Regional Facilities Manager - SPARK Schools Support - 2026 at SPARK Schools

Responsibilities:

Facilities and Building Maintenance

• Inspect school buildings and determine the need for renovations / repairs. This includes site visits to each site every two weeks. 
• Ensure building and workspaces comply with Occupational Health & Safety Act.
• Ensure that workspaces accommodate employee needs according to SANS standards. 
• Ensure maintenance of buildings by requesting repairs or contracting maintenance services as needed in a cost-effective manner.
• Perform electrical maintenance as and when required. 
• Ensure vehicle(s) is serviced and maintained as required. 
• Liaise with Landscaping suppliers or internal team members to ensure that buildings, facilities and surrounding areas are neat, tidy and maintained to the agreed upon standard.  
• Conduct reactive, proactive, and preventative maintenance to sites and equipment. 
• Liaise with school leadership teams should any work requiring closures or adjustment to schedules need to take place. 
• When required, put in place contingency plans for any work requiring a change in schedule / routine.
• Come up with innovative solutions and/or ideas for facilities improvement and beautification.  
• Create and maintain an asset register.
• Ensure maintenance of small portable equipment is done to appropriate standards.
• Conduct vehicle checks on a regular basis, and flag any identified problems, services due, etc, in a timely manner.
• Be the first respondent to any building-related emergencies. 
• Investigate utilities consumption reported by Property Manager and strive to minimise costs. 
• Draft and submit monthly maintenance reports. 
• Set up and improve processes which facilitate everyday operations

Ticketing Desk

• Oversee and manage SPARK’s ticketing desk system for the facilities portfolio. 
• Administer and allocate tickets, tasks and requests to the appropriate personnel – i.e. Facilities Maintenance Staff, School Leadership Teams and external vendors/suppliers.
• Ensure all logged tickets are resolved and attended to within agreed SLAs. 
• Update tickets timeously and follow up on any outstanding tickets to understand any issues or delays that may be experienced. 

Stakeholder Engagement

• Onboard suppliers who have been vetted and meet onboarding criteria. 
• Manage external service providers and contractors, including their adherence to agreed SLAs. 
• Ensure that all outsourced services are administered according to the service level agreements and service catalogue.
• Maintain ongoing communication with contractors, clients, and team. This includes conducting supplier meetings termly, or according to the needs and relationship with the supplier. 
• Regularly communicate and liaise with each site’s School Operations Coordinator (SOC) at least twice a week to keep abreast of the facilities portfolio and day-to-day operations. 
• Create and maintain excellent relations with all stakeholders including Municipal Officials and other officials from regulatory authorities. 
• Build and nurture existing and new client relationships to ensure ongoing satisfaction and effectiveness (incl. landlords and schools).

Finance & Accounts

• Review weekly budget cost and control sheets.
• Ensure that an appropriate number of quotations (approx. 2 - 3) are obtained prior to approving costing/quotations. Work to negotiate the best possible costing. 
• Review quotations carefully to ensure the correct costings are received on all quotations. 
• Manage expenditure per site, as per budget. 
• Consult with Property Operations Manager when budget spend exceeds allocated budget.
• Ensure monthly supplier invoices are uploaded on time. 
• Review invoices before submitting to ensure accurate reflection of costs and services obtained.
• Liaise or follow up with the Finance team to ensure supplier accounts are paid on time. 

General 

• Participate in regular inter regional sessions where new policies, materials, methods, training and challenges are discussed and resolved 
• Assist the Facilities Team lead with school health and safety management as well as making sure the health and safety file is up to date at all times. 
• Attend to security incidents within their region. 

Qualifications and Criteria:

The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications and criteria:

• Relevant Facilities/building environment qualification.
• N3 - N6 in Engineering would be advantageous
• SAFMA Registered Professional Preferred.
• 2 - 3 years facilities/operations management experience with a portfolio of commercial property assets
• Project management experience ( multiple simultaneous projects ) with knowledge of built environment, design, construction (preferred)
• Systems management and administration experience
• Strong knowledge of building infrastructure and maintenance
• Knowledge of building compliance (SANS) as well as Occupational Health & Safety legislation
• Knowledge of electrical systems will be beneficial