it comes to the most common degree for facility managers, the “Profiles 2011” research found it to be business, with engineering being a close second. As facilities and buildings become more sophisticated in their design and operations, additional certifications can make a prospective facility manager more marketable than one who has no special understanding of the various systems within a facility. Having an academic foundation and such specializations will increase a job seeker’s opportunities.
Additional opportunities
Furthermore, professional certifications and accreditations boost facility manager marketability. These certifications demonstrate an understanding of facility management—and more specific applications—that accompany academic background. Some credentials include Certified Facility Manager®, HVAC certification, LEED AP and/or carry any of the number of certifications offered through government agencies and professional organizations.
There are, of course, many other promising career opportunities in today’s facility management sector—and the more education, specializations or certifications one has, the better. With lasting job security and boundless advancement opportunities as technologies become more sophisticated, it seems there could be an impending solution to the aforementioned ‘maintenance crisis.’ FMJ
