Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Maintenance & Building Supervisor

🎯 Role Definition

The Maintenance & Building Supervisor is responsible for ensuring the safe, efficient, and cost-effective operation of commercial or residential properties by supervising maintenance staff, managing preventive and reactive maintenance programs, coordinating contractors and vendors, enforcing building and safety codes, and delivering an exceptional tenant/customer experience. This role requires strong technical competence across HVAC, plumbing, electrical and building systems, proven leadership and vendor management skills, and the ability to prioritize tasks under operational and budget constraints.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Maintenance Technician / Building Engineer
HVAC / Electrical / Plumbing Journeyperson
Facilities Coordinator or Property Maintenance Worker

Advancement To:

Facilities Manager
Building Operations Manager
Director of Facilities or Property Operations

Lateral Moves:

Property Manager (Commercial or Multi-family)
Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) Coordinator/Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Oversee and coordinate day-to-day maintenance and operations for multiple building systems (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, life-safety, and building automation systems), ensuring rapid diagnosis and resolution to minimize tenant downtime and safety risks.
Develop, implement and manage a comprehensive preventive maintenance program using CMMS/work order systems to schedule inspections, predict failures, and extend the useful life of building assets while reducing emergency repairs and total cost of ownership.
Supervise, mentor and schedule a multidisciplinary maintenance team, including technicians, custodial staff, and contractors; conduct performance reviews, training, and ensure crews are certified and compliant with company and regulatory standards.
Manage and prioritize incoming work orders, emergency calls and service requests, ensuring timely communication with tenants and stakeholders and maintaining accurate status updates within the work order management system.
Prepare, manage and monitor operating maintenance budgets, track expenditures, approve purchases and emergency repairs, and recommend capital improvement projects and ROI-based replacements.
Oversee vendor selection, contracting and performance management for third-party service providers (mechanical, electrical, elevator, roofing, landscaping, janitorial), including negotiating service agreements, SLAs and ensuring on-contract delivery.
Conduct regular building inspections and safety audits to identify hazards, defects or non-compliant conditions; write corrective action plans and follow through to ensure code, fire, OSHA and local regulatory compliance.
Lead and coordinate emergency response and business continuity activities—such as storm damage control, utility outages, flooding, and HVAC failures—by mobilizing teams, coordinating vendors and communicating status to leadership and occupants.
Develop and maintain asset inventories, equipment service histories, warranties and manuals, ensuring all documentation is current and accessible for audits and capital planning.
Plan and supervise renovation, retrofit and capital improvement projects from scoping through closeout, including scheduling contractors, permitting, quality assurance and budget controls.
Implement energy management initiatives and sustainability measures (LED retrofits, HVAC optimization, building automation tuning) to reduce utility costs and support company ESG targets.
Maintain and operate building control systems (BAS/BMS), sensors and controls; troubleshoot sensor calibration, setpoints and schedules to optimize comfort, efficiency and uptime.
Manage compliance and remediation efforts related to environmental hazards (asbestos, lead, mold) by coordinating inspections, abatement contractors, and ensuring occupant safety protocols.
Oversee groundskeeping, snow removal, parking lot maintenance and exterior building envelope upkeep to preserve curb appeal, safety and property value.
Enforce security protocols and coordinate security systems, access control, surveillance and key management; investigate and document incidents and ensure corrective measures are in place.
Prepare and present regular facilities performance reports, KPIs (work order backlog, response times, uptime, energy usage), and budget variance summaries to property management and senior leadership.
Maintain inventory of spare parts, tools and supplies; establish reorder points, vendor lead times and procurement processes to minimize downtime and stockouts.
Coordinate tenant move-ins, move-outs, turn-over maintenance and unit inspections to ensure timely readiness and adherence to standards.
Train staff and tenants on safety procedures, lockout/tagout, confined space, ladder safety and other relevant programs to reduce incidents and foster a safety-first culture.
Ensure all building documentation, permits and inspections (fire alarms, elevators, boilers) are current, documented and available for regulatory inspections and audits.
Conduct root-cause analysis for recurring failures and implement corrective action plans, including design changes, vendor replacement or additional preventive measures.
Maintain accurate logs for maintenance activities, capital projects and vendor contracts, supporting warranty claims and long-term asset planning.

Secondary Functions

Support property management with lease-related technical questions and tenant coordination for repairs and alterations.
Assist with procurement and sourcing of specialty contractors, equipment and long-lead materials for capital projects.
Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives by documenting SOPs, maintenance checklists, and handover packages.
Participate in weekly operations meetings, prepare maintenance forecasts, and support annual budgeting and capital planning processes.
Foster cross-functional collaboration with security, janitorial, and landscaping teams to align on service windows and customer-impacting activities.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Building systems diagnostics and troubleshooting (HVAC, boilers, chillers, pumps, generators).
Electrical systems knowledge up to 480V, including motor controls, distribution and basic PLC/BMS integration.
Plumbing and drainage systems maintenance, including pumps, backflow prevention, and water treatment basics.
Hands-on experience with Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) such as FMX, UpKeep, Fiix or eMaint for work order and preventive maintenance scheduling.
Knowledge of building codes, fire codes, OSHA regulations and local municipality inspection requirements.
Experience with building automation systems (BAS/BMS), energy management systems and sensor calibration.
Project management: scope development, vendor coordination, permitting, and closeout for renovations and capital projects.
Vendor contract negotiation and service level agreement (SLA) management.
Budgeting and financial acumen for O&M spend, capex planning and life-cycle cost analysis.
Proficiency with maintenance-related software and mobile applications, plus basic Excel skills for reporting and KPI tracking.
Preventive maintenance and predictive maintenance techniques, including vibration, thermal imaging and condition-based monitoring.
Knowledge of safety programs (lockout/tagout, confined space, PPE usage) and the ability to enforce and train staff.

Soft Skills

Strong leadership and people management skills with experience supervising multi-disciplinary teams.
Excellent verbal and written communication to interact with tenants, vendors, contractors and senior leadership.
Prioritization and time-management skills to balance reactive emergencies and planned maintenance.
Problem-solving and analytical mindset, able to perform root-cause analysis and implement durable fixes.
Customer-service orientation with strong stakeholder empathy and conflict resolution skills.
Adaptability and composure under pressure during emergencies or high-demand periods.
Attention to detail and documentation discipline for compliance and audit readiness.
Negotiation and influence skills to secure vendor performance and manage cross-functional expectations.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or equivalent (GED) with relevant trade experience or technical diploma.

Preferred Education:

Associate's or Bachelor’s degree in Facilities Management, Mechanical/Electrical Engineering Technology, Building Systems, Construction Management, or a related discipline.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Facilities Management / Building Operations
Mechanical or Electrical Engineering Technology
HVAC/R Technology
Construction Management
Property Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3–7 years of hands-on maintenance experience with at least 1–3 years in a supervisory or lead role.

Preferred:

5+ years of progressive facility maintenance experience in commercial office, multi-family, healthcare or industrial environments, including supervision of staff and contractors.
Preferred certifications: OSHA 30, CFM (Certified Facility Manager), CPM (Certified Property Manager), HVAC certification, EPA 608, electrical or plumbing license where applicable.
Demonstrated experience with CMMS, BAS/BMS platforms and capital project management.