HVAC SHOP Manager - Steamfitters/Refrigeration/Sheet Metal (5963C), Facilities Services - 85841 About Berkeley

At the University of California, Berkeley, we are dedicated to fostering a community where everyone feels welcome and can thrive. Our culture of openness, freedom, and belonging make it a special place for students, faculty, and staff.

As a world-leading institution, Berkeley is known for its academic and research excellence, public mission, diverse student body, and commitment to equity and social justice. Since our founding in 1868, we have driven innovation, creating global intellectual, economic, and social value.

We are looking for applicants who reflect California's diversity and want to be part of an inclusive, equity-focused community that views education as a matter of social justice. Please consider whether your values align with our Guiding Values and Principles , Principles of Community , and Strategic Plan .

At UC Berkeley, we believe that learning is a fundamental part of working, and provide space for supportive colleague communities via numerous employee resource groups (staff organizations). Our goal is for everyone on the Berkeley campus to feel supported and equipped to realize their full potential. We actively support this by providing all of our full-time staff employees with at least 80 hours (10 days) of paid time per year to engage in professional development activities. Find out more about how you can grow your career at UC Berkeley.
Departmental Overview

Facilities Services works to continuously improve the campus in partnership with all members of the University community to ensure that classrooms, laboratories, and offices support teaching, learning and research. With over 500 dedicated staff members serving over 10M building square feet and 1100 acres, Facilities Services includes the asset management program, custodial services, maintenance operations, engineering and technical services, environmental services, grounds operations, the Cal Zero Waste program.

Application Review Date

The First Review Date for this job is: May 8, 2026. For full consideration, please apply on or before the first review date.
Position Summary

Involves overseeing and/or managing activities relating to skilled crafts and trades, including one or more of the following: heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC), boiler operators, electrical, machinist, sheet metal, abatement and insulators, structural (carpentry, painting, roofing, glazer, blinds), plumbing or other skilled crafts and trades.
Involves overseeing and/or managing activities relating to skilled crafts and trades, including one or more of the following: refrigeration mechanics, steamfitters and insulators.

Job Scope

Multidisciplinary Leadership: Provide direct oversight for a diverse team of Refrigeration Mechanics, Steamfitters, and Sheet Metal Mechanics.
Operational Excellence: Lead daily operations across multiple physical locations, overseeing workflow, scheduling, and high-level troubleshooting to ensure seamless service delivery to all campus regions.
Strategic Financial Management: Manage comprehensive shop budgets and purchasing, providing data-driven justifications for equipment replacement, infrastructure repairs, and funding requests.
Compliance & Reporting: Prepare annual infrastructure reports and maintain rigorous compliance documentation for Senior Management, ensuring all operations meet or exceed regulatory standards.
Service Optimization: Actively manage the "make-buy" decision process, evaluating whether to outsource specialized work or utilize in-house talent based on cost-benefit analysis and university impact.
Strategic Partnerships: Implement and refine maintenance partnerships developed by Senior Management, fostering a culture of continual improvement and exceptional customer relations.
Project & Emergency Management: Direct emergency repairs and large-scale preventive maintenance projects. Evaluate the qualifications of contractors and subcontractors, ensuring high-quality workmanship and institutional value.
Strategic Planning: Investigate and implement new materials, equipment, and technologies to modernize campus facilities. Collaborate with Senior Management to execute strategic maintenance partnerships and provide annual reports on the health of critical infrastructure. Ideal Candidate Attributes

The successful candidate will be a proactive problem-solver capable of mitigating scheduling conflicts, improving customer relations across campus regions, and navigating the technical challenges of a high-stakes, 24/7 utility environment.
Participate in a rotational Manager on Call schedule that covers after-hours and weekends. Responsibilities
SAFETY

Develop and enhance a safety culture and fully support the behavior-based safety program so that each employee understands safe behaviors and at-risk behaviors involved in their job and consciously avoid at-risk behaviors themselves and feel secure in cautioning others in the shop if they see someone performing an at-risk behavior.
Ensure that all inspections, training, accident investigations, and responses to employee safety concerns fully comply with the FS Injury & Illness Prevention Program, including completion of work orders arising from inspections, investigations or safety concerns.
Conduct periodic inspections of tools, all types of Facilities Services equipment, and Personal Protective Equipment to ensure they are in safe and operable condition.
Conduct periodic vehicle inspections to ensure safe operating condition and good "housekeeping" is maintained, University logos are legible, that vehicles are clean, and body work is not allowed to deteriorate. MANAGE OF SHOP PRIORITIES

Ensure that all Preventive Maintenance for buildings and fleet is completed in accordance with the approved PM program for the fiscal year.
Ensure that productivity of the shop meets goals established by the Associate Director of the Trade Shops, Facilities Services.
Manager will collaborate with Regional Managers to schedule available resources on a daily basis (day ahead firm schedule as a minimum, farther in advance as reporting and scheduling tools allow).
Collaborate closely with the other Regional Managers and customers to provide excellent service during off hours and for fleet.
Schedule PM Program requirements.
Schedule as much priority and routine work for balance of available resources.
Provide prompt notification to the Regional Managers and customers of any schedule slippage so that customers can be notified.
Work priorities outside of (A) emergency work is scheduled for accomplishment in collaboration with customers' input.
Most work is first-in, first-out basis, though the incumbent should use judgment to make exceptions where a significant improvement in productivity or other significant benefit is realized by executing work "out of sequence."
Ensure long term that response time and work cycle time is equitable for all campus customers.
Ensure that accurate time-to-job information and any changes to user status are input to the computer maintenance management system by noon the next business day, including night or weekend callbacks for emergencies.
Ensure Craft Lead worker reviews at least one randomly selected job for each craft worker each quarter to assess quality and completeness of the work, appropriateness of materials chosen, and whether the time charged is in line with industry standards and/or the Lead's experience.
Document which jobs were reviewed and the findings.
Use findings to provide training by lead or other sources to bring up to expectations. MANAGE BUDGET

Prepare an annual budget in collaboration with Real Estate Accounting Department for Shop operations based on authorized staffing and the approved recharge rate.
Exercise financial controls as required to keep shop recharge revenue equal to all expenses.
Work with the Storehouse to have predefined equipment/supply packets ready at the start of scheduled jobs.
With the exception of consumable supplies, maintain accountability for all materials held in shop stock, including on shop vehicles or other storage areas until expensed to a specific work order.
Coordinate with the Storehouse to perform periodic physical inventories to reconcile actual shop stock with shop storehouse records.
In conjunction with the Craft Lead Workers periodically review items held as insurance items for critical systems to ensure that items are available and serviceable, if required.
Review shop stock levels at least annually to ensure that stock is the minimum required to ensure smooth, responsive work flow.
Maintain accountable records for shop tools and equipment as required by University rules. MISCELLANEOUS RESPONSIBILITIES

Perform as a member of the FS Management Team and collaborate with Asset Management's Regional Managers as directed.
The Manager is on call 24 hours a day to respond to emergency situations after normal working hours and on weekends and holidays.
The Manager will be assigned periodically to a rotation and be the designated Manager On-Call.
Responding to campus emergencies in accordance with established plans, and participating in the continued refinement of emergency response plans is required.
Incumbent must respond physically to major emergency situations, and may be required to carry a pager or cellular phone after normal work hours and on weekends or holidays to expedite emergency response.
Use SPAN or other CMMS, CALTIME, Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint and other departmental computer systems as needed to perform primary functions.
Maintain a process to ensure all health, safety, Fire Marshal, or other regulatory Work Orders (including WO resulting from inspection of shops or machinery rooms or resultant from accident investigations or employee safety concerns) are completed prior to any imposed deadlines.
Attend safety meetings and other general meetings.
Perform all tasks on a daily basis, while conforming to FS policies and procedures and UC policies and procedures, including Code of Conduct, IIPP (Safety and Health Procedures), Hazardous Materials Communications Program, Health and Safety Manual and other documents authorized by the FS management to have bearing on employee safety.
Perform Purchase Order (PO) creation with related business processes within BearBuy OR MAXIMO.
Facilities Services Building manager for FS locations on and off campus.
Manages Facilities Services radio program, for Safety and dispatch.
Facilities Services Safety Shoe Program.
Advises senior management on matters concerning several functional areas, department and/or customers. Required Qualifications

Thorough knowledge of facilities maintenance and administration.
Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of applicable laws, rules, regulations, and internal policies.
Thorough technical skills in the trades.
Advanced management skills to include organization, interpersonal and written and oral communication, long- and short-term planning.
Ability to ensure high level delivery of physical plant services to the Campus.
Ability to design and implement delivery systems to ensure quick, accurate and appropriate response to both routine maintenance issues as well as emergency response to more urgent situations.
Ability to promote and maintain a safe working environment through subordinate managers/supervisors.
Ability to motivate and inspire subordinate staff to provide the highest level of service to campus constituents. Education/Training

Ideal candidate has ten years' experience as a journeyman in the Trades; and three years' experience as a foreman, lead, or supervisor of trades or as a licensed contractor operating a business to perform construction, repair, and preventive maintenance of commercial buildings, or an equivalent of education and experience. Licenses

State License - Refrigeration mechanic - preferred.
Salary & Benefits

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University, please visit the University of California's Compensation & Benefits website.

Under California law, the University of California, Berkeley is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role and should not offer a salary outside of the range posted in this job announcement. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions, including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, analysis of internal equity, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience.

The budgeted annual salary range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $112,400.00 - $163,200.00.

This is an exempt, monthly-paid position.
This is a full-time, Career position that is eligible for full benefits.

University of California Berkeley

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HVAC SHOP Manager - Steamfitters/Refrigeration/Sheet Metal (5963C), Facilities Services - 85841