FIRST UNITED is a registered charity that has been serving Vancouver's Downtown Eastside community for 140 years. We offer responsive, low-barrier services to individuals who are low income, underhoused or homeless. We pursue dignity, belonging, and justice to meet the daily needs of community members while engaging in systems change work to reduce homelessness and break cycles of poverty. If you're looking for purpose-filled work and want to make a difference in the community, this might be the opportunity for you.
Each job within the FIRST UNITED CHURCH Community Ministry Society should promote our accomplishment of our vision, mission and values.
WHAT WE OFFER:
- Comprehensive and 100% employer-paid health benefits including extended health and dental plan for regular staff, spouses and dependents.
- United Church of Canada defined benefit pension plan; employee contribution rate 6%, employer contribution rate 9%.
- Life insurance, Long-term Disability, and AD&D.
- 15 days of paid annual vacation.
- 13 statutory paid days off every year and 12 days of paid sick leave.
- Professional designation reimbursement.
- An inclusive and supportive workplace culture.
POSITION OBJECTIVE
The Facilities Manager is responsible for overseeing all aspects of First United’s buildings’ functionality and upkeep, ensuring a safe and efficient working environment by managing maintenance tasks, coordinating repairs, supervising staff, and adhering to safety regulations, all while optimizing building operations to meet the needs of occupants within the facility.
This role will be onsite at our location in the Downtown Eastside found at 320 E. Hastings Street, Vancouver.
Duties And Responsibilities
Maintenance and repairs:
- Planning and scheduling preventative maintenance activities, coordinating repairs with contractors, managing building systems like HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems.
- Safety compliance: Conducting regular safety inspections, ensuring compliance with building codes and regulations, managing emergency preparedness plans.
- Building operations:
- Overseeing cleaning and janitorial services, managing waste disposal, monitoring energy consumption and implementing energy-saving measures.
- Procurement of supplies and materials
- Vendor management: Negotiating contracts with service providers like maintenance contractors, cleaning companies, and security firms.
- Budgeting and cost control: Tracking facility expenses, managing maintenance budgets, identifying cost-saving opportunities. Est operating budget of $300-$500K.
- Project management: Overseeing renovation projects, coordinating installations and upgrades within the facility.
- Staff supervision: Leading and managing a team of facilities staff.
- Communication and stakeholder management: Collaborating with departments within the organization to address facility needs, communication updates to employees regarding maintenance activities and disruptions.
Required Skills
- Minimum 10 years’ facilities management experience
- Technical knowledge: Understanding of building systems, HVAC, plumbing, electrical systems, and maintenance procedures.
- Project management skills: Ability to plan, execute, and monitor facility improvement projects.
- Leadership abilities: Leading and motivating a team of facilities staff.
- Problem solving skills: Identifying and resolving facility issues promptly.
- Budgeting and financial management: Effectively managing facility expenses.
- Communication skills: Clear and concise communication with stakeholders at all levels.
- Compliance expertise: Knowledge of relevant building codes, safety regulations, and environmental standards.
- Ability to maintain a calm, welcoming, empathetic and professional demeanor at all times with staff and with vulnerable and/or marginalized individuals.
Qualifications
Degree or certification in facilities management, engineering, or a related field.
- Hold a BOMA designation and an HVAC 4th class Power Engineer credential
Experience in facility management or a similar operational role.
Knowledge of project management and organizational skills.
- Must be able to pass a Criminal Record Check (Vulnerable Sector).
- A clean driving record
- Availability to respond to emergency situations after hours.
- Management experience in a unionized setting strongly desired.
Experience in a not-for-profit environment (such as a shelter, group home, social housing or recovery house) would be an asset
SPECIAL TRAINING
- Nonviolent crisis intervention training (NVCI) an asset.
- Standard First Aid or equivalent training/recertification within first three months of employment.
- Mental Health First Aid training an asset.
WORKING CONDITIONS
Physical conditions:
- Work can be physically demanding and sometimes dirty and unpleasant.
- Must be able to lift up to 50lbs/23kg on a regular basis.
Must be comfortable with physically demanding work that includes bending, stooping, stretching, kneeling, and crouching.
May be exposed to noisy equipment or tools.
Environmental conditions:
- Must be able to work in extreme cold and heat at times.
- Must be able to work outdoors to sweep walkways, shovel snow, remove graffiti, maintain building at times.
Sensory demands:
- Must have good communication skills and the ability to work under limited supervision.
- Need the ability to listen to and understand written and verbal instructions.
Mental Demands:
- Possible exposure/proximity to traumatic medical events and clients in crisis.
- Possible exposure to emotionally disturbing experiences.
- Ability to exercise nonviolent crisis intervention techniques to reduce interpersonal conflict.
RECRUITMENT TIMELINE
In the interest of having open and honest dialogue with candidates we wish to share our anticipated timeline for this position:
- July 30th to August 10th: Reviewing Applicants.
- August 11th to August 26th: Telephone screening selected applicants who display the needed skills for the role.
- August 27th to September 4th: 1st round of formal interviews.
- September 7th to September 11th: 2nd round of formal interviews.
- September 14th to September 18th: Reference checks and Vulnerable Sector/Police Criminal Record Checks.
The anticipate start date for this position is on or around
September 28, 2026.
As the first step in our recruitment process, we ask all candidates to upload their cover letter, resume, and answer a few short answer questions about themselves.
We are committed to becoming a more just, equitable, inclusive, and diverse workplace, which extends to how we hire. We are continually learning new and unlearning old practices while examining systemic causes of inequity, including colonialism.
We aim to be representative of the communities that we serve. We welcome everyone to apply, and we strongly encourage applications from members of communities that have been marginalized based on Indigeneity, race, colour, religion, nationality, social or ethnic origin, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression. In order to achieve a representative team, preference may be given to people who are members of one or more of these groups.
