Breaking down a "Degree required" job

Well this is the kind of thing I run into a lot, a job description that nearly matches my skill set, except they have to throw in "Bachelors degree" as a requirement.  I am not totally against someone having a degree if it is needed, but even Engineers up until fairly recently were apprentice trained, and even what we consider a Medical Doctor is historically speaking a fairly new degree.  Now with modern technology we kind of need Engineers to know very high level math and understand material stresses.  With our much greater understanding of human physiology a highly trained medical doctor just makes sense.  Honestly I want a trained and competent lawyer as well so I can say a Jurist Doctorate makes a lot of sense too.  Where I draw the line is things like this:

(Names redacted to prevent me getting grumbled at and needing a holder of a Jurist Doctorate to bail me out at a cost I can't afford)

Items inset and in bold are my responses and mostly lifted from my own resume.

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

The Facilities General Manager (FGM) plans, administers and directs all activities related to facilities maintenance, custodial and grounds, will have client financial accountability, and be in compliant with the standards established by ***** and the client. Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with other departments to provide a unified approach to facilities management. Impact made within FGM’s responsibility can affect the overall facilities safety and operations.

The FGM will be responsible for the development & growth of a large management team and hourly employees. The FGM will also focus on meeting and exceeding operating and financial goals, client objectives, KPI (that's Key Performance Indicators in case you don't speak management) metrics, and customer needs. The FGM will have daily interaction with the client, client's customers and employees. This individual will be focused on ensuring operational excellence in the delivery of the services ***** is contracted to provide.

LEADERSHIP EXPECTATIONS:

• Demonstrates a high level of visionary leadership, balanced judgment and disciplined execution

Under my guidance personal conflicts between staff dropped to near zero

• Process-focused and decisive to ensure effective execution of all strategies/initiatives in order to meet company & client needs with a high standard of excellence, urgency & predictability

I am well versed in keeping issues on track and sticking to a plan, working within tight time frames and being consistent

• Relentless commitment to safety excellence, demonstrates behaviors that drive a Safety FIRST core value, fosters a culture where every team member is empowered & supported to achieve a work environment without exposures and incidents - where No One Gets Hurt

Under my watch as safety coordinator I reduced down time accidents to under one per calendar year—there’s always that one person who messes up your numbers though

• Creates a great employee work environment & inspires teamwork and partnership at all levels - internally and externally

Happy employees are way more willing to do what is asked of them, matching your teams personalities is key to keeping partnership positive

• Is a visible servant leader, leading from the heart to serve, encourage, support and lift others up, while role modeling the ***** Mission - deliver experiences that enrich & nourish lives

In nearly 25 years as an assistant supervisor I never asked an employee to do something I would not do myself and frequently worked side by side with my crew even if it meant standing in three feet of water

• (Line redacted as it could give away who posted this)
  

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Manage a facilities department to include maintenance, grounds & custodial services, and may oversee small construction projects

As the Assistant Maintenance Supervisor I was in charge of all maintenance aspects from minor repair to full out restoration and construction, I over saw the grounds department, and was responsible for the overnight cleaning crew

• Manage all facets of the organization including full P&L responsibility and controlling assets with operating revenue, and will manage labor costs, supply costs and inventories

P&L was a monthly thing for 24 years

Labor costs were controlled via scheduling correctly a function I excelled at for 22 years

Sourced MRO from an approved supplier list, including inventory management, quoting, supplier selection, and issuing purchase orders

Developed inventory management system for maintenance department, including organization, distribution methods, and establishment of reorder points

• Complete and approve weekly and monthly financial operating reports

  Was one of two people to revue and approve reports for 22 years

• Order, maintain, and use capital equipment efficiently

  All routine functions of my job and a bit redundant considering the item 3 bullet points up from here.

  Requested capital quotes from new and approved vendors based on total cost, quality of work, and previous history with vendor

• Ensures compliance with all contract obligations

Managed all outside contractors to ensure contract compliance

• Ensures the effective implementation of the comprehensive Safety Plan, driving full compliance of all safety rules, guidelines and protocols

  Responsible for personnel and resident safety protocols for the facility

  Sourced and stocked appropriate personal protective equipment and safety equipment for facility

• Optimize financial performance, process accuracy and logistics productivity by conducting operational audits and ensuring a high level of execution and compliance

  I am well acquainted with staying on or under budget

  Established vendor management practices that continuously maintained 95 to 98% on-time delivery of products and project completion

• Drive operational efficiencies, labor/scheduling productivity

  Scheduling of ten-person crew through twenty-four-hour cycles, 365 days a year

• Drive a positive work environment and utilize effective communication skills at all levels of the organization

  Again; Happy employees are way more willing to do what is asked of them, matching your teams personalities is key to keeping partnership positive

• Provide overall direction and control to a large/complex account(s) to achieve operating and financial goals

  Honestly? You have to specify this when the job title is “Facilities Manager”

• Responsible for the training, development and performance management of personnel, operations managers and associates

  Training of new personnel for maintenance department and across other departments, especially for standard procedures and safety compliance

• Deliver strong operational performance by ensuring compliance with ***** Facilities Services and regulatory agency standards and programs and translating corporate strategy into front line operational tactics and will ensure compliance with all OSHA regulations and other, local, state, and federal government regulations

  Liaison for OSHA, EPA, County Health Department compliance, as well as fire department, and fire suppression contractor

• Lead development of team ensuring high performance, talent succession planning, optimal staffing and employee engagement

Talent succession plans are great but it is more important to focus on keeping the talent you already have, being staffed well enough to handle surge issues yet not overstaffed so you aren’t finding “look busy work”

• Establishes and maintains effective communications and business relationships with clients/customers

  A quarter century dealing with your customers/clients living at your job makes one very adept at handling difficult/tenuous situations and ensures you know how to keep confidentiality between you and them

• Ensure that client objectives are fully met by maintaining active customer relationships including formal structured monthly business reviews

This was handled on a more regular basis in my job as noted above my customers lived on site

• Ensures consistent application and regular use of all WebTMA modules to properly manage the operation

Qualifications

• Bachelor Degree from an accredited university/college; MBA is preferred.

Really?! You expect someone with a Masters in Business Administration to have experience in the items listed just three bullet points below here. I can guarantee you are not going to find many if ANY MBAs with that experience beyond “Hello is this Xyz Mechanical Services, the big spinny things that make the building cool aren’t spinning...”

• Minimum 5 to 7 years of experience in facilities management required

  How about nearly 25 years?

• Knowledge of facility related equipment, financial analysis and interpretation required

  With 25 years of performing facility functions I am well versed in how every piece of equipment operates from commercial mowers to fax machines

• Experience and knowledge of custodial, grounds and maintenance services (boilers, chillers, generators, HVAC/R preferred)

  I trained our overnight custodial staff, I filled in for them too

  Grounds supervision meant knowing how their job was done and when needed jumping is and doing it from mowing, to laying sod, to snow removal

  HVAC I was apprentice trained in the field and hold an EPA type Universal license

  On call heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration technician. Responsible for all aspects of maintenance and repair of 231 residential and light commercial split systems, ranging from one to seven tons; 150 gas furnaces, 64 electric furnaces, and 17 hydronic units

• Previous construction management experience highly preferred

  Addition of electrical circuits where needed in and around building, including adding outlets to finished walls with minimal to no harm to existing finished structure

  Complete installation of data, phone, and cable ports from trunk to user terminals and/or routers

  As the person overseeing outside contractors I had to know how there job was done in order to ensure that they did their job exactly the way it should be

  I have also assisted in the complete construction of several homes from the digging of the foundations to the roofing as well as assisted in the remodel of both commercial and residential structures
  

• Prior experience in mentoring and developing management level staff is required, as is experience leading 100+ person staff of managers and hourly employees

  While my immediate staff was 10 direct reports I did have authority over 125 persons ranging from general workers to supervisory staff

  I answered directly to our facility director on all aspects of my job

• High degree of integrity and business maturity

  Secrets stay confidential coming from a HIPPA compliant facility you learn quickly on day one to maintain confidentiality

  Your word is your integrity if you go back on your word you have nothing left

  Get everything in writing to ensure you are always within scope

• Previous P&L experience required managing budgets in the multi-millions within the facilities industry, with a proven track record of growing accounts.

  Let’s be honest with each other here, if you can balance your checkbook at home there is no reason larger numbers mean anything other than there is more on the line. Every-time you get a pay raise your personal budget grows. Every-time you finance something your obligations grow. Yes the numbers are larger but the process is the same

• Demonstrated time management skills, resulting in the ability to manage multiple client relationships and prioritize time and resources accordingly.

  Some of my vendor management was to delegate and expedite vendor services for issues beyond our in house capability along with coordinating the timing of multiple vendors for work to be performed on time and to contract

• Ideal candidates will possess a high energy level that is communicated to the team they will lead

  A leader has to believe what they are asking their crew to do and a good sales pitch can make a world of difference in getting people motivated

• Demonstrate proven success in interfacing with a variety of organizational functions and considerable negotiation skills are also needed to drive results.

• The ability to manage in a diverse environment with focus on client and customer services is a key success measure

• Highly developed interpersonal, analytical and communication (written and verbal) skills and experience are essential for success in this role

• Candidates must possess a demonstrated attention to detail and ability to lead directly and through influence

These last few kind of go together, at my level supervising I frequently had to observe, teach, and negotiate between departments to resolve issues, I have experience supervising a wide range of diverse persons

Incident response forms whether personnel or resident, were a common place item to be filled in as well and had to be carefully worded yet concise