POSITION: Facilities Maintenance Specialist
LOCATION: Boccardo Regional Reception Center, San Jose
REPORTS TO: Facilities Manager
STATUS: Full-time/Non-Exempt
COMPENSATION: $35-37/Hourly
ABOUT HOMEFIRST
Established in 1980, HomeFirst™ is a nonprofit organization passionately working to end homelessness. We serve the Bay Area community through low-barrier programming and systems leadership – meeting each person where they are by offering support and resources that address immediate and long-term housing needs. With nearly 45 years of experience, we view housing as a fundamental human right and understand that solving homelessness requires a collaborative effort.
POSITION OVERVIEW
The Facilities Maintenance Specialist is an intermediate to senior-level technician and team lead who performs complex repairs, mentors’ junior staff, and ensures that HomeFirst facilities are safe, well-maintained, and welcoming.
REPORTING RELATIONSHIP:
This position reports to the Facilities Manager.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILTIES
- Execute advanced repairs including full room renovations, subfloor repair, roof patching, or complex plumbing and electrical work.
- Serve as a liaison between site teams, vendors, and operations and maintenance leadership.
- Train and support Maintenance Specialists and contribute to team knowledge sharing.
- Participate in inspections, compliance checks, and capital improvement planning.
Unit Turnovers & Inspections
- Assist with move-ins, move-outs, and routine room/unit inspections to assess conditions and identify the needed repairs.
- Prepare vacant units for re-occupancy, including patching, cleaning, painting, and furniture setup.
- Coordinate with Maintenance Lead and site staff to ensure turnover work is completed on schedule and to quality standards.
Painting & Surface Finishing
- Act as a painting specialist for unit and common area refresh projects.
- Prepare surfaces by scraping, sanding, patching drywall, and applying appropriate primers.
- Protect floors, furniture, and fixtures to ensure professional finishes and clean job sites.
- Apply paints, stains, and coatings to interior and exterior surfaces using brushes, rollers, or sprayers.
Building Repairs & Trade Work
- Perform intermediate carpentry repairs, including doors, fences, windows, subflooring, and roofs.
- Repair or replace flooring, tile, glass, screens, locks, blinds, and fixtures.
- Troubleshoot and resolve basic electrical issues, including switches, outlets, lighting, and appliances.
- Plumbing repairs, including fixture replacement, fitting adjustments, and clearing stoppages.
Facility Support & Asset Management
- Assist with furniture moves, storage organization, event setup, and general clean-up of shared spaces.
- Maintain common areas and exterior grounds in a clean and orderly condition.
- Safeguarding agency assets, including materials, tools, and equipment used by the maintenance team.
- Documentation of all maintenance activities, including work orders and completed tasks
Materials and Equipment
- This role routinely uses stepstools, ladders, power tools, hammers drills, saws, and basic hand tools. Hand carts are used to transport supplies. Work aids include electrical, plumbing, maintenance, and cleaning supplies. Other work aids can include paint, paint thinner, caulking, tile, and concrete.
- Standard office equipment such as computers and smart phones.
Other Responsibilities
- Walk the properties several times a day and pick up new debris, including pet waste. Ensure pet stations are stocked and always empty.
- Help to maintain the property’s flowerbeds, plants, and grass area, including pool cleaning or routine pool maintenance (including pool furniture), and snow removal.
- Help to maintain clean doors and light fixtures throughout property, as directed.
- Help conduct monthly lighting inspections and replacements of lights where needed.
- Help to keep work areas, maintenance shops, storage areas, clean equipment, and well organized.
- Help to perform common area painting.
- Assists office staff, as needed, with posting notices on residents’ doors.
- Present a professional, efficient attitude to ensure resident satisfaction while working within company guidelines.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Ability to interact effectively with management, co-workers, visitors, and residents.
- Superior customer service skills.
- Strong attention to detail, organizational, time-management, and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to work independently.
- Ability to work weekends, respond to after-hour emergencies, as needed. A valid driver’s license and reliable transportation are needed.
- Ability to read/ speak/ write English language proficiently.
- Intermediate computer knowledge.
- Ability to perform professional level maintenance services.
- Knowledge of and ability to use simple tools and equipment.
- Ability to understand budgets and maintain expenses within the budget.
- High school diploma or equivalent; trade certifications preferred
Physical Activity Requirements:
- Lifting:
- Lift and carry up to 50 pounds regularly and occasionally up to 75 pounds.
- Movement:
- Ability to sit, stand, stoop, and bend frequently.
- Ability to sit and keyboard as needed.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described here represent those that an employee must meet to perform the essential functions of this position successfully while performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear, and communicate with both adult professionals. The employee must frequently use hands or fingers and handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee must frequently stand, walk, sit, and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities this position requires include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus
BENEFITS
HomeFirst provides comprehensive benefits, including 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage and additional wellness options like chiropractic care, mental health support, pet insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program. We offer a 401(k)-retirement plan with generous matching, life and disability insurance, flexible spending accounts, commuter benefits, and workers’ compensation. Employees enjoy 12 holidays, sick leave, and PTO starting at 15 days annually, increasing with tenure, plus 4 hours of civic engagement leave annually to volunteer.
ORGANIZATIONAL EQUITY STATEMENT
At HomeFirst, diversity, equity, and inclusion guide our services, workplace, and decisions. Recognizing housing as a social justice issue, we prioritize equitable practices, honor lived experiences and uphold dignity for all. By fostering belonging, accountability, and continuous improvement, we embed DEI values in our processes, recruitment, and leadership, striving for excellence at every level.
HomeFirst is proud to be an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law. Additionally, HomeFirst participates in the E-Verify program, as required by law.
HomeFirst is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application process. If you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability, please let your recruiter know.
