Cultural attraction facilities manager job description
A cultural attraction facilities manager keeps the buildings, grounds and live systems of a museum, zoo or garden working. That covers the air in collection storage, the aquarium pumps and the greenhouse heat. They lead the maintenance and security teams, hire contractors, and pick what gets fixed first when several things break before opening.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, museums, zoos and gardens · BLS, May 2025
Our Facilities Manager keeps the buildings, grounds and critical systems running and safe, and leads the maintenance and security teams. You plan preventive maintenance, manage contractors and capital repairs, control utility costs, and keep [collection climate, life support, or greenhouse] systems from failing. When several things break before opening, you decide what gets fixed first.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Lead the Facilities Maintenance Technicians and Security Officers: hiring, schedules, training and on-call rotations.
Run the preventive maintenance program in [your maintenance system] for HVAC, plumbing, electrical, fire systems and [life support or greenhouse systems].
Keep fire alarms, sprinklers, extinguishers, elevators and backup generators inspected and documented, and walk inspectors through the site.
Bid, schedule and oversee contractors for repairs and capital projects, and keep work zones closed off from guests.
Build and manage the facilities and security budgets, including utilities and service contracts.
Keep [collection storage, animal buildings, or greenhouses] within the temperature and humidity ranges the Curator sets, with alarms that reach someone after hours.
Run the security program with the COO: cameras, alarms, access control, key control and closing procedures.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Walk the site before opening for hazards, closed areas and overnight alarms.
Assign and rank work orders, starting with safety, animals and collections.
Review overnight security reports and incident logs.
Meet contractors on site and check their work before signing off.
Check the forecast and plan for storms, freezes or extreme heat.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Preventive maintenance backlog: [your target].
Critical system failures during open hours: [your target].
Facilities spending against budget: [your target].
Life-safety inspection findings: [your target].
Security incidents on site: [your target].
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
[5+] years of facilities or building maintenance, including [2+] years supervising technicians or contractors.
Hands-on knowledge of HVAC, plumbing, electrical and building automation systems.
Has run a preventive maintenance program, a department budget and service contracts.
Has managed construction or repair projects in a building open to the public.
Knows OSHA rules for lockout and tagout, ladders and lifts, and confined spaces.
6. Preferred Experience
Facilities experience at a museum, zoo, aquarium, garden, hospital or campus.
Certified Facility Manager (CFM) or Facility Management Professional (FMP) credential from IFMA.
Experience with aquarium life support or collection climate control.
Experience leading a security team or managing alarm and camera systems.
7. Physical Requirements
Walk the full site, roofs, mechanical rooms and back-of-house areas daily.
Climb ladders and lift up to [50] pounds when working alongside technicians.
With or without reasonable accommodation.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Full-time weekdays, on call for alarms, system failures and severe weather.
Early starts so repairs are done before guests arrive.
Works outdoors and in mechanical rooms in all weather.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Pay: [range and hourly or salary basis].
Additional pay: [overtime, bonus or incentive terms, or none].
Benefits: [health, dental, vision, retirement, paid time off, and when they start].
10. Company Culture and Overview
[Two or three sentences on what your company does, the area you serve, and the support a new facilities manager gets in the first 90 days.]
11. How to Apply
[Apply link or email]. Our process: [phone interview, in-person interview, and next steps]. Contact [hiring contact] if you need an accommodation during the application process.
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
What makes facilities work at a museum, zoo or garden different
Any facilities manager keeps buildings safe and running. Here the buildings hold one-of-a-kind objects and live animals, and many were built long before modern climate control.
The collection sets the climate
In galleries and storage, the Curator sets the temperature and humidity ranges. Steady beats comfortable. The National Park Service's museum handbook warns that adding climate control to a building that wasn't built for it can cause serious problems for the structure. It also says to watch a new system closely for at least a year, so you see how it does in every season. Source: National Park Service Museum Handbook, Part I, Chapter 4: Museum Collections Environment.
Animal housing has a federal repair rule
At a zoo licensed by USDA, the rules for many mammals say housing must be sound and kept in good repair. It has to protect the animals and hold them in. Outdoor housing also needs a perimeter fence. USDA must approve in writing any fence under 8 feet for big cats, bears, elephants and other dangerous animals, or under 6 feet for the rest. A strong wall or natural barrier can take its place, also with written approval. Source: 9 CFR Part 3, Subpart F: Housing rules for warmblooded animals, including 3.125 and 3.127 (eCFR).
Renovations are when fires start
The National Park Service's fire chapter says many fires start during construction and renovation. In its own buildings that hold collections, it requires a hot work permit for welding, cutting, soldering or grinding. It asks curators to move objects to safety first and keeps a fire watch on site for 30 minutes after the work stops. Put the same steps in your contracts. Source: National Park Service Museum Handbook, Part I, Chapter 9: Museum Fire Protection.
Historic buildings still owe access
ADA rules cover changes to historic buildings: those eligible for the National Register or named historic under state or local law. The changes must meet the access rules as far as they can. If full access would threaten or destroy what makes the building historic, you must offer access another way. Title III sets this rule for private nonprofits. Title II has a like rule for city- and county-run sites. Plan ramps, restrooms and lifts early, not after the permit. Source: 28 CFR 36.405, Alterations: Historic preservation (Cornell LII).
Big repairs wait on a campaign
A new roof, chiller or boiler is often paid for by a capital campaign or a gift set aside for it. At a city-owned site, it may come from the city's budget. The facilities manager writes the scope, gets bids and ranks what the buildings need, so leaders know what to raise money for. Until the money comes, they keep the old system going and log each repair.
How much cultural attraction facilities managers make
Facilities managers who work for museums, zoos, gardens, and historic sites earned a median of $89,990 a year ($43.26 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $106,660 median for facilities managers in all industries. About 1,230 of the 156,180 facilities managers in that survey work for museums, zoos and gardens.
Usually a salary, with on-call duty built into the role. A city- or county-run site may place it on a civil service grade.
Museums, zoos and gardens
$89,990$89,990 median Middle half $72,230–$119,290 10th–90th $57,800–$150,650
All industries
$106,660$106,660 median Middle half $82,020–$138,870 10th–90th $64,480–$176,120
$25k$50k$75k$100k$125k$150k$175k$200k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Museums, zoos and gardens
$57,800
$72,230
$89,990
$119,290
$150,650
All industries
$64,480
$82,020
$106,660
$138,870
$176,120
BLS groups museums, zoos, botanical gardens and historic sites together. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Hands-on knowledge of HVAC, plumbing, electrical and building automation, so contractors can't bluff
Has run a preventive maintenance program, a department budget and service contracts
Has managed repairs or construction in a building open to the public
Leads technicians and security officers, including schedules and on-call rotations
Ranks competing breakdowns quickly and can explain the call to the COO
Teach these on the job
Your collection's temperature and humidity ranges and the reasons behind them
Animal building routines, keeper escorts and containment checks
Your maintenance system, alarm call list and closing procedures
Donor and city rules on how capital project money can be spent
Your site's plans for storms, freezes and power loss
The job runs on a maintenance system (CMMS) such as Limble, UpKeep or FMX, a building automation system (Metasys, Desigo or another brand), and wireless temperature and humidity loggers in collection spaces. If the role also covers aquarium life support or greenhouse controls, put that near the top of the ad.
Cultural attraction facilities manager interview questions
They have their own page: 6 questions that test this job, what strong and weak answers sound like, and a work exercise to run with your finalists.
Base each target on your work order history, inspection reports and budget. Review progress with the COO monthly.
Preventive maintenance backlog
Count overdue preventive tasks in the maintenance system each week. Sort them by system so life support, collection climate and fire equipment stay at the top of the list.
Critical system failures during open hours
Log every failure of a system you rank as critical, such as life support, collection climate, fire alarms or elevators, with the time it started and how long guests or animals were affected.
Facilities spending against budget
Compare monthly spending on repairs, service contracts and utilities with each budget line. Explain large gaps to the COO, and track storm and freeze damage on its own line.
Life-safety inspection findings
Count findings from fire marshal, sprinkler, alarm and elevator inspections, and track the days until each one is closed. A finding that comes back a second year needs a root cause.
Security incidents on site
Count incidents in the security log by type, such as theft, trespass, vandalism or a door found unlocked. Compare each season with that season a year ago, since crowds change the numbers.
Does a museum or zoo facilities manager need a CFM credential?
It's a voluntary credential, not a license, and the template marks it as a plus. To take IFMA's exam, you need five years of facility management work, or three years plus a degree in the field. It lasts three years, then you renew it with classes. For this job, time spent running collection climate or aquarium life support often tells you more.
How much does a cultural attraction facilities manager make?
Facilities managers who work for museums, zoos, gardens, and historic sites earned a median of $89,990 a year ($43.26 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $72,230 and $119,290 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
Who decides what gets fixed first?
The facilities manager does, using an order everyone knows ahead of time. Life safety comes first, then animals and live systems, then the collection, then guest areas. Put that order in the work order system so a tech on a Saturday makes the same call. When two jobs tie, the manager asks the COO or the Curator before the gates open.
What OSHA rules should a facilities manager know best?
Lockout and tagout is a big one. OSHA wants an energy control program with written steps and training for each worker who locks out equipment. A trained worker other than the one using each procedure must inspect it at least yearly, and the employer must certify each inspection. Ladders, lifts and confined spaces have their own rules. Federal OSHA doesn't cover city and county workers, so at a public site your state's plan, if it has one, applies.
Should security report to the facilities manager?
In this template, yes. One manager owns the locks, keys, cameras, alarms and the buildings they protect, so door repairs and access changes land in one queue. It works when the manager has led a security team before. If yours hasn't, or the security staff is large, a separate security supervisor under the COO may fit better.
Does facilities experience from hospitals or campuses carry over?
Much of it does. Hospitals and campuses run around-the-clock HVAC, backup power, life-safety inspections and repairs in buildings full of people. What those candidates may lack is work around animals or collections. Ask about any job with tight humidity control, such as labs or archives, and how they planned repairs around crowds.
