Manager, Operations

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The Operations Manager, Infrastructure Services – Burbank Studio Lot, is responsible for the day-to-day operation, maintenance, and reliability of infrastructure systems supporting one of The Walt Disney Company’s most complex studio campus environments. This role leads a large multi-trade operation responsible for maintaining critical building systems, utilities, grounds, hardscapes, and trade services that support active studio production, corporate operations, executive offices, and business partners. 

This position serves as a key operational leader within Corporate Real Estate Operations’ Infrastructure Services team and is responsible for leading union and non-union personnel, executing maintenance and repair programs, managing operating budgets, supporting recurring capital planning, and delivering a high level of client service in a safe, reliable, and cost-effective manner. 

The Operations Manager partners closely with Engineering Services, Capital Planning, Design & Delivery, Safety, Security, Production Services, Client Services, Labor Relations, Human Resources, FP&A, Finance, Sourcing, and external service providers to ensure infrastructure operations are aligned with business needs, asset lifecycle priorities, financial targets, and long-term campus strategies. 

What You Will Do 

Infrastructure Operations & Maintenance Leadership 

• Lead day-to-day infrastructure operations for the Burbank Studio Lot, including maintenance, repair, and operation of building systems, central utility infrastructure, grounds, hardscapes, and campus trade services. 

• Manage multi-trade operations across Electrical, HVAC, Plumbing, Landscaping, Utility Workers, Paint, Mill/Carpentry, and support staff. 

• Maintain operational reliability of critical infrastructure systems, including electrical distribution, emergency power, HVAC, plumbing, building automation/controls, site utilities, stormwater systems, life safety systems, and other campus support infrastructure. 

• Drive preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance programs using CMMS data, asset condition assessments, work order trends, field inspections, and operational metrics. 

• Coordinate emergency response activities related to infrastructure failures, utility outages, weather events, life-safety conditions, production impacts, and other operational disruptions. 

• Conduct routine field assessments and site walks to identify asset deficiencies, deferred maintenance, operational risks, customer service needs, and capital renewal opportunities. 

• Balance daily reactive work, preventive maintenance, production support, client service requests, and project-related work while maintaining service levels and infrastructure reliability. 

• Maintain documentation related to infrastructure assets, drawings, as-builts, single-line diagrams, maintenance records, work order history, and operating procedures. 

Union Workforce & Labor Leadership 

• Lead a large multi-trade workforce that includes directly represented union employees, foremen, gang bosses, supervisors, support personnel, contractors, and third-party service providers. 

• Provide day-to-day leadership and direction to trade leadership teams across HVAC, Electrical, Plumbing, Utility, Landscaping, Paint, and Mill/Carpentry functions. 

• Partner with Labor Relations, Human Resources, and union leadership to support contract administration, workforce planning, employee relations, grievance resolution, and a productive labor-management environment. 

• Ensure work is assigned and executed in alignment with applicable collective bargaining agreements, company policies, jurisdictional requirements, safety standards, and operational priorities. 

• Manage labor utilization, staffing plans, overtime requirements, contracted services, workload balancing, and resource allocation across multiple trades. 

• Develop foremen, gang bosses, and emerging leaders through coaching, mentoring, performance management, succession planning, and training. 

• Promote a culture of safety, accountability, professionalism, teamwork, customer service, and continuous improvement. 

Financial & Strategic Management 

• Own development and management of campus operating budgets, ensuring alignment with service levels, labor strategies, maintenance requirements, asset reliability needs, and operational performance targets. 

• Partner closely with FP&A teams to prepare Annual Operating Plan expense budgets, monthly forecasts, quarterly forecasts/reforecasts, variance explanations, and financial updates. 

• Manage labor forecasting, overtime planning, material spending, service contracts, repair costs, and other operating expenditures while identifying opportunities for cost control and service improvement. 

• Partner with the Capital Planning team to develop recurring annual capital plans, incorporating asset condition, lifecycle replacement needs, maintenance trends, operational risks, client impacts, and long-range campus requirements. 

• Support development of 1–5 year capital maintenance plans by identifying infrastructure deficiencies, end-of-life assets, deferred maintenance exposure, reliability risks, and business continuity needs. 

• Use CMMS data, maintenance history, failure trends, field assessments, asset condition information, and operational feedback to prioritize capital investments and justify funding requests. 

• Partner with Engineering Services, Capital Planning, Design & Delivery, FP&A, Finance, and Sourcing to develop scopes of work, cost estimates, project justifications, lifecycle analyses, and investment recommendations. 

• Support capital project intake, prioritization, forecasting, and closeout activities to ensure completed work aligns with operational needs and asset records are updated. 

• Establish and manage operational KPIs focused on reliability, maintenance effectiveness, labor productivity, work order performance, customer service, backlog, asset availability, safety, and cost performance. 

• Partner with Sourcing and Procurement to develop scopes of work, support bid evaluations, manage vendor performance, and negotiate maintenance/service contracts that achieve operational and financial objectives. 

Capital Projects & Engineering Coordination 

• Partner with Engineering Services and Design & Delivery teams during planning, design, construction, commissioning, turnover, and post-project operational support. 

• Review proposed infrastructure designs for constructability, maintainability, operational requirements, code compliance, safety, access, shutdown requirements, lifecycle cost, and long-term serviceability. 

• Provide operational input into capital projects, tenant improvements, infrastructure upgrades, production support projects, and campus modernization efforts. 

• Coordinate with operating teams to plan outages, temporary services, access requirements, labor support, safety controls, and stakeholder communications. 

• Support commissioning, punch list resolution, asset turnover, documentation updates, and transition of completed projects into maintenance programs. 

• Identify opportunities to improve reliability, resiliency, energy efficiency, maintainability, and operational performance through capital projects and repair programs. 

Studio Operations & Client Partnership 

• Support active studio production, corporate operations, executive spaces, events, and business partners by ensuring infrastructure services are responsive, reliable, and coordinated. 

• Partner with Production Services, Studio Operations, Security, Client Services, Safety, Engineering, and business stakeholders to coordinate maintenance activities, utility outages, repairs, special events, and operational support. 

• Balance client service needs with infrastructure reliability, safety requirements, trade availability, labor agreements, and financial discipline. 

• Communicate clearly with technical and non-technical stakeholders regarding infrastructure work, outages, repair plans, risks, timelines, and business impacts. 

• Provide practical solutions to complex operational issues while minimizing disruption to production operations, employees, guests, executives, and business partners. 

• Maintain high standards of customer service, workplace readiness, safety, and campus appearance. 

Safety, Compliance & Risk Management 

• Champion a strong safety culture across all trades, vendors, contractors, and operational teams. 

• Ensure compliance with company safety programs, OSHA requirements, applicable building codes, fire/life safety requirements, environmental standards, and other regulatory obligations. 

• Partner with Safety, Security, Fire/Life Safety, Engineering, Risk Management, and AHJs as needed to resolve issues and maintain compliance. 

• Ensure teams follow appropriate job hazard analysis, lockout/tagout, hot work, confined space, fall protection, electrical safety, and other required safety protocols. 

• Identify operational and infrastructure risks and develop mitigation plans to reduce exposure to business interruption, safety incidents, asset failures, and service disruption. 

Basic Qualifications 

Technical 

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Facilities Management, Construction Management, Business, or a related field; equivalent work experience may be considered where appropriate. 

• 7+ years of experience in facilities operations, infrastructure services, engineering operations, building operations, or a related field. 

• Strong working knowledge of building infrastructure systems, including HVAC, electrical distribution, plumbing, building automation/controls, emergency power, utility infrastructure, central plant systems, grounds/hardscape, and life safety systems. 

• Experience operating facilities within a large campus, studio, entertainment, production, healthcare, manufacturing, higher education, municipal, or similarly complex operating environment. 

• Experience using CMMS/EAM systems to manage work orders, asset data, maintenance programs, labor productivity, backlog, and operational performance. 

• Ability to assess operational risks, asset condition, maintenance trends, and infrastructure reliability issues and develop practical solutions. 

• Working knowledge of applicable codes and standards, including OSHA, NFPA, building codes, environmental compliance requirements, and general workplace safety requirements. 

Leadership 

• Demonstrated experience leading directly represented union trades in a multi-trade operating environment. 

• Experience managing foremen, gang bosses, supervisors, skilled trades, support staff, contractors, and third-party service providers. 

• Strong understanding of labor relations practices, workforce planning, overtime management, staffing models, and collective bargaining environments. 

• Proven ability to lead teams in a fast-paced operational environment with competing priorities, critical issues, and high client expectations. 

• Demonstrated ability to coach, mentor, develop, and hold teams accountable while maintaining a respectful and collaborative work environment. 

• Strong communication skills with the ability to translate technical issues into clear business impacts for non-technical stakeholders. 

• Ability to collaborate with internal business partners, senior leaders, vendors, union leadership, and cross-functional support teams. 

Financial 

• Experience managing multi-million-dollar operating budgets, labor budgets, maintenance contracts, material expenditures, and service agreements. 

• Experience partnering with FP&A and Finance teams on AOP expense budgets, monthly forecasts, quarterly forecasts, variance analysis, and financial reporting. 

• Experience supporting recurring capital planning, lifecycle replacement programs, infrastructure renewal, and capital investment prioritization. 

• Strong analytical skills related to labor utilization, maintenance performance, work order trends, asset lifecycle planning, cost control, and service-level performance. 

• Experience developing scopes of work, cost estimates, business cases, funding requests, and vendor bid evaluations. 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Experience supporting studio, entertainment, media, production, or active campus environments. 

• Direct experience working with unionized trade teams and collective bargaining agreements. 

• Professional certifications such as CFM, FMP, PMP, LEED AP, RPA/FMA, SMA, or trade-related certifications. 

• Advanced degree in Engineering, Business Administration, Facilities Management, Construction Management, or related discipline. 

• Experience supporting central plant operations, critical infrastructure, utility distribution, emergency response, and business continuity planning. 

• Experience developing recurring capital plans, preventive maintenance strategies, reliability-centered maintenance programs, or enterprise asset management improvements. 

• Experience partnering with Capital Planning, FP&A, Sourcing, Labor Relations, Engineering, Design & Delivery, and Safety teams in a matrixed organization.

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