Assistant Director of Operational Services

GENERAL STATEMENT OF JOB

The Assistant Director of Operational Services is responsible for providing leadership, management, and oversight of the County’s Custodial Services, Central Services (Print, Mail, Courier, and Records Support), and Facility Assessment and Compliance Programs. The position assists the Director and Deputy Director in ensuring County facilities are clean, safe, functional, accessible, and maintained in accordance with applicable regulations, County standards, and operational objectives. The Assistant Director oversees daily operations within assigned divisions, conducts facility inspections to evaluate building conditions and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), identifies maintenance deficiencies, develops corrective action plans, and coordinates with internal departments and contractors to ensure timely resolution of facility-related issues. The position serves as a key operational leader focused on customer service, quality assurance, operational efficiency, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Essential Functions:

Operational Leadership

• Provides direct leadership and oversight of Custodial Services and Central Services operations.
• Assists with departmental planning, budgeting, strategic initiatives, and operational performance management.
• Develops and implements operational procedures, service standards, and performance metrics.
• Evaluates operational effectiveness and recommends improvements to enhance efficiency and service delivery.
• Serves as a departmental representative during meetings, committees, and special projects.
• Acts on behalf of departmental leadership as assigned.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Custodial Services Management

• Oversees custodial operations for all County-owned and leased facilities.
• Ensures facilities are maintained in a clean, sanitary, safe, and professional condition.
• Develops cleaning standards, schedules, quality control procedures, and performance expectations.
• Conducts routine inspections to evaluate custodial performance and facility cleanliness.
• Coordinates staffing assignments, training, equipment needs, and supply inventories.
• Monitors contractor performance for outsourced custodial services where applicable.
• Investigates and resolves service requests, complaints, and operational concerns.

Facility Assessment, ADA Compliance, and Building Condition Inspections

• Conducts routine inspections of County facilities to identify maintenance deficiencies, safety concerns, operational issues, and accessibility barriers.
• Evaluates facilities for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), accessibility standards, and related regulations.
• Identifies deficiencies involving accessible routes, parking, entrances, restrooms, signage, counters, door hardware, and other accessibility features.
• Develops inspection reports, corrective action plans, and recommendations for facility improvements.
• Coordinates corrective actions with Facilities Maintenance, Capital Projects, contractors, and department stakeholders.
• Tracks identified deficiencies through resolution and maintains compliance documentation.
• Assists with facility condition assessments and long-range capital planning efforts.
• Supports development of facility improvement priorities and capital project recommendations.

Customer Service and Stakeholder Coordination

• Serves as a liaison between Operational Services and County departments regarding assigned programs and facility concerns.
• Responds to customer inquiries, complaints, and service requests in a timely and professional manner.
• Collaborates with department directors, elected officials, contractors, consultants, and external agencies.
• Promotes a customer-focused culture within assigned divisions.

Personnel Management

• Supervises assigned managers, supervisors, and support staff.
• Participates in recruitment, hiring, onboarding, training, and employee development.
• Conducts performance evaluations and provides coaching and mentorship.
• Addresses employee performance issues and recommends disciplinary actions as appropriate.
• Promotes workplace safety and compliance with County policies and procedures.

Budget and Resource Management

• Assists in developing and administering operational budgets for assigned divisions.
• Monitors expenditures and ensures efficient use of resources.
• Assists with procurement activities, contract administration, and vendor management.
• Identifies opportunities to improve operational efficiency and reduce costs.

Emergency Operations

• Assists with emergency preparedness, response, recovery, and continuity of operations activities.
• Participates in emergency response efforts affecting County facilities and operations.
• Responds to facility-related emergencies as needed.
• Supports departmental emergency management responsibilities during County emergencies.

MINIMUM EDUCATION AND TRAINING

• Bachelor's degree in Facilities Management, Business Administration, Public Administration, Construction Management, Building Sciences, Architecture, Engineering, or a closely related field.
• Five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in facilities operations, custodial management, building maintenance, ADA compliance, public administration, or related operational services, including supervisory experience.

-or-

• Any combination of education and experience that meets the requirements for performing the essential functions of this job.

Licenses/Certifications/Other:

• Must possess a valid state driver’s license.
• Ability to obtain ADA-related certifications within one year of employment
• Certified ADA Coordinator (ADAC) preferred.
• Certified Facility Manager (CFM) preferred.
• Facilities Management Professional (FMP) preferred.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND STANDARDS REQUIRED

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Data Involvement:Requires planning or directing others in the sequence of major activities and reporting on operations and activities which are very broad in scope.
• People Involvement:Requires supervising or leading others by determining work procedures, assigning duties, maintaining harmonious relations, and promoting efficiency; requires excellent communication skills with individuals at all levels of the organization including the governing body. 
• Involvement with Things:Requires establishing long-range plans and programs; identifying funding resources; and allocating funds for and implementing long-range capital improvements, major construction projects, major equipment, rolling stock, and new technology systems which support goals and objectives of the organization.
• Reasoning Requirements:Requires performing work involving the application of broad principles of professional management and leadership to solve new problems for which conventional solutions do not exist.
• Mathematical Requirements:Requires using addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, and/or calculating ratios, rates and percentages. Position requires heightened mathematical skills for completion of complex budgets and grants.
• Language Requirements:Requires reading professional literature and technical manuals; speaking to groups of employees as well as other public and private groups; and writing manuals and complex reports.
• Mental Requirements:Requires doing professional-level work requiring the application of principles and practices in a wide range of administrative, technical, or managerial methods in the solution of administrative or technical problems; the coordination of executive-level managerial work; the heightened understanding of operating policies and procedures and the ability to apply these to complex administrative problems; and the continuous, close attention for accurate results or frequent exposure to unusual situations.
• Computer Requirements:Requires experience/knowledge in word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and integrated business software packages; advanced knowledge in Microsoft Office products with emphasis in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint useful.
• Judgments and Decisions: Decision-making is a significant part of the job, affecting a large segment of the organization and the general public; works in a dynamic environment; responsible to assist in developing policy and practices.

Physical Requirements:

The work is light to medium work which requires the person in this position to exert up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects. Additionally, the following physical abilities are required:

• Balancing: Maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling while walking, standing, or crouching on narrow, slippery, or erratically moving surfaces. The amount of balancing exceeds that needed for ordinary locomotion and maintenance of body equilibrium.
• Feeling: Perceiving attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature or texture by touching with skin, particularly that of fingertips.
• Grasping: Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.
• Handling: Picking, holding, or otherwise working, primarily with the whole hand.
• Hearing: Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discrimination in sound.
• Lifting: Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position-to-position. Occurs to a considerable degree and requires substantial use of upper extremities and back muscles.
• Manual Dexterity: Picking, pinching, typing, or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with the whole hand as in handling.
• Mental Acuity: Ability to make rational decisions through sound logic and deductive processes.
• Pulling: Using upper extremities to exert force in order to draw, haul or tug objects in a sustained motion.
• Pushing: Using upper extremities to press against something with steady force in order to thrust forward, downward or outward.
• Reaching: Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.
• Repetitive Motion:  Substantial movements (motions) of the wrist, hands, and/or fingers.
• Speaking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word including the ability to convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately and concisely.
• Standing: Particularly for sustained periods of time.
• Stooping: Bending body downward and forward by bending spine at the waist. Occurs to a considerable degree and requires full motion of the lower extremities and back muscles.
• Talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word including those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly.
• Visual Acuity: Have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; and/or extensive reading. Including color, depth perception, and field vision.
• Walking: Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

May be required to work hours other than the regular schedule including nights, weekends, and holidays. This position requires regular and reliable attendance and the employee’s physical presence at the workplace. The job may risk exposure to bright/dim light, dusts and pollen, extreme heat and/or cold, wet or humid conditions, extreme noise levels, vibration, fumes and/or noxious odors, traffic, moving machinery, electrical shock, toxic/caustic chemicals. Work is performed in a dynamic environment that requires sensitivity to change and responsiveness to changing goals, priorities, and needs.

EEO AND ADA MESSAGE

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the essential job functions satisfactorily.  Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary job functions described herein.  Since every duty associated with this position may not be described herein, employees may be required to perform duties not specifically spelled out in the job description, but which may be reasonably considered to be incidental in the performing of their duties just as though they were written out in this job description.

Richland County is an Equal Opportunity Employer. ADA requires the County to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Prospective and current employees are invited to discuss accommodations.

Richland County has the right to revise this job description at any time. This description does not represent in any way a contract of employment.