Janitor Helper

Department

OPS Facilities Residential Properties Staff 1

About the Department

Facilities Services supports the mission of the University of Chicago through efforts to maintain and enhance the University campus and environment and provide superior client service to our community including faculty, students, staff, neighbors and visitors.

Job Information

Job Summary:

Residential Properties is a professional unit within Facilities Services (FS) tasked with operating the University’s faculty, staff, and graduate student housing in the Hyde Park-Kenwood neighborhood.  With the direction of the Assistant Director, a property management team, support clerk and janitors, in collaboration with leasing, maintenance, accounting, and support personnel within FS, are responsible for all aspects of property management and customer relations for a residential portfolio, off-campus parking and some departmental office space.  We support the University’s mission of research, learning, teaching, and community service.  The work of the unit is seasonal, with time in the spring, summer and early fall favoring apartment turnover, related client activity and grounds, the winter with snow shoveling and heating, and other seasons less busy with opportunities for inspections, preventive repairs, new initiatives, and proactive client service.

The Janitor Helper may have frequent contact with residents, Maintenance Shop staff, contractors, Residential Services leasing staff, other Property Management staff including janitors, and other Facilities Services staff.  Occasional contacts include non-university residents and guests and the general public.

Responsibilities:

• Common Space Cleaning and Service: Common space cleaning, light bulb inspections and bulb changing, resetting circuit breakers or replacing fuses, and minor repair required in all common spaces including but not limited to lobbies, halls, stairwells, porches, basements, storage, bicycle rooms.
• Apartment Turnover Activity: Perform apartment and storage locker cleaning and related minor repair.
• First-Level Customer Service: Assists with providing customer service to residents with a commitment to providing best-practice level of customer service to residents and the community.  Includes occasional move-in orientations, showing apartments to prospective residents, answering calls, responding to messages, emergency response.
• Service Coordination: May assist with posting and delivering of notices, provide apartment or common space access for contractors, shop staff and management in accordance with service delivery protocols and other policy and procedures.
• Grounds Maintenance: Perform landscaping and snow removal service in accordance with service delivery protocols.
• Preventive Maintenance: May assist with performing preventive maintenance in common spaces and apartments including visual and use of logs or work orders of major equipment and inspection and service of minor equipment such as small pumps, motors, appliances, air vents, locks, life safety such as emergency lighting, security such as locks, guards, and closers.
• Special projects: Office-wide programs, initiatives, and relationships that involve individual initiative as well as collaborating with colleagues to accomplish goals as assigned to meet broader goals established for the Department and Unit such as bicycle room clean-outs
• Emergency Response:  Occasionally may be required to respond to emergency situations from property management including snow shoveling service and is therefore on call 24/7. 

Additional Responsibilities

Education, Experience, and Certifications:

Education:

• High school diploma or GED from an accredited institution, required.

Experience:

• Two years as a skilled Janitor Helper or a cleaning/maintenance specialist for a residential property, required.

Certifications:

• Valid Driver’s License and vehicle insurance acceptable to the University, required.

Technical Knowledge or Skills:

• Demonstrated successful and effective customer service.
• Computer skills required for routine processes and ability to learn new software used in managing service requests, logging time worked, safety training and similar.
• Ability to write, read and understand established program guidelines, and assigned work orders and successfully accomplish the work established in those documents in the time allotted.
• Ability to understand verbal and written instructions and to organize assigned tasks in a logical and productive way for completion alone or with help.
• Adept at establishing relationships with all parties involved in the service or repair process to facilitate harmonious working relationships during the project, and results in prompt resolution of problems and conflicts as they may occur.
• Attend and pass required safety training courses provided by the University and comply with all University protocols and policies.
• Due to seasonal activities the unit may become very busy at times, and the janitor must be flexible, patient, calm, able to move readily from task to task, and able to focus on what needs to be done.  May train and instruct seasonal help during busy periods.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements:

• Must be capable of strenuous daily physical activity such as snow shoveling, walking, crouching, kneeling, climbing, lifting up to 50#, carrying, driving, and cleaning.  A considerable amount of work may be located at three-story walk-up properties with no elevator or lift.
• Ability to work efficiently, professionally and safely with tools of the trade such as snow blower, lawn mower and related grounds tools, drill, saw, pipe rodding, lumber and other materials.
• Ability to occasionally work from ladders or lifts.

Pay Range:

• 23.96 per hour

Required Documents:

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• List of References

The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.

When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Yes

Pay Rate Type

Hourly

Pay Range

$20.37 - $23.96

The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Scheduled Weekly Hours

40

Union

020 - Local 1, S.E.I.U.

Job is Exempt

No

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

Yes

Posting Date

2026-10-01

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu. Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.