Responsibilities of the Position
Reporting to the vice president for finance and administration, the associate vice president of facilities (AVP) will lead a comprehensive facilities organization responsible for campus operations, maintenance, capital project management, sustainability initiatives, and infrastructure planning. The AVP provides strategic leadership and oversight for the planning, maintenance, and operation of the university’s physical infrastructure in support of the institution’s mission, operational priorities, and long-term campus planning goals.
This position has direct supervision of six facilities staff and indirect responsibility for 100+ employees across multiple units. The AVP manages complex budgets, projects, and operational systems to ensure the university’s facilities are safe, efficient, and well maintained in support of the campus community.
Key responsibilities as outlined in the job description include:
- Provide leadership and direction for the Facilities Services department to ensure campus facilities are maintained in a safe, efficient, and effective manner consistent with university goals.
- Develop and implement long-term operational strategies for facilities maintenance, infrastructure renewal, and capital improvements.
- Translate strategic and conceptual initiatives into actionable plans for campus facilities development and improvement.
- Monitor facilities operations to identify opportunities for efficiency, process improvement, and enhanced service delivery.
- Provide professional expertise and oversight related to the design, renovation, and construction of campus facilities.
- Collaborate with architects, engineers, contractors, and consultants to support campus construction and renovation projects.
- Develop project forecasts, including estimated costs, timelines, and operational impacts.
- Develop and manage the Facilities Services budget of approximately $17.5 million, ensuring alignment with institutional fiscal priorities.
- Oversee financial planning, capital investments, operational expenditures, and resource allocation for facilities operations.
- Ensure responsible stewardship of university resources through effective planning and cost management.
- Establish staffing plans, workforce development strategies, and performance management processes.
- Foster a culture of teamwork, accountability, and service excellence across the Facilities Services organization.
- Oversee campus infrastructure systems, including utilities, building systems, grounds, and maintenance programs.
- Develop and monitor energy management and conservation initiatives to promote operational efficiency and environmental stewardship.
- Support sustainability initiatives and responsible resource management across campus facilities.
- Develop and implement departmental policies, procedures, and operational standards consistent with university policies.
- Ensure compliance with applicable regulatory, safety, and environmental standards as well as applicable university policies.
- Foster a robust safety culture both within Facilities Services and across the campus by viewing safety as a value-added function and not just a regulatory burden.
- Serve as an advisor on facilities planning, infrastructure investments, and campus development initiatives.
- Prepare reports and analyses related to facilities operations, budgets, and strategic initiatives.
- Liaison to the Buildings & Grounds Subcommittee of the Board of Trustees and to the Furman Foundation.
- Work collaboratively with university senior leadership and administrators to support campus facility needs.
- Develop productive relationships with external partners, including architects, contractors, vendors, suppliers, consultants, and community officials.
- Engage the campus community to assess service needs and improve facilities operations.
- Participate in the university performance review process and support staff development.
- Exercises significant independent judgment and decision-making authority.
Qualifications and Characteristics of the Successful Candidate
Requirements include a bachelor’s degree in engineering (mechanical or civil preferred), architecture, construction science, or a related field, and a minimum of ten years of progressive leadership experience in facilities management, including leadership and budget oversight. Competitive candidates will possess demonstrated experience managing complex facilities operations and infrastructure systems; exhibit strong leadership, organizational, and strategic planning skills; have excellent written and verbal communication skills; and have a proven ability to work collaboratively across diverse organizational groups.
Preferred qualifications include a master’s degree, licensure and registration as a professional engineer, and relevant certifications, such as, but not limited to:
- Certified Educational Facilities Professional (CEFP) via APPA
- Certified Facility Manager (CFM) via IFMA
- Facility Management Professional (FMP) via IFMA
- Certified Energy Manager (CEM) via AEE
Experience in facilities leadership within a higher education environment is also preferred.
In addition to the qualifications stated above, key stakeholders identified the following characteristics and attributes of a successful candidate:
- A person who builds relationships across the campus, among all the people who report in the division, and with suppliers and contractors.
- Furman University is a relational work environment. This associate vice president must be a listen and learn leader and a strong communicator.
- The facilities division is widely collaborative with various stakeholders across campus—from overseeing the president’s house to student housing maintenance to large campus events—and it is anticipated that the division will continue to be a strong collaborator under new leadership.
- Furman is seeking a leader open to new ideas, someone who understands how to manage expectations in a way that is productive.
- Accessibility is a campus-wide mindset. Continuing to improve accessibility for students, faculty, and staff will be important.
History of the Position
The position will become vacant following the planned retirement of the current associate vice president, Jeff Redderson, in June of 2026, marking more than 29 years of dedicated service. Jeff will move into a temporary role overseeing the golf course and a few other projects and serve in an onboarding capacity to the incoming AVP.
Opportunities and Challenges of the Role
In transitioning to Furman University, the associate vice president of facilities will encounter the following opportunities, priorities, and challenges, as shared by key campus stakeholders:
- The Furman University campus has a significant scope of property types –from a science building to residence halls, an Asian garden, a lake, historic buildings, athletics stadiums, and multiuse properties.
- The associate vice president oversees a breadth of reporting units—including custodial, maintenance, construction, risk management, campus events, and a golf course.
- This facilities operation is highly regarded across campus and has long-term, stable leadership for the various units that report to the associate vice president.
- The new associate vice president will be tasked with developing a more proactive and strategic long term plan for building renovations.
- It is anticipated that there will be upcoming retirements of key long time employees across the division, so succession planning will be important.
- The successful candidate will need to seek greater efficiencies throughout the budgeting process to anticipate the rising costs of construction and renovations.
- There is an anticipated 50-acre land development project adjacent to campus focused on multiuse development to generate auxiliary revenue.
Measures of Success
The items listed below will define the associate vice president of facilities success throughout the first year of employment:
- Strong relationships have been formed among the Furman community, collaborative partnerships are growing, and the associate vice president has a visible presence on campus.
- The associate vice president will have a vision for facilities that will help propel Furman University into the future and continue to enhance the student experience.
- Campus stakeholders continue to experience close collaboration, response, and support from the division of facilities services.
- An elevated, more strategic planning process that recognizes that space usage and the needs of the end user change over time, requiring creative problem-solving.
- An understanding of the importance of the beauty of the campus and well maintained buildings with regard to student recruitment and enrollment.
Overview of Facilities Services
Facilities Services offers the following resources for its 68 major buildings that total more than 2.4 million square feet, across a 940-acre campus:
- Administration
- Automotive
- Building Automation
- Carpentry
- HVAC
- Information Systems
- Locksmith
- Plumbing
- Preventative Maintenance
- Warehouse & Stockroom
- Custodial
- Electrical
- Energy
- Event Setup
- Project Management (Construction and Interior Design)
- Grounds (Campus, Athletic, Irrigation, Wildlife)
- Shipping/Receiving
Facilities Services Organizational Chart
Furman Accreditation Review of Physical Resources
Current Focus for Facilities
- The Furman University campus is considered one of the most beautiful in the country and is a point of pride for the campus.
- All of student housing has been renovated in the last 10 years.
- The university is in possession of a public apartment complex that will, once opened, provide auxiliary revenue.
- Current projects include:
- Welcome Center renovation
- Expansion of the track facilities to accommodate an increase in students interested in track and field
- Longer term considerations:
- Card acess
- Building automation
- Technology upgrades
- Systems in use: Asset Essentials, Energy Manager, Procore, Greetly, and an older space management system
2025 Sustainability Campus Index
Furman Shi Institute Sustainable Communities 2024 Performance Insights
Division of Finance and Administration
“The mission of the finance and administration division is to provide support to the University in bringing a distinctive education experience to students. Under the leadership of its Vice President, Susan Maddux, the finance and administration division offers support campus-wide through several departments: budget and resource management, financial services, endowment and investments, facilities and campus services, information technology, campus police, auxiliary services, and human resources. In addition, many special projects in support of Furman’s mission are coordinated through finance and administration.”
Divisional Leadership
Susan Maddux
Susan A. Maddux joined Furman University as vice president for finance and administration in November 2018. She came to Furman from Presbyterian College, where she had served as vice president for finance and administration and chief financial officer since 2013.
As Furman’s chief financial and administrative officer, Maddux oversees all financial planning and execution, accounting operations, debt management, and the endowment, as well as the departments of budget and resource management, facilities and campus services, human resources, information technology services, and the police department.
Finance and Administration Organizational Chart
Institutional Overview
Founded in 1826, Furman University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts and sciences universities, offering rigorous academics, broad research opportunities, a robust visual and performing arts program, and NCAA Division I athletics. Furman University is the oldest private university in South Carolina and among the seventy-five oldest institutions of higher education in operation today. Furman University is named for Richard Furman, among the most important Baptist clergymen during the early decades of the new nation and an influential advocate of educational institutions throughout the country.
With over 75 areas of study across 27 academic departments, Furman offers comprehensive breadth within an intimate liberal arts environment. The 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio and average class size of 14 students ensure collaborative, transformative learning.
The Student Body
Total Enrollment: 2,402
Undergraduate: 2,224
Graduate: 178
Male: 40%
Female: 60%
African American/Black: 7.4%
Asian: 3.2%
Hispanic/Latino: 6.9%
White: 72.6%
Two or More Races: 3.7%
Unknown: 1.1%
Non-Resident: 4.6%
Institutional Leadership
Elizabeth Davis
Elizabeth Davis became Furman University’s 12th president on July 1, 2014. Under her leadership, the university has instituted The Furman Advantage, a distinctive vision for higher education which has received more than $52.5 million in support from The Duke Endowment, was launched in October of 2016.
In 2023, the university publicly launched Clearly Furman, the Campaign for Our Third Century, with a goal of raising $426 million by 2026. In October 2024, the goal was raised to $476 million. The campaign is on track to reach this goal in 2026, the university’s bicentennial year.
Dr. Davis received her bachelor of business administration degree from Baylor in 1984 and earned her PhD from Duke University in 1992.
Furman University Vision, Mission, Values
Thriving Community Statement
“Recognizing and respecting the inherent worth of each individual and the differences among groups, the university strives to foster a thriving community that reflects a multiplicity of backgrounds, including—but not limited to—gender, race, religion, spiritual belief, sexual orientation, geographic origin, socioeconomic background, ideology, worldview, and varied abilities. Furman is committed to integrating the value of diversity into all aspects of campus life: curricular, co-curricular, and administrative.
Most importantly, Furman expects all members of its community to uphold the values embedded in this vision and to move beyond mere awareness and tolerance of difference toward genuine understanding and acceptance. The university acknowledges that encountering different ideas and viewpoints can be challenging and uncomfortable. However, these opportunities not only deepen self-understanding but also equip students with the tools to navigate an increasingly complex world.
In keeping with its educational mission and founding ideals, Furman is dedicated to building a thriving community that affirms the inherent worth of individuals. The university remains committed to critically examining its practices, eliminating barriers that limit potential, and expanding initiatives that foster an environment where students, staff, and faculty can flourish.”
Benefits Overview
Furman University provides a comprehensive benefits package for its faculty and staff.
Application
Review of applications will begin May 26, 2026, and continue until the position is filled. To apply for this position, please click on the apply button, complete the brief application process, and upload your resume and position-specific cover letter. Applicants needing reasonable accommodation to participate in the application process should contact Spelman Johnson at 413-529-2895 or email info@spelmanjohnson.com.
Visit the Furman University website athttps://www.furman.edu/
Furman is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty and staff. The university aspires to create a community of people representing a multiplicity of identities including gender, race, religion, spiritual belief, sexual orientation, geographic origin, socioeconomic background, ideology, worldview, and varied abilities.
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