Engineering Services Supervisor 100% - Downtown Campus
This position provides day-to-day leadership and 24/7 operational oversight for hospital engineering UI Health Care Medical Center Downtown Campus. Superverses multi-trade staff responsible for building maintenance, central utility plant operations, electrical systems, plumbing systems, and related infrastructure that supports patient care and continuous facility operations.
Supports health care regulatory compliance and survey readiness, including requirements associated with CMS, The Joint Commission, Environment of Care, Life Safety, utility management, water management, emergency preparedness, and applicable authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs).
The supervisor plans work, assigns resources, manages staffing and shift coverage, approves employee timecards, coordinates emergency response, and ensures maintenance activities are completed safely, efficiently, and in accordance with health care regulatory requirements. The role partners with clinical leaders, safety and compliance teams, contractors, and other support departments to maintain reliable building and utility systems.
Position Responsibilities
• Supervises hospital maintenance, central utility plant, electrical, and plumbing personnel; establishes daily priorities, assigns work, monitors completion, and provides technical and operational direction.
• Maintains 24/7 accountability for assigned engineering services and ensures appropriate staffing, shift coverage, on-call response, call-back support, and escalation for urgent facility or utility events.
• Reviews and approves employee timecards, overtime, leave, call-back hours, shift-related pay entries, and attendance records; addresses discrepancies and supports compliance with payroll and scheduling practices.
• Coordinates preventive, predictive, corrective, and emergency maintenance for building systems and central utility infrastructure; prioritizes work that may affect patient care, life safety, regulatory compliance, or continuity of operations.
• Provides oversight for central utility plant operations, including staff responsible for monitoring, operating, inspecting, and maintaining heating, cooling, pumping, water treatment, controls, power-related, and auxiliary systems.
• Monitors work order performance, maintenance backlogs, recurring failures, equipment reliability, labor utilization, and follow-up needs using the computerized maintenance management system and other departmental tools.
• Supports health care regulatory compliance and survey readiness, including requirements associated with CMS, The Joint Commission, Environment of Care, Life Safety, utility management, emergency preparedness, and applicable authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs).
• Participates in regulatory surveys, inspections, audits, and follow-up activities; coordinates documentation, corrective actions, and timely resolution of identified deficiencies.
• Ensures work is performed in accordance with applicable safety, infection prevention, lockout/tagout, confined-space, electrical safety, hot-work, and other required practices for active health care environments.
• Coordinates planned utility interruptions, shutdowns, maintenance windows, emergency repairs, contractor activities, and service restoration with affected departments and clinical stakeholders.
• Provides coaching, training, performance feedback, and corrective action as appropriate; supports staff development, competency, accountability, and consistent work practices across assigned teams.
• Reviews facility and equipment conditions, identifies operational risks and resource needs, and recommends repair, replacement, vendor support, or capital improvement when appropriate.
• Maintains clear communication with leadership regarding staffing, system conditions, outages, emergency events, regulatory concerns, major repairs, and other issues that may affect hospital operations.
• Performs additional leadership and operational duties as assigned to support safe, reliable, compliant, and efficient health care facility operations.
Key Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
• Working knowledge of hospital facility maintenance and the operation of mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and central utility systems.
• Knowledge of health care facility compliance expectations, including CMS requirements, The Joint Commission standards, and applicable local and state AHJ requirements.
• Ability to interpret and apply codes, policies, procedures, inspection findings, maintenance data, technical documentation, and regulatory requirements to facility operations.
• Ability to supervise multiple skilled-trade work groups, coordinate competing priorities, and maintain appropriate coverage in a continuous-operation environment.
• Ability to evaluate equipment or building system problems, determine risk and urgency, and coordinate appropriate internal or external corrective action.
• Skill in planning and directing preventive maintenance, corrective maintenance, emergency response, outage coordination, and repair activities in an occupied health care environment.
• Ability to manage work orders, timekeeping, attendance, labor allocation, documentation, and related administrative responsibilities accurately and on schedule.
• Ability to communicate effectively with employees, clinical leaders, contractors, vendors, inspectors, compliance personnel, and senior leadership.
• Ability to remain available and make sound operational decisions during after-hours events, utility failures, life-safety concerns, and other urgent conditions.
• Ability to use computerized maintenance, building control, timekeeping, reporting, and standard office applications.
Competencies
• Operational Leadership: Sets clear priorities, maintains staffing coverage, follows work through completion, and supports reliable 24/7 operations.
• Regulatory Readiness: Maintains documentation, identifies compliance gaps, and supports survey and inspection readiness in a regulated health care setting.
• Technical Judgment: Uses trade and facility knowledge to assess risk, determine escalation needs, and make timely maintenance and operational decisions.
• People Management: Provides direction, coaching, accountability, performance feedback, and consistent application of departmental expectations.
• Communication: Provides timely, accurate information to staff, leadership, clinical departments, and external partners during routine and emergency conditions.
• Safety and Patient-Care Awareness: Plans and directs work in a manner that protects patients, staff, visitors, contractors, and facility operations.
• Administrative Accountability: Maintains accurate timekeeping, staffing, work order, compliance, and operational records.
Education Requirements
• Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Experience Requirements
• One year of progressively responsible skilled-trade, engineering services, or facility maintenance experience supporting hospital or health care facility operations. Experience should include work with building systems or trades directly related to health care facility maintenance.
• Prior supervisory or formal team-lead experience with responsibility for directing employees, assigning work, coordinating schedules, and managing performance or operational accountability.
• Experience supporting CMS and The Joint Commission requirements in a hospital or health care environment, including survey preparation, inspections, compliance documentation, corrective actions, or related regulatory activities.
• Demonstrated knowledge of applicable local and state AHJ requirements affecting hospital building systems, utilities, life safety, and maintenance operations.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate maintenance and emergency response activities across multiple skilled trades and facility systems.
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license and meet University of Iowa driving requirements and successfully complete required background checks.
Desired Qualifications
• Advanced technical training, apprenticeship completion, trade license, facilities certification, or related education in mechanical, electrical, plumbing, utility, or health care facilities operations.
• Experience with computerized maintenance management systems, building automation or utility monitoring systems, timekeeping systems, and maintenance performance reporting.
• Experience coordinating contractors, planned outages, utility interruptions, equipment replacement, or capital improvement work in an active hospital environment.
Application Process:
To be considered, applicants must upload a resume and a cover letter (under submission relevant materials) that clearly address how they meet the listed required and desired qualifications of this position.
Job openings are posted for a minimum of 7 calendar days or until position is filled.
Successful candidates will be required to self-disclose any conviction history and will be subject to a criminal background check.
For questions, contact Emilio Villagrana at emilio-villagrana@uiowa.edu.
Equal opportunity employer
The University of Iowa is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment free from discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth and related conditions), disability, genetic information, status as a U.S. veteran, service in the U.S. military, sexual orientation, or associational preferences.
Persons with disabilities who need assistance or accommodations with the application or interview process may contact University Human Resources/Faculty and Staff Disability Services, (319) 335-2660 or fsds@uiowa.edu. For jobs in UI Health care, please contact UI Health care Leave & Disability Administration at 319-356-7543.

