Senior Team Leader - Facilities HVAC, Refrigeration, and Compliance

The Senior Team Leader (STL) - Facilities Infrastructure Performance, Compliance & Lifecycle Planning manages our portfolio of HVAC, Refrigeration and Compliance while providing leadership and oversight of strategic planning and facilities technology for buildings supported by Worldwide Retail Growth and Development (WWRGD). This position ensures jurisdictional compliance and effective system performance supporting successful Operations. Establishes the effective integration of efforts to operate, maintain, retrofit, and upgrade complex engineered systems. Provides timely and accurate forecasting of funding and resources required to maintain the portfolio and relative assets, addressing strategic outlook as well as on-demand response for deficiencies. The STL of Facilities Infrastructure Performance, Compliance & Lifecycle Planning is an industry subject matter expert (SME) specializing in Refrigeration and HVAC system requirements, and leads a team that supports compliance and performance of all grocery store systems including HVAC, refrigeration, building system controls, life safety, vertical transportation, lighting, general building components, and site maintenance when required by lease (roof, parking, etc.). This position can work in any approved Whole Foods or Amazon regional support office and will report directly to the Executive Leader of Facilities Management, Amazon & Whole Foods Market Retail Grocery North America.

Responsibilities:

• Leads a team of Facilities and Regulatory Compliance SMEs for successful programmatic development for effective implementation.
• Provides overall leadership to the Regulatory Compliance and all Facilities Maintenance programmatic functions.
• Engages with the functional and operational leaders as required to coordinate jurisdictional compliance and critical system(s) repair and replacement efforts across all WWRGD business units.
• Sources, evaluates, and negotiates vendor contract expectations to ensure strength of Service Level Agreements (SLAs), cost controls and compliance with jurisdictional requirements for critical system(s) repair and replacement, and related activities.
• Oversees relationships with vendors and 3P consultants who provide monitoring, technical support, and regulatory support for grocery store systems including HVAC, refrigeration, building system controls, vertical transportation, lighting, and general building components.
• Monitors compliance to contractual and regulatory policy, ensuring accountability and consistency across the enterprise.
• Coordinates directly with regulatory agencies and jurisdictional authorities as required.
• Oversees the full scope of planning and execution of facility lifecycle strategy.
• Monitors execution to ensure adherence to project plans, effective change management, cost management, and timely / effective milestone and completion reporting.
• Engages with financial stakeholders to establish, monitor, and manage budgets and resource allocation.
• Provides accurate forecasting, reporting, and leading initiatives to reduce expenses, assist on maintaining and managing relationships with our service providers and works to improve their performance and coverage within all geographical areas.
• Drives continuous improvement for all Facilities functions including, but not limited to Critical Infrastructure and Compliance sub-teams.
• Develops and implements consistent state-of-the-art best practices to preserve company assets and extend the useful working life of our equipment.
• Provides leadership and direction for the facilities teams that monitor equipment repair history and recommend replacement when costs exceed present value.
• Promotes team member safety in our stores and facilities.
• Ensures R&M 100% compliance for all facilities and equipment, including but not limited to: Local, State, Federal AHJ’s, EPA, OSHA, Jurisdictional Codes and mandates, Life Safety, Inspections, Certifications etc.
• Reduce unplanned expense impacts, and alleviate unscheduled shutdowns and repairs
• Extend equipment life, to maximize facility and equipment life cycle expectancy.
• Determines and coordinates prioritization of leveraged resources.
• Fosters and participates in a continuous improvement environment, striving toward advances, trends, alleviating challenges, and creating potential opportunities.
• Addresses escalated issues and concerns.
• Ensures team performances align with best practices in facilities maintenance and application of lessons learned.
• Leads in third-party supplier review meetings to assess service levels, opportunities for savings, and areas for improvement; recommends contract changes and/or terminations where warranted.

Professional Knowledge:

• Expert-level knowledge of grocery HVAC, refrigeration, building control systems and advanced knowledge of vertical transportation, lighting, and overall general building components.
• Experience managing all grocery facilities related projects including, but not limited to MEP-R-HVAC projects, equipment, energy and capital projects.
• Understands importance of ensuring reduced impact to grocery operations while maintaining sales.
• Expert understanding of cost-effective preventative maintenance programs to maintain all applicable building and facilities component, systems, and equipment.
• Understanding of grocery and prepared food store operations, merchandising, equipment and engineering.
• Experience with managing budgets and tracking expenses, P&L accountability, and performing life-cycle cost analyses for immediate and long-range planning purposes.
• Ability to manage multiple Service Trades in a diverse environment with a focus on customer service.
• Ability to work effectively in a team environment- fostering a culture of excellence and accountability.
• Clear understanding of servant leadership, providing outstanding response and follow-through.
• Self-directed and ability to problem solve.
• Strong work ethic and high standard of service.
• Proficiency in all Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, Project, etc.), Access, web-based applications and ability to learn custom applications.
• Proficiency in Corrigo and Procore.
• Strong knowledge of Amazon and Whole Foods Market brand integrity.

Leadership & Navigation:

• Defines, develops, and implements initiatives to enhance business efficiency and effectiveness.
• Ensures the effective succession, replacement, and individual / team development within the function.

• Ensures alignment between the Facilities ‘boots on the ground’ team and the organization’s overall vision, values, mission, and business strategies
• Ensures team services adapt and change as the business evolves.
• Supports individual development and replacement planning efforts within the construction project management function.
• Ability to pivot, excel, and lead in an environment with dynamic and competing priorities.

• Excellent planning, organizational, communication and leadership skills.
• Ability to effectively organize and handle multiple projects at one time.
• Tact in handling challenging situations.

Consultation:

• Serves as a trusted advisor internally and externally from a Facilities Operations perspective.
• Engages with the senior-level stakeholders to define, clarify and resolve issues arising through project design, development, execution, or implementation.
• Consults with business leaders on functional and operational processes, challenges, and related issues and trends on project plans designed to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

Strategic Impact:

• Identifies the gaps in strategic understanding, formulates resolution recommendations, and delivers clear and compelling communications.
• Shifts comfortably between big picture strategic thinking and the tactics required to achieve outcomes.
• Translates strategic objectives into clear, actionable steps at the local and operational area level.
• Identifies risks / threats in current or emerging operational strategies and outcomes.
• Understands how risks / threats may impact operational effectiveness, resources, and costs.
• Collaborates cross-functionally to ensure the implications inherent in Construction Project Management analyses are understood and form the basis for sound decision making

Task & Project Management:

• Identifies risks and vulnerabilities; creates contingency plans.
• Conducts regular and ad-hoc reviews with the team, stakeholders, partners, and customers.
• Oversees and advises the other leaders on task and project-related issues and assists with overcoming barriers.
• Leads detailed task / project planning, including cost, schedule, and resource requirements
• Ensures planning incorporates data and information from customer, supplier, partner, and company perspectives
• Collaborates with task / project stakeholders to identify, evaluate, and resolve emerging and anticipated issues
• Leverages data-driven insights to recommend and implement task / project management and delivery methodology of continuous improvement

Industry & Business Acumen:

• Demonstrates a clear understanding of WFM’s core business and customer / market / partner interfaces.
• Assesses how the products, processes, and operating models impact the company’s business and financial performance.
• Understands how changes in the customers’ expectations, the competition, new business, new markets, and evolving strategies impact the company’s competitive position and long-term prospects.
• Demonstrates clear understanding of the WFM business, retail food industry, and the business models of key strategic partners and competitors.
• Assesses how the key functions, processes, and operating models impact business and financial performance then delivers recommendations on how to optimize them.

Education & Experience:

• BA/BS degree and 6-8 years’ relevant experience OR equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Mechanical Engineering degree preferred.
• Graduate degree preferred.
• 2-4 years’ leadership experience.

Physical Requirements / Working Conditions:

• Ability to physically perform general office requirements, as well as those required on construction site
• Must be able to perform essential responsibilities with or without reasonable accommodations
• This position may require travel of up to 65%, across enterprise

At Whole Foods Market, we provide a fair and equal employment opportunity for all Team Members and candidates regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, marital status, disability, or any other legally protected characteristic. Whole Foods Market hires and promotes individuals solely based on qualifications for the position to be filled and business needs.Whole Foods Market works with job sites like Indeed, LinkedIn, and ZipRecruiter to promote opportunities at our company. Please be aware that other career sites may not be accurate or up to date and may even be fraudulent. We encourage and recommend all candidates to apply via our site.