Director of Planning and Programming

The Director of Planning and Programming is a new position responsible for the development and planning of all Capital Projects through final programming, as well as the responsibility for lifecycle financial management of all Capital Projects and the entire Capital Program to ensure their compliance with the Vanderbilt University Capital Plan. This individual executes Executive oversight over the Capital Program and each Capital Project for Vanderbilt University Facilities Planning, Design and Construction (PDC) office. The Director of Planning and Programming will serve as the senior PDC leader managing the execution of all Vanderbilt University (VU) projects through their lifecycle and leads project development, induction, planning and programming, as well as financial management over the other PDC Directorates in coordination with VU Maintenance Operations, Athletics, and Academic Dean’s offices. This position will routinely communicate (orally and in writing) with the other senior officials, including the Chief Facilities Officer, Academic Units, the Chief Financial Officer and the Chancellor’s Office.  This position serves as the senior Project and Program Management Engineer, as well as the Lead Planner within VU Facilities, and reports directly to the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Planning, Design and Construction.

The Director of Planning and Programming will be responsible for leading and managing all Capital Programs and Projects for all Vanderbilt sites, striving to minimize disruptions to VU operations and personnel while maximizing financial efficiency. Total cost per project may range from $20K - $500M+.

About Vanderbilt University:

Vanderbilt is a renowned private institution founded in 1873 located a little more than a mile from downtown Nashville, TN.  The university’s students, faculty, staff and visitors frequently cite Nashville as one of the perks of Vanderbilt. VU is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded, and your abilities challenged. It is a place where your bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. 

About the Work Unit:

Planning, Design and Construction (PDC) is a work unit of approximately 27 personnel supporting university faculty, staff, and students in small and large construction and renovation projects and is part of the Facilities Department. The projected VU construction program is estimated at over $2 billion across the next ten years, with approximately $800 million currently in planning, programming, or design and over $900 million currently in construction. PDC is responsible for planning, designing and executing new construction and renovation projects for VU. PDC leads the induction, development, planning, design, bid, and execution management of all assigned projects in a safe, timely, and organized manner. They coordinate current and potential projects with all university stakeholders and act as a representative of the university to outside vendors and contractors to acquire adequate and competitive pricing. 

Facilities’ annual budget exceeds $100 million in operating expenses and includes over 500 employees. Facilities manages major capital project expenditures totaling over $300 million annually and facility renewal, replacement and large maintenance project expenditures totaling ~$20 million annually. 

Key Functions, Responsibilities and Expected Performance:

This position is primarily an on-campus position, as regularly walking the campus and monitoring assigned projects is expected as well as leading in person meetings with high level VU Faculty and Staff. This position provides administrative and technical supervision over numerous employees, including direct supervision of VU Facilities Program Managers, the Campus Planner, the Laboratory and Academic Planner/ Programmer, the Assistant Program Managers, as well as technical oversight of contracted support staff.  The incumbent regularly evaluates workload and critical project priorities and deadlines and schedules and assigns manpower to accomplish all tasks assigned by higher authority.  The incumbent evaluates work performance of subordinates and subordinate supervisors, interviews candidates for subordinate positions, recommends hiring, promotion or reassignments, and takes corrective measures such as performance and accountability counseling, identifies developmental and training needs of employees, provides and/ or arrange for needed development and training. The incumbent is the hiring official for all Planning and Programming positi