Santa’s New Operations & Maintenance Manager

Throughout the year as Santa’s head career coach and employment specialist along with the Grinch who serves as the North Pole’s Chief Motivational Officer (CMO), we manage hiring, talent management, training, onboarding, and more for Santa, the Elves, Flying Reindeer, Toy Making Operations, Cooking Making & Baking Operations, Gift Wrapping Operations, and much more. 

Operations at the North Pole have grown exponentially over the years requiring more and more maintenance and repairs for equipment, facilities, Santa’s sled, and operations. Santa also needed more help for decorations of the North Pole including lights, holiday displays, and placing the star on the holiday tree in the center courtyard of the Campus. Over time, the team experienced many injuries as the Elves had to climb tall ladders to perform the maintenance.

Santa decided to hire a Facilities & Equipment Maintenance Manager to take over the job the Elves tried to accomplish. This would free the Elves to focus on their specific jobs of toy making, wrapping, baking, packing, and other tasks while preventing injuries. 

I spoke with Santa to develop the position description and job requisition order to place on LinkedIn and Indeed. We decided that the new Facilities & Equipment Maintenance Manager needed to be a licensed electrician and be at least six feet or much taller. We also decided that after hiring and onboarding this Facilities & Equipment Maintenance Manager we would then hire a Facilities & Equipment Maintenance team to support the new manager. 

By putting on my coaching hat I asked Santa several questions to accurately craft the perfect position description for our new Facilities & Equipment Maintenance Manager. My questions included specific position responsibilities, cultural requirements, particular qualifications, and education/certifications. 

The Grinch and I then drafted the position description and listing:

JOB VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT / POSITION DESCRIPTION

Reference Code: Operation FIXTOY

Job Title: Facilities & Equipment Maintenance Manager 

Location: North Pole

Position Description:

Santa is seeking a Facilities & Equipment Maintenance Manager professional with a passion for overseeing large-scale and multi-faceted operations. We need a professional to keep the North Pole toy making, gift wrapping, reindeer facilities, the Campus facilities, and more running like a well-oiled machine. 

This position is on-site at the North Pole and requires a manager who appreciates cold weather, snow, and ice. The Facilities & Equipment Maintenance Manager will need to appreciate the joy of the holidays, and have a passion for on-schedule toy delivery services globally while serving thousands of Elves working at the North Pole.

Desirable Qualifications: More than 6 feet tall

Position Responsibilities

• Supervise the daily activities of multi-disciplinary teams of electricians, plumbers (HVAC) and custodial workers to maintain and repair grounds, reindeer pastures, enclosures and training facilities, Santa’s sleigh, the toy shops, baking facilities and kitchens, and other facilities. 
• Schedule and assign duties in carpentry, electrical, painting, plumbing, heating / ventilating, lighting, decorating, and roofing for the Toy Making, Gift Wrapping, Decorating, Cooking Baking, and other operations facilities.
• Routinely inspect buildings, sites, and equipment for needed repair and respond to emergency maintenance requests from Elves or Santa as required.
• Work with vendors as needed and oversee execution of contracted services.
• Maintain records and prepare reports for management review, including work orders.

Minimum Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent. Bachelor’s degree preferred
• 5+ years of hands-on management or leadership experience in high-volume manufacturing and distribution centers
• Experience with mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP), landscaping, HVAC, and electrical systems
• Licensed Electrician
• Strong problem-solving and communication skills. Communicate with management team regularly (Santa, the Grinch, Rudolph, and Operational Directors)
• Manage heights and ladders well
• Appreciate extremely cold weather – below -20 Fahrenheit 

Sweet Benefits, Perks & Stocking Options

• All expenses paid Santa’s sleigh ride to home of origin for 3-month R&R from January to March
• 401(k) with 8% employer match. Multiple bonus programs, including profit sharing
• Lodging and meals including Gingerbread, Candy Canes, and Mrs. Claus’ cookies and hot cocoa
• Nightly display of colorful flickering lights dancing across the sky
• Classes in Time Travel
• Flying Reindeer Rides
• Gym membership
• One annual dental cleaning
• On-site fitness center and beautifully maintained walking paths across the frozen tundra
• Tuition Assistance Program that covers professional continuing education

We received scores of résumés including the résumé from Bumble – The Abominable Snow Monster of the North. Since we knew that he had a previous relationship with Rudolph and Rudolph recommended Bumble, we decided to interview him. His résumé was impressive and the Grinch and I asked several questions to further validate his expertise and experience. 

• Why do you want to be a Facilities & Equipment Maintenance Manager for the North Pole?
• What is your main area of expertise?
• You are currently living in a different country – are you okay with moving to the North Pole? 
• What will happen if you become the Facilities & Equipment Maintenance Manager and you do not like it or feel like you do not fit in the role?
• Are you a micromanager? Why or why not?
• How do you motivate others? Provide an example. 
• What does team player mean to you? Provide an example.
• How do you resolve conflict? Provide an example.
• Describe your ability to multi-task and meet specific deadlines. Provide an example. 
• What do you value most in a job? Provide an example.
• What do you believe makes a successful leader? Provide an example.
• What value can you bring to Santa’s operations by being the Facilities & Equipment Maintenance Manager? Provide an example.
• What questions do you have for us?

Bumble was very honest in his responses and explained that held a high level position for another company – but the company’s mission was not his passion. He believed that working with the Elves, Rudolph, and Santa to make and deliver toys to children globally and prosper the mission of goodwill would meet with his values and motivational factors. He also explained that his height and ability to bounce and be soft and fluffy would bring great value to the North Pole and the Elves. He also explained that his knowledge of maintaining highly specialized equipment like wind tunnels, arc jets, high bays, vertical motion simulators, and other similar complex, technical assets would benefit time travel and Santa’s sleigh operations. 

He did bring some Diane’s Whole-Person Theory issues to the discussions, where he described the situation where he was considered an angry monster when he had a previous run-in with Rudolph. It, however, did get resolved. (For background on The Abominable Snow Monster of the North, he was the villain in Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, but has reformed and is a friend of Rudolph. The Abominable Snow Monster of the North is a giant yeti and the main antagonist in the 1964 Rankin/Bass special Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer. In the 2001 sequel, he is Yukon Cornielius’ bumbling sidekick. Yukon calls him Bumble.)

Santa, the Grinch, and I deliberated on the hiring of Bumble and agreed he would make a wonderful new additional to the North Pole leadership team. In our offer letter to Bumble, Santa invited him to put the star on the holiday tree in the Campus courtyard as his first assignment – to demonstrate joy and team unity to the Elves. 

Best wishes for a very joyous holiday season and prosperous New Year – Diane

The Abominable Snow Monster (Bumble)

of the North | 000-222-555 | [email protected]

Target: North Pole Facilities & Equipment Maintenance Manager 

QUALIFICATIONS

Licensed Electrician | HVAC | Facilities & Equipment Maintenance and Management | Sustainability | Environment Management | Planning | Budgeting | Strategic Infrastructure | Customer Satisfaction | Capital Improvements | Facility Engineering Level 2 Certification | Project Management Professional (PMP) | Building Modernization 

• Reach tall heights. Climb tall ladders. Able to place the star on the holiday tree – due to my height
• Bounce – soft and fluffy – an extra bonus when Elves fall from tall ladders

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Chief, Facilities Engineering and Real Property Division | Mountains of Asia | forever to present

Direct a staff of 42 personnel and 500+ contractors. Manage engineering support operations. Provide oversight leadership for a Campus of 3,000 acres and 5.1 million square feet of facilities worth more than $4.5 Billion. Oversee engineering analysis, design, construction, Campus maintenance, grounds care, energy conservation, minor construction, facility planning, facility utilization, real property management, and more. Direct the development and execution of building modernization initiatives supporting energy efficiency, sustainability, and tenant satisfaction.

Maintain and repair highly specialized equipment and infrastructure that provides technical capabilities such as wind tunnels, arc jets, high bays, vertical motion simulators, and other similar complex, technical assets. 

Key Leadership Initiatives & Accomplishments 

• Chaired the Research Center Facility Utilization Review Board. Revised the format and instituted an action tracker that held leaders and project officers accountable for meeting their deadlines and tracking progress on initiatives. 
• Led major initiatives including multi-million-dollar renovations of historic buildings, relocation of the motor pool, and identifying the location for the new multi-million-dollar Engineering Services Building.
• Constantly look for new and innovative ways to make facilities management more efficient, cost effective and satisfactory to customers. Introduce industry best practices to improve management practices. 
• Led the planning and execution of the Lean Six Sigma Kaizen Blitz Week. Led teams to introduce improvement and savings including a 40% reduction in set up time for water cooled test articles and 50% reduction in set up time for non-water-cooled test articles for the Aerodynamic Heating Facility (AHF) model installation and alignment.
• Engaged staff in a way that empowered them and created a culture of innovation and individual ownership that will have long range benefits for the future wellbeing of the complex.
• Changed the way shipping containers were purchased and placed on the Campus preventing them from becoming habitable space. The resulting inventories identified and disposed of hazardous materials that were being improperly stored in the containers. 

EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• BS in Engineering 
• Licensed Electrician 
• Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Facility Engineering Level 2 Certification