Director of Facilities

Director of Facilities

Position Overview

Dunn School’s Director of Facilities leads a comprehensive program that maintains and enhances our 56-acre campus — middle and upper school buildings, athletic facilities, over 20 campus residences, four dormitories, our on-site wastewater treatment system, and a campus-wide trail system. With a 67-year-old campus and a wide range of building types and systems, the Director of Facilities must skillfully balance many competing priorities — weighing near-term needs against long-term investment and allocating limited resources accordingly. Dunn has made notable progress on capital projects in recent years, including our Leadership Center, Fitness Center, and Innovation space, and sustaining that momentum will be a rewarding part of the job.

This is a dynamic, demanding, high-visibility role. Roughly 60% of the position is strategic and administrative — planning, budgeting, systems-building, staff development, and communication. The remaining 40% is hands-on response to emergent issues. The position is year-round, with additional demands during summer camps and outside rentals, major projects during school breaks, and weekend coverage for key events (opening day, graduation, alumni weekend).

The most successful person in this role will build repeatable processes for work intake, project sizing/scoping, prioritization, tracking and communication — so that the team's time is spent on the right work, in the right order, and the campus community always knows what to expect and why. We are looking for someone entrepreneurial: someone who builds effective systems and processes, and is equally comfortable rolling up their sleeves and finding practical, creative solutions alongside the team.

While the Director of Facilities reports to the CFO/COO, the position also works in close partnership with the Associate Head of School (AHOS), who holds the closest day-to-day view of residential life, academic life, athletics, and extracurricular program needs. The Director of Facilities is expected to give real weight to the AHOS's articulation of program priorities when scheduling and sequencing work, and to treat that collaboration as a core, ongoing part of the job.

About Dunn School

Dunn is a community centered on educating the whole student. For us, whole student education is not just a meaningless phrase — it captures all of what we try to do at Dunn in and out of the classroom. Our curriculum, co-curricular programs, advisory, evaluative systems, and pedagogical approach are measured by our values, and this is how we know whole student education is more than just a phrase.

Dunn School was founded in 1957 by a dynamic educator who embodied the spirit of our motto, "Ne Tentes Aut Perfice" — essentially "attempt not, but achieve" — reflecting an entrepreneurial spirit that urges Dunn community members, adults and students alike, to accomplish what they set out to do. Following the traditions of our founder, Tony Dunn, our professional community members have helped build a vibrant community of kind learners who take pride in building lasting relationships with each other. 

The Dunn community adheres to the following Core Values:

1. Student-Centered Experiential Learning - We design every experience around the growth and well-being of our students.

2. Empathy & Respect - We actively listen and seek to understand others’ perspectives, experiences and needs. Respect means valuing others’ time, expertise and boundaries while fostering a culture of dignity in every interaction.

3. Community, Belonging and Purpose - Built on Trust - Our community thrives when individuals feel a deep sense of belonging, know they matter and can act with purpose. Trust is the foundation - earned through consistency, integrity and follow-through.

4. Institutional Excellence & Accountability - We commit to high standards in every facet of our work. Accountability means owning our responsibilities, learning from mistakes and striving for continuous improvement - individually and collectively. 

All of this unfolds against the beautiful Santa Barbara County backdrop of Los Olivos, California, nestled in the Santa Ynez Valley and within a stone's throw of the Pacific Ocean.

Opportunities and Responsibilities 

Strategic Planning & Capital Projects

• Serve as the primary staff liaison to the Board's Ad Hoc Buildings and Grounds Committee, preparing materials, reporting progress, and helping to translate committee priorities with CFO/COO and/or Head of School into an executable operating plan.

• Partner closely with the AHOS to understand and incorporate residential life, academic, athletic, and extracurricular program needs into facilities planning and sequencing — treating the AHOS as the primary voice on program-driven priorities.

• Develop and maintain a long-term campus capital replacement, renewal, and special maintenance plan — a rolling, prioritized forecast of major systems and building needs (roofs, HVAC, wastewater infrastructure, paving, etc.) that informs annual capital budgeting.

• Partner with the Head of School, CFO/COO, and the Buildings and Grounds Committee to plan and execute capital projects consistent with the capital budget, Conditional Use Permit, and Campus Master Plan.

• Solicit and analyze contractor and subcontractor proposals for capital projects, in coordination with the CFO/COO; manage timely, quality, on-budget execution.

• In coordination with the CFO/COO, develop the Facilities annual operating budget, execute it once approved, and meet regularly to review budget performance and variances.

Systems, Processes & Daily Workflow Management

• Maintain the internet-based system for work order intake, prioritization, assignment, and close-out — so that requests from the community are tracked, response times are visible, and technicians' daily schedules are managed effectively.

• Coordinate facilities and equipment set-up for campus activities and events (special events, guest speakers, pep rallies, athletic events).

• Develop working knowledge of building and life-safety systems that intersect directly with the academic and residential schedule, including the bell system, campus-wide alarm system, and dorm fire alarm systems, and participate in the crisis response protocols on campus

• Prepare and execute a detailed, whole-campus preventative maintenance plan, with defined inspection schedules for all buildings, grounds, and life-safety systems.

• Respond to emergent maintenance issues while protecting the team's ability to make planned progress on scheduled work

• Regularly evaluate whether team workload, staffing structure, and processes are keeping pace with demand, and recommend adjustments to the CFO/COO.

• Develop and execute a detailed readiness plan for recurring high-volume dates (student move-in, opening day, graduation), covering dorm turnover, waste and dumpster capacity, and event logistics, informed by prior-year planning notes.

• Maintain current drawings, engineering records, and materials/chemical data sheets for the School's facilities, equipment, and grounds.

Team Leadership & Development

• Supervise maintenance, grounds, and custodial staff: scheduling, coaching, accountability, and professional growth.

• Manage and coordinate outside contractors and vendors for construction, maintenance, grounds, and cleaning services.

• Lead or coordinate staff training to improve work quality and ensure compliance with safety and regulatory requirements.

• Foster a team culture that takes pride in service to students and the program, and that communicates proactively when priorities shift.

Communication & Community Relations

• Communicate proactively and consistently with campus constituencies — faculty, staff, residents, coaches, and administrators — about work order status, project timelines, and the rationale behind prioritization decisions.

• Maintain a standing, working relationship with the AHOS as the primary channel for surfacing and resolving competing program-space needs.

• Set and reinforce clear expectations campus-wide about how facilities requests are prioritized, so that decisions are transparent.

• Work cooperatively with outside agencies — fire, the regional water board, police, and health departments — to maintain required standards of health, sanitation, and safety.

• Represent facilities operations professionally in Board, committee, and all-school communications.

• Serve as an approachable, visible presence for students, staff, and residential community members on day-to-day facilities matters, and position team members to be integrated members of the school community

• Have an integration mindset and approach for facilities improvement and upkeep, understanding the interconnected and at times competing priorities and needs of various stakeholders in a residential school community; be willing to articulate when certain needs must be prioritized over others.

Safety, Compliance & Sustainability

• Work with Dunn's Risk Management team on emergency preparedness and response protocols.

• Inspect school facilities on a regular schedule to confirm they meet health and safety standards and remain attractive and well-maintained.

• Ensure proper School and State reporting of all accidents and injuries.

• Institute purchasing and resource-use procedures that favor the healthiest, most sustainable available alternatives.

• Stay current on developments in facilities, maintenance, and custodial best practices through reading, networking, and professional organizations.

Position Requirements

• Minimum of 5 years in a similar or comparable facilities leadership role.

• Demonstrated ability to plan, build and run systems and processes, not just respond to problems as they arise.

• An entrepreneurial, hands-on approach: genuinely willing to do the physical work alongside the team and find practical, resourceful solutions.

• Strong creative problem-solving and diagnostic skills for repair and maintenance needs.

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to set expectations clearly and hold them under pressure

• Professional resilience: the ability to receive criticism and pushback without taking it personally, and to maintain consistent, calm communication even during high-demand periods.

• Respect for confidentiality and the highest ethical standards.

• Alignment with and willingness to model Dunn School's mission and core professional values

• A positive, team-oriented attitude and strong work ethic.

Other Requirements

Successful completion of:

• Criminal background and driving record check

• Employment reference checks with current employer

• Social media review

• Satisfactory proof of identity and legal authorization to work in the U.S.

Salary and Benefits

This is a full-time, year-round, exempt (salaried) position, eligible for Dunn School's full benefits package including: medical, dental, vision, retirement match up to 7.5%, life/AD&D, long-term disability, tuition remission for admitted and eligible children, and free meals in our dining hall. Dunn pays 100% of employee premiums for medical, dental, life/AD&D, and LTD disability benefits.

The annual salary range for this position is $85,000 to $102,500. Actual salary will be dependent upon experience, qualifications, and duties.

How to Apply

Apply using the link below:

Dunn School Employment Opportunities

Candidates should provide a resume, a cover letter describing their interest in working at Dunn School and their qualifications for the position, and a list of 3-5 employment references. Candidates should also submit a list of all previous school or educational institution employers, including city and state, in accordance with CA SB 848 (see attached Permission to Release Past Employment document).

Dunn is an Equal Opportunity Employer and seeks a diverse and broad spectrum of qualified candidates.