Job Title: Deputy Facilities Manager
Reporting to: Facilities Manager
Location: Griffith College and Griffith Hals of Residence, South Circular Road, Dublin 8
Job Type: Full-Time / Permanent
Job Summary:
Griffith College is seeking an experienced and results-driven Deputy Facilities Manager to support the strategic and operational management of our Dublin campus. This leadership position plays a critical role in ensuring that all academic, administrative and residential facilities are maintained to the highest standards of safety, reliability and operational excellence.
Reporting to the Facilities Manager, the successful candidate will oversee the delivery of facilities services, building and plant operations, compliance with statutory requirements and the effective management of external contractors. The role is key to maintaining business continuity, supporting campus development and ensuring a high-quality environment for students, staff and visitors.
We are seeking a professional with a strong technical background, proven supervisory experience and the ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, service-focused setting. The successful candidate will be hands-on, technically capable and calm under pressure, with a strong focus on safety, service quality and minimising disruption to teaching and campus activities.
Job Responsibilities:
Operational Facilities Leadership
* Oversee the daily delivery of facilities services across all College premises, in alignment with direction from the Facilities Manager.
* Provide effective support of the Facilities Supervisors, including task assignment, work planning, and performance monitoring to ensure high standards are achieved.
* Serve as the primary operational contact for facilities-related queries from internal stakeholders, ensuring timely investigation and resolution of issues.
* Maintain oversight of the condition and performance of building infrastructure, including plant rooms and key building services such as heating, ventilation, lighting and water systems, ensuring they are well maintained and fully functional.
* Assist in the development and implementation of operational policies, procedures and best practices for facilities management, and ensure consistent adherence across the team.
Maintenance Coordination & Asset Management
* Support the planning and coordination of the planned preventive maintenance (PPM) schedule for building services, plant and equipment, ensuring statutory requirements are consistently met.
* Work collaboratively with the Maintenance Supervisor to prioritise reactive maintenance, ensuring high-risk and service-critical issues are resolved within required timeframes.
* Assist the Facilities Manager in ensuring that all maintenance activities are properly scoped, documented and verified, including necessary follow-up inspections.
* Identify recurring issues or inefficiencies and support the development of practical improvement measures to enhance asset reliability and operational resilience.
Contractor & Service Provider Coordination
* Act as a key on-site liaison for approved contractors delivering servicing, compliance inspections and specialist maintenance (e.g., fire protection, HVAC, BMS, lifts, etc).
* Ensure appropriate controls are in place for contractor access, permits and safe working procedures in alignment with college policies.
* Monitor on-site contractor performance, reporting issues promptly and supporting the Facilities Manager in performance reviews or contract improvement discussions.
* Ensure all works with operational implications are communicated in advance and scheduled to minimise disruption to campus activities.
Health, Safety & Regulatory Compliance
* Support the delivery of statutory servicing, inspection and testing programmes, ensuring accurate records are maintained and compliance requirements are met.
* Assist with risk assessments, method statements and safe-systems-of-work, promoting safety leadership and immediately addressing unsafe behaviour or conditions.
* Champion high safety standards within operational teams and among contractors through role-modelling and proactive engagement with compliance measures.
* Participate in safety audits, inspections and internal reviews, progressing agreed actions to timely completion.
Campus Infrastructure & Sustainability Initiatives
* Contribute to the coordination of campus improvement works, small refurbishments and infrastructure upgrades, ensuring operational considerations are addressed.
* Support condition assessments of estate infrastructure, highlighting lifecycle risks and assisting in future asset planning.
* Assist with monitoring of energy and utilities usage and help implement practical measures to improve efficiency and support sustainability goals.
* Promote the efficient and compliant operation of plant and systems to support estate performance and environmental responsibilities.
Incident Response & Business Continuity
* Provide operational support during facilities-related incidents such as leaks, equipment failures, alarms or adverse weather impacts, helping maintain essential services.
* Assist in maintaining readiness of critical systems including life-safety equipment and emergency power where applicable.
* Participate in on-call or out-of-hours support arrangements as required by the Facilities Manager.
Communication, Collaboration & Customer Service
* Ensure clear and proactive communication with internal stakeholders regarding planned works, maintenance progress, and any potential operational impacts.
* Provide regular updates to the Facilities Manager on key operational matters, risks, and service performance.
* Contribute to team meetings and cross-departmental collaboration, supporting a positive, service-focused environment across the campus.
* Undertake any other duties appropriate to the role, as assigned by the Facilities Manager, in line with the evolving needs of the College.
Person Specification
Essential
* Proven experience in facilities management, building services, maintenance supervision or a closely related field.
* Practical understanding of building services and plant (e.g. heating systems, ventilation, BMS, electrical distribution, water systems).
* Experience leading or supervising maintenance staff and/or external contractors in a live operational environment.
* Good working knowledge of health & safety and statutory compliance requirements relevant to facilities operations (e.g. fire safety, lifts, emergency lighting, water hygiene).
* Strong organisational and problem-solving skills, with the ability to prioritise workload and manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
* Ability to interpret basic technical documentation such as service reports, drawings or O&M manuals.
* Confident, clear communicator with the ability to build effective working relationships at all levels.
* A proactive, hands-on approach with a strong sense of ownership for safety, reliability and service quality.
* Flexibility to work occasional evenings or weekends and to participate in an out-of-hours/on-call rota where required.
Desirable
* Formal qualification in a relevant discipline (e.g. Facilities Management, Building Services, Mechanical/Electrical trade or engineering).
* Experience working in a campus, educational, healthcare, hotel or multi-building environment.
* Experience using a FM system to plan, allocate and track maintenance activities.
* Additional training or certification in areas such as IOSH/NEBOSH, fire safety, water hygiene, electrical or mechanical systems.
Contract & Working Pattern
* Contract type: Full-time
* Hours of work: 37.5 hours per week
* Working pattern:
o Standard pattern during non-summer periods (e.g. primarily Monday–Friday, subject to operational needs).
o 5-out-of-7-day roster during the GHR summer period, which may include some weekend work, scheduled in advance.
Why Work for Griffith College & GHR?
Why join us?
At Griffith College and Griffith Halls of Residence, you'll work on a historic seven-acre Dublin campus while being part of a busy, hospitality-style environment in GHR. During the academic year, you'll support a vibrant student community; in summer, you'll help deliver short-stay accommodation for international language schools, tour groups and visitors, gaining hands-on experience of hotel-style operations and revenue management administration. In 2025, GHR achieved gold accreditation in Fáilte Ireland's Employer Excellence Awards, recognising our commitment to staff experience, workplace culture and continuous improvement. You'll benefit from strong CPD opportunities, a supportive, multicultural workplace and a wide range of practical staff benefits.
Griffith College benefits include:
* Competitive salary package.
* Access to the College's pension scheme.
* Access to health care plans for employees and their families.
* Onsite subsidised restaurant*.
* Free parking facilities*.
* Historical premises – seven-acre campus on Dublin's South Circular Road.
* Access to onsite fitness equipment.
* Access to ongoing Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programmes up to Masters degree level.
* Access to career development supports.
* Opportunities for staff mobility through Erasmus+ and other mobility programmes.
* Vibrant multidisciplinary and multicultural learning environment.
* Inclusive and diverse community.
* Innovative and agile place to work.
* Welcoming environment committed to learner and staff development.
* Mental Health and Wellbeing supports available.
* Member of the national Bike to Work scheme
* Staff discounts and offers from a wide range of retailers and service providers.
What's unique about GHR and summer operations:
* Experience a hotel-style, short-stay operation within a higher education campus.
* Work with international groups, language schools and tour operators during the busy summer period.
* Get exposure to practical yield and reservations administration (Mercury, channel manager, allocations) in a real operational environment.
* Be part of a close-knit team that collaborates across Facilities, Accommodation, Housekeeping and Maintenance to deliver a high-quality guest and resident experience.
* Staff Social Club with regular events*.
* Year-round staff social and wellbeing events: BBQs, coffee mornings, wellness talks, EDI events, and more.
*Benefits marked with an asterisk apply to the Dublin campus on South Circular Road.
This job description is not to be regarded as exclusive or exhaustive. It is intended as an outline of proposed areas of activity and will be amended in the light of the changing environment within the Faculty and the College.
Griffith College is an equal opportunities employer. Candidates must be eligible to work full-time for any employer in Ireland.