Director of Facilities & Security
Dearborn, MI - USA
Job Summary
THIS JOB POSTING WILL CLOSE ON SEPTEMBER 17 2026 AT 11:00 PM EST.
The Director of Facilities & Security is a key leadership position at Fair Lane Estate with overall responsibility for the estates facilities including the maintenance and security of the buildings and grounds. This role will have significant autonomy in overseeing and administering the estates maintenance custodial and security staff. They will oversee operations that include building maintenance custodial infrastructure systems Information Technology and capital improvement plans.
Fair Lane Estate the Home of Clara & Henry Ford is currently comprised of approximately 53000 sqft of building space including a main residence powerhouse/garage welcome center and potting shed/greenhouses. Most of these structures are historic and have a variety of uniquely installed mechanical systems including boilers chillers fan coil units and a closed loop water infrastructure for both heating and collaboration with two direct reports (Facilities & Custodial Technician and Manager of Security to-be-hired) and several contracted partners this role will serve as the subject matter expert for all building systems: mechanical/HVAC electrical plumbing security and IT.
DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Reports to the President but collaborates and interacts inter-departmentally at all levels daily.
- Communicates and presents to leadership and the Board of Trustees as needed.
- Works with the Senior Director of Finance and Administration to develop monitor and manage budgets for Maintenance Facilities Security and IT.
- Works closely with the Senior Director of Gardens and Grounds the Senior Director of Historic Resources & Education and the Marketing and Advancement Team to ensure operational alignment with preservation standards public programming and revenue generation.
- Continuously evaluates facilities system effectiveness by identifying opportunities for operational efficiencies cost savings and risk mitigation develops recommendations and leads implementation.
- Identifies and implements operational efficiencies cost-control measures and long-term infrastructure strategies.
- Provides full oversight of building systems including HVAC electrical plumbing fire suppression security and life-safety systems.
- Serves as a primary on-call responder for operational emergencies including after-hours incidents.
- Oversees Emergency Preparedness Planning and on-site safety/security.
- Manage and oversee the ordering of all custodial supplies for the facility.
- Manage and oversee day-to-day IT management and strategy in partnership with the Senior Director of Finance and Administration.
- Manages vendor relationships contract negotiation and service oversight across multiple trades and service providers.
- Ensures compliance with all applicable OSHA regulations and workplace safety standards.
Recruits supervises leads and develops two direct reports and several indirect reports:
- Manager of Security (Title TBD) who has the responsibility for
- -Leads a team of security specialists who monitor access points for the estate including all buildings gates and public access points while enforcing guest policies.
- -Ensure guest & staff security across entire estate.
- -Maintain security and life safety systems: building access (keys and digital controls) burglar alarms and fire monitoring.
- -Create and maintain structured onboarding and ongoing training programs focused on security protocols.
- -Leads security initiatives for all events & programs.
- Facilities & Custodial Technician who has the responsibility for
- -General maintenance and custodial tasks inside the home and to a lesser degree outdoors around the gardens and grounds.
- -General mechanical (HVAC) electrical and plumbing maintenance repair and contractor coordination.
- -Manages cyclical maintenance and inspections.
- Backup on all direct report responsibilities.
Additional applicable responsibilities as assigned by the department director or the President & CEO to support the work of the organization.
COMPENSATION:
This is a full-time (40 hours per week) exempt (ineligible for overtime pay) year-round salaried permanent position with benefits. The annual salary will be $85000 per year and is non-negotiable.
- 100% employer-paid BCBSM medical (Simply Blue PPO Gold $2000 deductible) and vision insurance and Delta dental insurance for the employee with 50% employer-paid insurance for dependents and employee-paid plan buy-up opportunities.
- 100% employer-paid life short-term disability long-term disability accident and critical illness insurance including an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that provides numerous mental health finance and legal benefits.
- 21 days (168 hours) of Paid Time Off (PTO) earned annually; PTO is accrued biweekly at a rate of 6.46 hours.
- 14 paid holidays which includes a year-end holiday break between Christmas Eve and New Years Day.
- 1 day (8 hours) of paid Volunteer Time Off (VTO).
- Paid parental leave with no minimum service requirement.
- Paid bereavement leave.
- Paid meal (30-minute) and rest (2 x 15-minute) breaks.
- 403(b) plan with a 3% employer contribution and 3% employer match.
- Ford x-plan discount.
- Professional development budget and opportunities.
- On-site and free bean-to-cup coffee machine.
- Donuts bagels and other snacks during weekly All-Staff Meetings.
- In-House Perks including a free photo permit (up to $400 value) Tribute Garden discounts ($75 value) and Patron-Level membership without Patron gifts ($300 value).
WORKING LOCATION & SCHEDULE:
- This role will primarily be in-person but is eligible for limited remote work which may include occasional remote flexibility of 4-8 hours per week.
- This role will be required to attend on-site events tours and meetings as scheduled. This role will have flexible hours to compensate for the attendance of events tours and meetings. Some evening and weekend work will be required.
- Expected schedule M-F with mutually agreeable start times.
KNOWLEDGE SKILLS & ABILITIES:
- Passion for the mission and work of Fair Lane Estate Home of Clara & Henry Ford. An understanding of the cultural sector and an appreciation of the importance and relevance of the lives and the many contributions of Clara and Henry Ford.
- At least 7 years of professional facilities management experience.
- At least 5 years of progressive leadership experience with proven practice in managing a team and achieving results.
- Hands-on experience with mechanical electrical plumbing and like facilities systems.
- Proven ability to successfully organize and manage multiple workstreams.
- Strong project management and strategic planning skills with a desire to support via boots on the ground implementation and a collaborative mindset.
- Outstanding interpersonal skills with the ability to ensure professional verbal and written communication with staff clients guests and vendors.
- Self-starter with a desire and commitment to succeed and grow with the organization.
- Collaborative and inclusive team player nature. The desire to be part of and contribute to Fair Lane Estates collaborative culture is a must.
- Demonstrated ability to exercise good judgment with confidentiality and integrity.
- Ability to function effectively set and evaluate goals resolve problems and make decisions.
- Ability to work well under pressure meet objectives and be flexible in a changing and growing organization.
- Experience working in a historic house or estate is preferred.
- Ability to leverage and work with common applications such as Outlook Word and Excel.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
- N/A
BACKGROUND & REFERENCE CHECKS:
- All offers of employment at Fair Lane Estate are contingent upon clear results of a thorough background check. Background checks will be conducted on all final candidates. Background checks include Prior Employment Verification Personal and Professional Reference Checks Educational Verifications and Criminal Conviction Reviews.
- A criminal conviction will not result in an instant withdrawal of an employment offer. Fair Lane Estate considers the nature of crimes and their relationship to positions the time since conviction and the number of convictions when deciding if a candidate has clear results.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY:
Fair Lane Estate is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color religion age sex national origin disability status genetics protected veteran status sexual orientation gender identity or expression or any other characteristic protected by federal state or local laws.
Required Experience:
Director
About Company
Explore the historic home of Clara and Henry Ford. Learn about Fair Lane’s restoration, visit our gardens, and discover upcoming events and programs.