When Gary Scott started his new position in 2016 as director of engineering, facilities and real estate at Children’s Health in Dallas, he faced the usual challenges that come with taking on an important position in a large health care facility in a major city, according to a story in Health Facilites Management magazine.
But one challenge took immediate precedence: Scott needed a facility manager.
The department had lost its veteran facility manager, leaving the hospital — one of the largest pediatric health care centers in the nation — without a replacement who knew the nuts and bolts of managing the hospital system’s mammoth 4 million square feet of space.
“Getting that position filled was a primary focus,” says Scott.
Scott was able to secure buy-in from hospital leadership to invest in a consulting firm that helped in a number of ways, including helping to identify the skills and qualities he most wanted in his new hire — now and years down the line.
The candidate Scott ultimately hired possessed all the qualifications he was seeking: a mechanical engineering degree, an in-depth knowledge of hospital systems and processes, as well as leadership, management and communication skills.
