Facilities Management Grounds Director

The Opportunity

Cornell University seeks a collaborative and strategic leader to serve as its Facilities Management Grounds Director. This is an exceptional opportunity to lead the stewardship, performance, and long-term sustainability of one of the nation's most beautiful and recognizable university campuses. Spanning more than 900 acres, Cornell's Ithaca campus is renowned for its iconic landscapes, breathtaking gorges and waterfalls, extensive trail network, and distinctive exterior environments that support a vibrant academic, research, residential, and visitor community.

The Grounds Director will provide strategic leadership for the university's grounds operations, setting the vision, priorities, and service delivery strategies that ensure Cornell's outdoor environment remains safe, sustainable, resilient, and welcoming. This role is instrumental in advancing the university's commitment to environmental stewardship, operational excellence, regulatory compliance, and exceptional campus experiences for the Cornell community.

The Director will translate institutional priorities into comprehensive operational strategies across a diverse portfolio that includes landscape management, snow and ice operations, site construction services, campus pavement systems, and the stewardship of Cornell's renowned gorge trail pedestrian pathways. By balancing day-to-day operational excellence with long-term planning, the Director will help preserve and enhance the university's physical environment while supporting Cornell's academic, research, and public engagement mission.

As a member of the Facilities Management leadership team, the Director will partner closely with leaders across Campus Stewardship, Asset Management, Capital Projects, Environmental Health and Safety, and other university stakeholders to ensure a coordinated, data-informed approach to managing Cornell's built and natural environment. This leader will contribute to enterprise-wide planning efforts by aligning operational practices with asset management principles, lifecycle planning, capital investment strategies, and data governance standards to support the long-term performance and maintainability of campus assets.

The Director will lead and inspire a diverse organization of approximately 50 employees, including professional and union staff, fostering a culture grounded in collaboration, accountability, continuous improvement, and safety. Through thoughtful workforce planning, employee development, and resource stewardship, the Director will empower teams to deliver high-quality services while maintaining operational agility in a dynamic and evolving environment.

The successful candidate will bring exceptional leadership, operational, and relationship-building skills, along with the ability to think strategically while remaining engaged in the day-to-day realities of a complex organization. They will be an innovative problem solver who is comfortable navigating competing priorities, identifying opportunities for improvement, and making informed decisions that balance operational needs with long-term institutional objectives.

This is a unique opportunity for a leader who is passionate about creating and maintaining exceptional campus environments while advancing sustainability, operational excellence, and service innovation. Through strategic leadership and strong partnerships, the Grounds Director will make a lasting impact on Cornell's physical campus and contribute to the continued success of one of the world's leading research institutions.

This is a full-time (40 hours/week) endowed position based in Ithaca, NY and fully on-site.

About Facilities Management

Facilities Management (FM) provides maintenance, grounds, and custodial services to the entire campus. As a key steward of the University's facilities, FM is responsible for facility assessments, skilled trades, general construction, building care, grounds, recycling, asbestos, and the management of planned, corrective, and preventive maintenance.

What We Need

We are seeking a team member who demonstrates strong leadership skills, excels at building strong relationships, is creative in motivating and engaging staff, exercises sound judgement in complex situations, and effectively communicates key issues and recommendations to leadership. Additionally, you will have:

• A Bachelor's degree in landscape management, horticulture, agronomy, natural resources, forestry, construction management, landscape architecture, civil engineering, or a related field.
• 7 -10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in grounds, landscape, or facilities operations within a large, complex organization, including oversight of operations, staff, and budgets or equivalent combination.
• Demonstrated experience leading multi-functional teams, including professional and union and/or represented staff, with accountability for workforce planning, operational performance, and organizational effectiveness.
• Proven ability to develop and implement operational strategies aligned with organizational priorities, including safety, environmental stewardship, regulatory compliance, and service delivery outcomes.
• Experience managing budgets and resources, with the ability to balance operational needs, long-term planning, and fiscal responsibility.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively engage and influence a wide range of stakeholders, from frontline staff to senior leadership and external partners.
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in a dynamic environment, including during high-pressure situations such as campus emergencies or critical operations.
• Proficiency with standard business and operational software tools.
• Valid driver's license required.
• Proven experience connecting inclusion, belonging and wellbeing practices to business goals.

If you possess these experiences and skills this may be the role for you! There are a few other qualifications we would view as incredibly helpful in this role, to include:

• Advanced degree in a related field (e.g., landscape architecture, environmental management, business administration, public administration, or engineering).
• Professional certifications relevant to the field (e.g., Certified Arborist, Landscape Industry Certified Manager, Professional Engineer, LEED accreditation, or similar).
• Experience in higher education or similarly complex, decentralized environments.
• Experience integrating operations with asset management, capital planning, or campus stewardship functions.
• Demonstrated experience advancing sustainability initiatives, including landscape sustainability, waste reduction, or environmental compliance programs.
• Experience influencing capital project outcomes, including design review, constructability, and long-term maintainability.
• Experience leading organizational change, continuous improvement initiatives, or implementation of new systems, processes, or standards.
• Experience leveraging data, metrics, or enterprise systems (e.g., EAM/CMMS platforms) to inform planning, prioritization, and performance management.

A cover letter and resume are required for consideration for this position. Your cover letter should describe your interest in the position and explain how your experience and professional goals align with the role's objectives and opportunities for mutual success.

Rewards and Benefits

• This position is based in Ithaca, New York and is fully on-site.
• Cornell receives national recognition as an award-winning workplace for our health, wellbeing, sustainability, and diversity initiatives.
• Our benefits programs include comprehensive health care options, generous retirement contributions, access to wellness programs, and employee discounts with local and national retail brands. We invite you to follow this link to get more information about our benefits: Understand Your Benefits | Working at Cornell.
• Our leave provisions include health and personal leave, three weeks of vacation and 13 holidays: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, and an end of the year winter break from December 25-January 1. To offer greater flexibility for observing faiths and traditions we also offer two additional floating holidays. Learn more about our generous leave provisions: Holiday and Accrued Time Off | Working at Cornell
• Cornell's impressive educational benefits include tuition-free Extramural Study and Employee Degree Program, tuition aid for external education, and Cornell Children's Tuition Assistance Program. Learn more about our extensive educational benefits: Education Benefits | Working at Cornell
• Follow this link to learn more about the Total Rewards of Working at Cornell: Total Rewards | Working at Cornell.

Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position.

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Noted pay ranges reflect the potential pay opportunity for each job profile. The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined considering the following criteria:

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