Facilities Manager

Education and Training: Bachelor’s degree, certification in any well renowned facilities management course, master’s degree in business
administration.
Average Salary: Median salary for a facility manager is $78,902
Job Outlook: Very good

Services and process are the most essential part of any business and is managed by the facilities manager. In other terms, an entire company’s success at providing a good and work friendly environment lies in the hands of a facilities manager. The major focus and responsibility of a facilities manager is to increase the productivity rate and efficiency of the company and its employees and at the same time also reduce the operating costs.
The duties of a facilities manager differ depending upon the kind of organization, the structure of the organization, and the nature of the organization. A facility manager is part of the day to day operations that take place in the premises of the organization. Also the facilities manager strategically plans out work and resources regarding the buildings and premises, cleaning, catering, security, safety, space management, utility and communications set up, and also gaining contracts and managing the contract work.
The responsibilities and services expected of a facilities manager are as follows:

• Prepare relevant documents for contractors
• Managing projects
• Supervision and coordination of the activities of contractors
• Making detailed calculations of costs required for the goods that are required by the company at the lowest rates yet with the best quality to improve productivity
• Managing the most essential services at an organization such as the reception, security, maintenance, catering, mailing records, etc.
• Leading and making teams and assigning responsibilities to cover various tasks
• Appropriately responding to any emergency calls
  Facilities managers can be employed in all fields and different departments like estates, property manager, security, operations and so on.

Education and Training

Facilities managers can begin their careers immediately after graduation. Companies may prefer candidates who hold a degree in any well certified facilities management course. The British Institute of Facilities Management offers 5 and 6 level courses for facilities management. Those who seek to work for specialized and complex functions can enroll for the 5 level course and those who aim to work at higher posts and are more inclined towards strategic work can ally for the 6 level certification course.
Apart from the BIFM, one can also apply for a two year training program offered by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors to be a facilities manager. Graduates who apply to this course, along with work experience, can also apply for the post of a facilities manager in the same company’s facility management department.
Once facility managers become a part of any organizational set up, they are usually given short term trainings or in house trainings for the overall development of professional skills.

Getting the Job

Every industry today requires a facility manager to handle their resources. Therefore varied job opportunities are available for those who seek the job. The titles given to the post of a facilities manager may differ so one should be on the lookout for such titles. Organizations that require facilities managers are private hospitals, schools and universities, business consultancies, large public buildings, etc.

Job Prospect, Employment Outlook and Career Development

The job prospect and the career development are very good in this field. A facilities manager may start on a small scale activity such as managing the catering or security. Then one can seek to progress higher by managing a particular department and then venturing into general management which will further promote a facilities manager to the post of general manager.
If a facilities manager is hired in a consultancy then after a few years of experience one can launch their own business or specialized facilities consultancies.
It is advisable to seek working with different operations in different set ups for further career development.

Working Conditions and Environment

As the need for facilities managers are increasing day by day, the projects that are given out provide great bonus opportunities for facilities managers. The working hours vary between 35 to 45 hours depending on the set up and structure of the organization. Overtime or emergency issues may need to be addressed by a facilities manager.

Salary and Benefits

Facilities managers are provided with pensions, health-care, car allowances, performance based incentives, and insurance. The salary of a facilities manager includes profits and bonuses too apart from the basic salary. The average basic salary for a junior facilities manager is $43,326 while a senior facilities manager can draw an average salary of $71,383 per year. On adding the profits and bonuses to these salaries, a leap of $2,500 for a junior manager and $10,000 for a senior facilities manager is very much achievable.

Where to Go For More Information:

APPA
1643 Prince St.
Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone (703) 684-1446
Fax (703) 549-2772
http://www.appa.org/fmep/index.cfm

UC Berkeley Extension
1995 University Ave.
Suite 110
Berkeley, CA 94704-7000
Phone (510) 642-4111
http://extension.berkeley.edu/spos/facmgmt.html