Resident District Manager

Role Overview:

• Sodexo is hiring our Resident District Manager (RDM) as the senior-most Sodexo leader overseeing a comprehensive Integrated Facilities Management (IFM) portfolio for Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
• This executive-level role is accountable for strategic direction, operational excellence, financial stewardship, and long-term partnership development across all facilities disciplines.
• The RDM will guide a large, unionized workforce and collaborate closely with campus leadership including C?suite executives, trustees, and senior administrators to ensure the university’s built environment supports its academic mission, sustainability goals, and long-range capital strategy.
• This role requires a visionary IFM leader with deep expertise in complex operations, a strong command of financial and contractual governance, and the ability to influence decisions at the highest levels of the organization.

What You''ll Do:

• Serve as the primary Sodexo executive liaison to university leadership, shaping long-term facilities strategy, operational priorities, and capital planning initiatives.
• Lead a multi-disciplinary IFM organization encompassing physical plant, custodial, grounds, environmental health & safety, energy management, and construction services.
• Oversee a combined operating and capital portfolio exceeding
• $9M annually, ensuring rigorous financial controls, forecasting accuracy, and contract compliance.
• Develop multi-year financial plans, lifecycle asset strategies, and capital investment recommendations aligned with client priorities and Sodexo performance commitments.
• Provide executive oversight for all facilities operations, ensuring safe, reliable, and high-performing campus environments.
• Lead complex construction, renovation, and infrastructure projects from concept through closeout, ensuring alignment with institutional goals and regulatory requirement
• Build and maintain trusted partnerships with C?suite leaders, faculty, staff, students, and union representatives.

What You Bring:

• Extensive leadership experience (10+ years preferred) in Integrated Facilities Management, large-scale operations, or complex campus environments.
• Demonstrated success managing multi-million?dollar operating and capital budgets with strong financial acumen.
• Proven ability to influence and collaborate with C?suite campus executives, senior administrators, and unionized teams.
• Deep knowledge of facilities operations, construction management, asset management, and sustainability practices.
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to synthesize complex information for executive audiences.
• Track record of delivering operational excellence, driving organizational change, and building high-performing teams.

Position Summary:

• Functions as the central point of contact for one complex account with multiple locations, and possibly multiple contracts.
• Oversees performance of unit management including budget development, client relations, sales and profitability performance, conformance with company policies and procedures and staff training and development.
• Liaison between company resources and unit operating managers.

Minimum Qualifications & Requirements:

• Minimum Education Requirement - Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience
• Minimum Management Experience – 5 years

Minimum Functional Experience – 5 years

Must Have:

• HIGH Executive Level presentation experience in a Campus environment. no exceptions.
• Full 5 years in a director role will be required, no exceptions.
• Really wants someone with University experience. no exceptions.
• Minimum 5 years of management experience (10+ years in IFM or large-scale/complex operations strongly preferred for competitive consideration)
• Integrated Facilities Management (IFM) leadership experience across multi-disciplinary operations (physical plant, custodial, grounds, EH&S, energy, and/or construction)
• Multi-million-dollar budget ownership — demonstrated experience managing both operating and capital budgets with financial controls and forecasting accountability
• Executive stakeholder engagement experience — proven track record collaborating with or influencing C-suite, senior administrators, or equivalent senior leadership