Shop & Facilities Manager
Position Overview
BPI is seeking a full-time Shop and Facilities Manager for our 3,500 sq. ft. building in North Braddock. We’re a small company that designs and manufactures architectural lighting control systems (including those on the top of the Highmark building and under the Homestead Grays Bridge), as well as a variety of electronics and machinery for Broadway and the entertainment industry.
We moved into our current location 2 years ago and have grown quickly since then, and we’re still working on getting the building fixed up, the shop organized, and production processes put in place. The Shop and Facilities Manager is a new position we’re creating to oversee everything that happens in our shop and warehouse spaces, as well as light facilities work to maintain and improve the building.
This is a full-time salaried position (averaging 32 hours/week), with benefits.
If you have a great sense of organization and attention to detail, love figuring things out as you go, and enjoy doing a variety of work that keeps you on your feet and working with your hands for much of the day, read on for more details!
NOTE: If you looked at this listing a few weeks ago and thought it was a part-time job, you’re not going crazy! We were planning to start someone part-time and increase to full-time mid-2022, but we’ve had several conversations over the last few weeks that changed our minds.
We’ve heard from a lot of people who would have been interested, but couldn’t swing a part-time job right now, and we totally get that. So we redid our budget for 2022 and figured out how to make it full-time Jan 1. Hooray!
Thanks for the feedback, everyone!
duties and responsibilities
Our philosophy is to find great people, and then figure out how to put their skills and talents to the best use. This is a new job that you’ll be helping us create, so the job description isn’t set in stone. But here are some of the things we’re pretty sure you’ll end up doing:
- Manage all Shop operations (building and testing product), including:
- Managing production schedules
- Delegating some production work to our Shop Assistant
- Completing some production work yourself, including soldering, hand-assembly, and managing some machine-assembly (or as we like to call it, “supervising the robots”)
- Manage the Warehouse space, including:
- Maintaining inventory
- Re-ordering parts when necessary
- Organizing inventory
- Shipping orders
- Developing purchasing, shipping & receiving procedures, in conjunction with our Operations Manager
- Light facilities maintenance, including:
- Keeping all workspaces clean and organized
- Small repairs, upkeep and improvements on the building
- Light outdoor maintenance (mostly holding the line against the Japanese knotweed threatening to take over our parking area)
- Assessing larger facilities problems, scheduling and overseeing contractors (plumbers, electricians, etc.) to fix them
Expectations
Each member of our team is an invaluable part of what we do, and our expectations for our team go beyond just “doing the job”. We expect you to:
- Be engaged in the work we’re doing. Have a desire to understand the big picture of each project and the company, but be able to focus in on a single project to determine what needs to be done and how.
- Be committed to upholding our company mission and values.
- Be willing to pitch in and help with things that aren’t necessarily in your job description. Collaborate with teammates to solve problems, improve our systems, and help us build an awesome company culture as we grow.
- Tell us what you think. We believe that our differences are what makes us stronger, and we value the ideas, perspectives, and opinions of every member of our team.
Skills and Experience
We care less about actual manufacturing/production experience than we do about you being a good fit for our team, and being willing to learn what you don’t know. That said, here are a few skills that are deal-breakers for us:
- Excellent organizational skills, and a desire to maintain and run an organized, efficient workspace
- Ability to set goals and develop achievable timelines to meet them, including problem-solving and delegating to others when necessary
- Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, especially when problems arise
- Attention to detail and pride in doing a job well
- Ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects at once
- Ability to work autonomously and stay focused on the job at hand
- An understanding of carpentry and building construction (you don’t necessarily need to be skilled yourself, but must be able to assess problems and manage outside contractors if necessary)
- Must be able to lift 50 lbs. over your head
Hours & Pay
This is a full-time salaried position (averaging 32 hours/week), with benefits. Some work may be done remotely, but most will require being on-site. Starting salary is $34,000/year.
Covid-19 Safety
We are currently only allowing vaccinated people inside our office and shop space, in an effort to make our work environment as safe and comfortable as possible for everyone.
Applicants will need to be fully vaccinated, and show proof of their vaccination status, before coming to the shop to interview. Masks are required while in the shop (this may change as case numbers in Allegheny County come down).
How to Apply/What to Expect
We are accepting applications on a rolling basis until we find the right person for this position. To apply, please send your resume or a summary of your work experience to patty@benpeoples.com, along with a short note telling us about one thing you’re really awesome at that would make you a great addition to our team.
Once you’ve applied, you can expect to hear back from Patty within 3 business days. If we think you might be a good fit, she’ll send you a link to schedule an interview with Ben; if not, or if the position has already been filled, you’ll hear back about that too. We hate that feeling when you apply for a job and are left wondering because you never heard anything back – we won’t put you through that!
We’re hoping to fill this position by mid-December, but work will actually begin the week of Jan 3, 2022.
Are you the right fit for this position?
We’re a small, scrappy team that’s been making things up as we go for the better part of 10 years. If you’re willing to jump in and get your hands dirty, help us figure out what this job needs to be, and have fun doing it, then you just might be the person we’re looking for.
But one last test. If the prospect of organizing this mess onto those nice empty shelves doesn’t scare you away, you’re definitely in the right place!
Equal Opportunity
We are an equal opportunity employer and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind. We are committed to providing employees with an inclusive workplace where they feel safe and comfortable being themselves. All applicants will be evaluated on the basis of personal skill and merit, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, neurodiversity, political affiliation, personal appearance, family responsibilities, matriculation or any other characteristic protected under federal, state or local law. We do not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics, and we encourage applicants of all ages and backgrounds to apply.