The Friends of the New Jersey School of Conservation (FONJSOC) is a not for profit 501(c) 3 environmental education organization committed to conservation and stewardship. We are located on a 240-acre tract of land in Stokes State Forest in Sussex County, New Jersey, that includes 63 CCC-era buildings, a 12- acre lake, a dam and spillway, a waste water treatment facility and a solar field. Additionally, our campus has freshwater wells, pumps and distribution systems, propane farm, roadways, trails and pathways to be maintained and monitored. We serve more than 4,000 students, educators and researchers annually, host four summer camps and have a year-round meal service program.
The mission of the NJSOC is to foster environmental knowledge and action through education programs delivered in a natural setting. We are a community of diverse, responsible stewards of the earth who promote sustainability practices, climate change mitigation, and environmental justice.
Location: New Jersey School of Conservation (1 Wapalanne Road, Sandyston, New Jersey 07826)
Type of Position: Full-Time
Title: Director of Facilities
Required Background:
- Bachelors in Construction Management or 5 or more years managing a campus-like facility and crew;
- Familiarity with campus systems such as drinking water, waste water and campus equipment, tools, and vehicles;
- Experience with construction projects or property management a plus.
- Knowledge of NJ Building codes, NJ State Permitting regulations and NJ State Public Contractor requirements
Job Responsibilities/Description
General: The Facilities Director will be working in a beautiful upland forest with abundant wildlife living on and passing through our campus. The job of the DoF is to make sure that the entire NJSOC physical campus is clean, safe, inviting, as accessible (read broadly) as possible, and in all ways ready to support the activities (programmatic and otherwise) that occur at the NJSOC. A large part of what the DoF does is foreseeing, prioritizing, and planning for short term, medium term, and long-term facility’s needs.
Part of Management Team: The DoF is part of the “Upper Management” at NJSOC, and works closely on a daily basis with the Executive Director and the Director of Education. Your colleagues are a group of impassioned educators, scientists and stewards of a unique and historic outdoor education center with a long history in conservation education. As such, you are expected to know about, care about, and be involved with (to the extent requested by the Executive Director) the overall management of the NJSOC operations, care of and maintenance of the campus and the people who visit the campus and a commitment to our storied history, philosophy, and mission to serve the people of our state and beyond. This will include budget matters and reporting responsibilities.
Management of Facilities Department and Crew: The DoF manages the Facilities Department and the Facilities Crew. This requires, at least, preparation of weekly and daily work calendars, “line out” meetings at the start of each day, implementing an annual maintenance plan, and managing Facilities spaces. It also requires helping Crew members with personnel and management related issues.
Maintenance: The DoF is responsible for ensuring that all tools, fixtures, equipment, buildings, and other infrastructure are properly maintained. This includes a weekly check of all AEDs and generators on campus. It also includes the constant repair and upgrade of the campus, especially including the prioritization and implementation of carpentry repairs. The DoF is responsible for making sure that NJSOC vehicles are safe, inspected, and operational, and that supplies and materials are on campus that are necessary for the maintenance/janitorial work that needs to occur.
Janitorial: The DoF oversees all janitorial services for campus, including ensuring proper staffing, cleaning scheduling (in consultation with Education staff), maintenance of related equipment, and purchasing cleaning supplies and paper products.
Landscaping: The NJSOC campus requires seasonally-appropriate landscape maintenance: winter-end cleanup, mowing, weed whacking, culvert clearing, leaf raking/blowing, trail maintenance, and shoveling/plowing/ice dam management. Winter times in Stokes State Forest can be difficult and long; they require a lot of preparation and management.
Exterior Assets: The DoF is required to understand and ensure the proper management of the campus’ exterior assets: a wastewater treatment plant and sanitary system; a solar field; a propane farm; an electrical grid; roadways and pathways; a freshwater well, pump and distribution system; and a lake/spillway/dam complex.
Capital Improvements: Working closely with the General Contractor who will have the primary responsibility for larger capital improvements, the DoF supports the capital improvement of the NJSOC campus. This entails the intimate understanding of the improvement design and construction process on campus, overseeing of subcontractors on campus, and the allocation of Facilities Department personnel towards capital improvements when necessary.
Training and Emergency Planning: Making sure the Facilities Crew is generally safe in the NJSOC work environment and cognizant of OSHA guidelines, the DoF works with the Executive Assistant to coordinate OSHA and other online training sessions for the Crew members, and to keep a list of sessions successfully completed. Also, the DoF is central to the campus general emergency planning effort, as well as the emergency management effort relating specifically to the dam/spillway. Working with the Executive Assistant, the DoF coordinates emergency plan training for Crew members and the NJSOC Staff overall.
Vendor/Contractor Interface: The DoF is the NJSOC contact for various contractors and vendors and is responsible for nurturing and maintaining these relationships.
Basic Communications with Staff: Active and substantial communication amongst staff is crucial for foreseeing and mitigating Facilities and larger issues that periodically arise. In addition to reaching out generally and being a part of campus conversations about improving operations, the DoF is required to prepare for and attend weekly program briefings, and prepare weekly reports for submission to the Executive Director, Director of Education, and Executive Assistant.
Fundraising/Publicity: Part of the job of DoF is promoting NJSOC. This means participating in drafting and otherwise facilitating NJSOC publicity (e.g., monthly newsletters, periodic “update” speeches at donor and other events).
Required Skills:
You must have experience managing a campus, including buildings, grounds, and infrastructure, as well as (either inhouse or contracted) janitorial services specifically. Experience looking for issues/problems and troubleshooting is important. In addition to being clean and functional, the campus must be tidy and pleasant. Also important is the desire to want to see and create truly clean and aesthetically pleasing spaces. This is a campus renowned for its functional beauty, including its built campus; the DoF should take pride in helping the campus become even more inspiring.
You must be comfortable and have experience managing a small crew, including periodic temporary/volunteer workers. This includes not only managing daily work assignments, scheduling and worker safety, but also addressing any personnel matters that arise.
Because all employees at NJSOC are outward facing, strong interpersonal skills are important. Interacting with clients, supporters, staff and others around campus is a daily part of the job.
This is a position for an organized person with strong executive skills; there are many lists, spreadsheets, calendars, and other documents involved. You should be computer and tech savvy and comfortable building and implementing schedules and management plans. You will have to keep up with daily accounting and record keeping. You may be asked to review and comment on long and complicated documents. There are weekly and annual reports to draft. You will be required to have basic computer skills, including knowledge of Microsoft office and Google.
You must be comfortable directing and being involved in all aspects of the job. This is both a hands on and administrative job. Be ready to pitch in on any aspect of the work that needs to be done and other duties as required by the executive director; this is a position where you will get dirty.
Especially because there is a capital improvement aspect to the position (even if it is initially in a support capacity), you should be familiar and comfortable with managing capital improvements, including scheduling, subcontractor oversight, materials management, and dealing with code inspections. You will learn about project permitting in the context of NJSOC and NJSOC’s lease with the State.
You must be comfortable learning on the job. You always need to be planning for the next project, the next season, and the next emergency. You should be mentally and physically ready for the frustrations, surprises, curveballs, and other emergencies that occur on campus with some regularity.
You should be comfortable working closely with other staff members on sometimes-delicate matters. There is great appreciation here for meeting deadlines.
You will be involved in budget development; this is not a position for somebody scared of numbers. You also will need to be reasonably cheerful in the context of meeting and greeting board members, elected officials and potential clients, including in the fundraising context.
You will work closely with the Education team, prioritizing projects, daily schedules, and unexpected needs based on program and client needs.
Compensation/Salary Range: $85,000 to $107,000. NJSOC offers a full range of employee benefits including health insurance, retirement plan with employer matching and paid time off.
Background Check: All positions at the NJSOC are subject to a criminal background check; finger printing will be required for security purposes.
To Apply: Send resume and cover letter to Bern Weintraub, Director of Facilities: bweintraub@njsoc.org No phone calls please. Deadline to apply is September 15, 2026.
The FONJSOC values a diverse workplace. People of color and those from economically disadvantaged communities are particularly encouraged to apply. FONJSOC is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring on the basis of race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.
This job opening listing is not an offer of employment.