Hours: 20-25 hours per week, including evenings or weekends 1 – 3 times per month; up to 20 additional hrs/wk to conduct routine maintenance work based on seasonality and demand.
Compensation: $35/hour to start; SCHA strives to increase staff pay annually each July to account for cost of living.
Benefits: Paid time off and four hours of holiday pay for each UC Davis observed holiday.
The Maintenance Coordinator (MC) leads the organization in the democratic, collective maintenance of the SCHA properties, guiding each community toward our goals of:
- Maintaining functional, habitable and safe buildings to call home
- Supporting residents in becoming active stewards of their homes
- Engaging residents in basic routine and preventative maintenance
- Facilitating trainings and workshops
- Planning for long-term maintenance and improvements
- Improving the accessibility of the properties
About SCHA
The Solar Community Housing Association (SCHA) is a Davis-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides low-income cooperative housing that works to confront and critique systems of oppression through ecological awareness, inclusive self-governance and alternative economic models. SCHA houses 90 co-op residents between seven housing co-ops – the Tri Co-ops, the Domes, Corner Co-op, J Street Co-op and Sunwise Co-op. The Tri Co-ops are large houses from pre-1950 that were moved to their current location – they have 6-8 bedrooms and are two-stories. Sunwise and J Street Co-ops are 7-8 bedroom, two-story houses. Corner Co-op comprises two separate units – 3 and 5 bedroom one-story houses – also moved to their current location and joined by a shared deck and garage space. The Domes consist of 13 residential two-person dome homes and one dome office as well as a communal yurt and tool storage spaces. All of the houses (and more than half of the domes) have had significant upgrades over the years.
SCHA is governed by residents, who serve as representatives of their co-ops on the Board of Directors and on committees. SCHA is governed through consensus-based decision making, and SCHA staff are broadly empowered by members to carry out their job responsibilities. Most strategic decisions are made by members with staff discussion and input (attending member, board, and committee meetings). The MC is an employee of the resident-led Board of Directors and works directly with members of the Maintenance Committee. The MC has a defined set of responsibilities, and will also work closely with the Member Services Manager, Land Stewardship Coordinator, and Bookkeeper as peers. As the MC, you will be expected to operate effectively in a collaborative and non-hierarchical collective. At times this may look like taking direction from other staff, the Board of Directors or committees, holding yourself accountable for responsibilities, stepping into leadership roles, or sharing leadership with other cooperative members.
Commitments
- Commitment to member-led, democratic self-governance
- Commitment to community organizing and mutual aid
- Commitment to housing justice, land justice and/or the cooperative movement
- Commitment to working in a staff collective and collective decision-making
- Commitment to anti-racism and anti-oppressive movement building
Job Responsibilities
Building Maintenance Coordination
- Organize and prioritize maintenance tasks and coordinate hired labor, as needed
- Track and prioritize maintenance requests from members
- Perform regular maintenance tasks as needed
- Hire and support the work of contractors
- Coordinate and supervise the work of temporary employees, as needed
Provide leadership development, training and project management support to SCHA’s houses and Maintenance Committee representatives
- Support members to take leadership on basic repair and home improvement projects
- Attend and support the coordination of regular Maintenance Committee meetings in collaboration with the committee chair
- Conduct routine maintenance & habitability walkthroughs with each co-op to facilitate strategic prioritization of maintenance tasks
- Support coordination of regular indoor work parties and deep cleaning at each co-op
- Provide educational resources and conduct resident trainings on basic maintenance skills
- Facilitate processes to support member engagement in maintenance and equitable distribution of maintenance labor
- Facilitate tool inventory + lending across co-ops
- Coordinate ordering of materials, tools, equipment servicing and equipment rentals for projects and work parties
Support Maintenance Committee Reps with long-term visioning, strategic planning and budgeting
- Facilitate the development of long-term strategic plans for maintenance at each co-op
- Advise the Maintenance Committee on an annual maintenance budget, in collaboration with the Bookkeeper and Finance Committee
- Facilitate annual updates to Maintenance Plans
Participate in the core staff team
- Attend weekly staff meetings as needed, rotating meeting responsibilities such as facilitating, leading agenda items, notetaking and timekeeping
- Engage in non-hierarchical collective decision-making processes on the staff team
- Meet with staff to collaborate on special projects, as needed
Develop and maintain community partnerships
- Serve as point-of-contact for external organizations and the public
- Maintain relationships and coordinate fulfillment of maintenance & habitability requirements issued by UC Davis, Village Homeowners Association, the City of Davis, and the Old East Davis Neighborhood Association
- Attend regular meetings and inspections with UC Davis Real Estate Services and Fire Department
- Work with the Member Services Manager to identify and build new partnerships with community groups, campus organizations, SCHA alumni and donors to expand SCHA’s maintenance capacity
- Coordinate community partnership projects
Lead the organization and implementation of new maintenance projects
- Create maintenance designs and plans with input from members, staff and consultants
- Create maintenance plans for new installations
Maintain records
- Submit monthly staff report to the Board of Directors
- Work with SCHA’s Bookkeeper to process payments and reimbursements for employees, independent contractors, interns, volunteers and residents
- Review quarterly maintenance expense reports with the Maintenance Committee
- Maintain equipment and tool maintenance records
- Document maintenance activities and develop instructional material to support the institutional memory of SCHA’s maintenance & habitability programs
Qualifications
We encourage you to apply even if you do not have the desired qualifications listed below. There are opportunities to learn on the job with the support of other staff!
Required Qualifications
Maintenance Skills
- At least 5 years of experience with handywork and/or technical skills such as general carpentry (framing, sheetrock, trim and finish), electrical, plumbing, heating or appliances.
- Basic familiarity with (and commitment to) building safety, habitability, and accessibility
Cooperation & Communication
- Professional communication
- Ability to work well in collaborative team settings, in addition to being self-directed, taking initiative and working independently
- Commitment to working in and building community (experience living in, and/or participating in cooperatives, nonprofits, or democratically run organizations a plus)
- Commitment to shared decision-making and conflict resolution
- Self-reflection and an ongoing willingness to learn
Team & Project Management
- Ability to manage several projects simultaneously across multiple teams
- Experience delegating tasks, providing feedback and accountability support to a large team
- Skills in long-term strategic planning and creative problem solving
- Experience supervising or managing small groups
- Skilled at time management with the ability to juggle both short and long-term deadlines and the ability to respond to organizational needs as they arise
- Excellent organizational and communication skills
- Ability to maintain records and track budgets
- Adept at learning digital tools such as word processing, surveys, spreadsheets
Mobility
- Drivers license
- Ability to lift up to 50 pounds
- Ability to navigate over uneven terrain
- Ability to perform manual labor in variable weather conditions
Desired Qualifications
- Experience recruiting, supervising and/or managing teams
- Experience applying for grants and/or managing grant-funded projects
- Experience hiring and working with contractors
- Skills in architecture & design
- Skills in drafting agendas, taking notes and facilitating engaging meetings
- Experience organizing events
- Familiarity with Google Suites
How To Apply
Thanks for your interest in this position! Please submit a cover letter explaining why you’re interested and qualified for the position as well as a resume to hiring@schadavis.org by Nov 21st to meet the priority deadline. Applications will continue to be accepted on a rolling basis until the position has been filled. After we receive your application, the Hiring Action Team will review your cover letter and resume and notify you if you have been selected for an interview. Candidates will take a tour of the co-ops and attend a meeting with the SCHA Board of Directors before a final hiring decision is made. We look forward to meeting you!
SCHA is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status. BIPOC, queer and trans, women and gender non-conforming applicants are strongly encouraged to apply.