Director, Space Planning & Facilities Management

Job Title
Director, Space Planning & Facilities Management

Job Category
M&P - AAPS
Job Profile
AAPS Salaried - Facilities Management, Level I

Job Family Group
Staff - Non Union

Department
Administration and Operations | Faculty of Medicine | Provost and VP Academic

Compensation Range
$12,056.75 - $18,813.42 CAD MonthlyThe Compensation Range is the span between the minimum and maximum base salary for a position. The midpoint of the range is approximately halfway between the minimum and the maximum and represents an employee that possesses full job knowledge, qualifications and experience for the position. In the normal course, employees will be hired, transferred or promoted between the minimum and midpoint of the salary range for a job.

Job End Date
Ongoing

Posting End Date
November 13, 2026
Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career. 

Job Description Summary

The Director, Space Planning and Facilities Management is responsible for the overall strategic leadership of the planning, development, management and utilization of Faculty of Medicine Academic Space.

The Director, Space Planning & Facilities Management leads staff and external consultants, ensures appropriate space allocation and management policies and procedures are developed and implemented, space and facility plans are successfully executed to meet the changing needs of the Faculty, key partner’s relationships are built and maintained, and a culture of integrity, collegiality, and agility is fostered.

As most of the Faculty’s 1.8M square feet of Academic Space is built, owned, operated and/or maintained by other agencies and institutions under legislation, utilization agreements, or institutional regulations, the Director initiates, directs, and negotiates on behalf of the Faculty to ensure the Faculty’s space and facilities requirements are met.

Organizational Status

Reports directly to the Managing Director, Operations, Faculty of Medicine.

Leading a cross-functional team of professionals, the Director, Space Planning & Facilities Management provides strategic direction and planning for all aspects of Faculty of Medicine Academic Space to align Faculty goals, objectives, and strategies with those of the University and institutional partners. 

With the high volume and complexity of the position requirements, it is important that the successful candidate have a team-oriented and flexible disposition and demonstrated leadership, problem-solving, and collaborative planning skills.

The Director’s primary work site is UBC Vancouver campus. The Director is required to travel to and work at various clinical campuses and academic sites across BC.

Work Performed

Strategic & Tactical Leadership

- Represents the Faculty of Medicine’s s interest while interacting with Ministries, Health Authorities and University Leaders regarding academic facilities, capital project requirements, and other related academic space issues. Ensures Health Authority projects conform to Section 45 of the Hospital Act and Academic Space Protocol requirements.

- Makes recommendations to Senior Leadership Team on strategic and policy matters related to the allocation, management and utilization of Academic Space, construction and renovation projects, and facility operations.

- Resolves Academic Space disputes through negotiations and/or arbitration, developing innovative solutions and approaches to reconcile issues, ensuring that key partners’ relationships are built and maintained.

- Forms, leads and participates in University and Health Authority committees and meetings, ensuring that appropriate consultative processes have been followed when developing policies, space and facility plans and reviews or when planning for new capital projects.

- Provides strategic guidance and leadership to the Space Planning & Facilities Management Team, ensuring that resources and support are available to optimize performance and productivity within the unit.

- Initiates and develops strategic and operational plans for the Space Planning & Facilities Management Team, creating tactics and action plans so that team goals can be achieved.

- Provides leadership and direction for change management initiatives and risk management processes, with Health Authorities, University stakeholders, Faculty of Medicine key groups, consultants, contractors and other partners.

- Oversees the general administration, project management, renovation and equipment budgets for Space Planning and Facilities Management unit , as required.

- Develops projects, procedures, policies and other initiatives intended to maximize the allocation, management and utilization of Academic Space, reduce costs, or improve efficiency of space and facility operations.

Capital Projects Management

- Leads short-term & long-term construction project planning for the Faculty of Medicine education programs, overseeing the compilation of requirements and specifications, evaluating and prioritizing options, coordinating funding requests, identifying and securing resources, obtaining financial and contractual approvals, establishing project goals, timelines and budgets.

- Oversees capital projects at University and Health Authority facilities across BC, ensuring that functional program and technical requirements, as well as space and other related guidelines and policies as agreed are followed by University and/or Health Authority planners, contractors, architects and other parties, at times within a Public Private Partnership environment.

- Ensures that the requirements and best interests of the Faculty of Medicine are realized in each project, integrating and coordinating with Academic Leaders of Clinical, Community, Research and Education, Department Heads and School Directors, AV/IT professionals and other consultants.

- Forms, leads, and participates in project committees or working groups, ensuring that consultative processes have been followed and fostering relationships with key groups to enhance collaborations and partnerships.

- Engages in the selection and activities of planners, architects, consultants, and contractors retained for planning, designing, construction, operations and maintenance of Faculty of Medicine facilities, consistent with appropriate University, Health Authority and Ministry policies.

- Oversees the management of Ministry of Infrastructure minor capital l funding for Academic Space upgrades and renovations at Health Authorities sites.

- Ensures all engineering life-cycle and maintenance standards for faculty assets are adhered to by University or Health Authority staff and external contractors, as appropriate.

- Guides senior Academic Leaders in the design process for new and renovated teaching and learning facilities and the development of Academic Space allocation, management and booking policies.

Space Planning & Facility Management

- Initiates and approves the creation and development of functional programs for Faculty of Medicine teaching and learning facilities across BC, and provides technical expertise and recommendations to the Managing Director, Operations, Faculty of Medicine. .

- Leads short-term and long-term space and facility reviews of Departments, Research Centres/Institutes, Schools, Education programs and administrative units, , including moves and new acquisitions, negotiating and coordinating with Ministry, Health Authority, University, and key partners to secure spatial resources and approvals.

- Provides direction and assistance to Department Heads, School Directors and Associate Deans in planning and allocating administrative and research space, ensuring compliance with Faculty space allocation & management policies and compatibility with the long-term objectives of the Faculty.

- Participates in University and Health Authority space planning and facility management committees, such as the UBC Property & Planning Advisory Committee, UBC Learning Spaces, and other initiatives, including negotiations for leasing, acting in the best interests of the Faculty.

- Ensures that all Faculty Academic Space is allocated and utilized equitably and efficiently, in accordance with Faculty, University and Health Authority guidelines, standards and policies, and as required in the Academic Space Protocols with Health Authorities

Academic Learning Spaces

- Oversees the management of over 500+ Faculty of Medicine teaching and learning spaces including video-conference facilities, seminar rooms, lecture theatres, on-call rooms, lounges and other teaching facilities across the Province, ensuring that Faculty requirements are met, while promoting collaborative agreements with Health Authority and other University groups to attain optimal utilization of these spaces and resources.

- Oversees the development of tools, systems and processes to ensure efficient and effective management of Academic Space, including the Faculty of Medicine Academic Space Inventory (through Archibus).

- Leads the development of space policies, guidelines and processes for the Faculty of Medicine, incorporating national and international space standards for administrative, research and teaching facilities, and within the Health Authority and University contexts, to ensure equitable, efficient and collaborative allocation and utilization of Faculty resources.

- Participates on the Faculty of Medicine Health & Safety Committee to ensures that health, safety & security concerns in Academic Space are addressed appropriately, and any deficiencies are actioned.

Consequence of Error/Judgement

The work Space Planning & Facilities Management unit is used in decision making, reporting, planning and provision of information to the University, Health Authorities, and Ministries. High level of decision -making is required. The position is required to exercise independent judgement in all areas of Space Planning & Facilities Management operation along with maturity, collegiality and initiative while developing relationships and partnerships.

Inappropriate actions or indiscretions in judgment can negatively impact the Faculty of Medicine reputation with internal and external partners and , have a detrimental effect on Faculty operations.

Supervision Received

The Director reports to the Managing Director, Operations, Faculty of Medicine, and works independently within the general policy guidelines to achieve overall objectives..

Supervision Given

Directly supervises the Senior Planner, Manager-Major Capital Projects, and three Facility Managers: Academic Learning Spaces, LSC Operations, and Administration & Research Space on the Space Planning & Facilities Management team.

Makes bi-weekly checks of work progress to ensure milestones are achieved. Position provides guidance to reporting staff on more strategic issues. Determines objectives, priorities, status and measures accomplishments against operational plan goals, objectives and performance standards.

The incumbent:

- Establishes and maintains close and effective working relationships with the Ministries of Health Infrastructure, and Post-Secondary Education, Health Authority and University partners to ensure Academic Space functional requirements of the Faculty of Medicine are met. Works with all parties at policy, program, functional, implementation and management levels;

- Advises Senior Faculty leadership, Departments, Schools, Research Institutes, Centres, and other key players (both faculty and staff) in the Faculty of Medicine;

- Works closely with the Senior Education and Research Leaders, AV/IT professionals, and user groups in projects and other initiatives; and

- Works closely with principals of major consulting agencies.

Minimum Qualifications

- Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Eligibility for membership in a professional Institute or Association.

- Minimum of ten years of related experience involving the management of professionals, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.

- Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own.

- Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Preferred Qualifications

- Graduate degree in Planning, Project Management, Facilities Management, Business or Architecture from a recognized University.

- Related professional experience, preferably in the health or university sectors.

- Experience involving the management of professionals or the equivalent combination of education and experience.- Proficient knowledge and oversight experience in financial planning, facilities administration and project management.

- Thorough knowledge of all aspects of space programming, facility planning and development in an institutional setting, and facilities operations, management and maintenance.

- Experience in developing and managing business cases and budgets.

- Full understanding of the tendering, RFP, and proponent proposal evaluation processes.

- Experience in functional programming for education, research, and administrative units. 

-Experience gathering and assessing needs, applying creative planning skills to resolve space issues.

- Knowledge and experience in reviewing, interpreting, and applying BC building, health and safety, fire, and other appropriate codes, space standards, and requirements

- Proven sensitivity and expertise with complex matters, combined with demonstrated ability to think at both a strategic and tactical level to operate effectively at all levels of government, with health organizations and university administrators.

- Strong interpersonal and relationship management skills, including a high level of integrity, ethics, trustworthiness, professionalism, diplomacy, tact, and patience.

- Strong oral and written communication skills and being comfortable with facilitation and presentation delivery.

- Demonstrated arbitration, negotiation and problem-solving skills to facilitate resolutions to complex issues.

- Outstanding leadership, organizational, and planning skills to promote a positive teamwork environment, mature judgement, multi-tasking and ability to set priorities.

- Proficiency in the use of administrative management, information, and communications systems.

 
- Proficiency in AutoCAD or other drafting software, while not required, is advantageous.

- Ability to work comfortably with broad guidelines.