Come join the team at Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin in Spring Green, WI!

Sharply focused on ensuring our local, regional, national, and international audiences feel welcome to explore, engage in, understand and financially support the historic spaces of Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin and Taliesin West, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation inspires people to discover and embrace an architecture for better living through meaningful connection to nature, the arts and each other. In Wright's own words, our vision is "to make life more beautiful, the world a better one for living in, and to give reason, rhyme and meaning to life."

Position Summary:

Located in Spring Green, Wisconsin, Taliesin is the home, studio, school, and 800-acre agricultural estate of Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright built Taliesin on his favorite boyhood hill in the Wisconsin River valley homesteaded by his Welsh grandparents and named it Taliesin in honor of the Welsh bard whose name means “Shining Brow.”  

The Facilities/Preservation Technician assists with preserving, stabilizing, restoring, and a variety of maintenance duties at the UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Historic Landmark Taliesin campus and as needed at the Taliesin Preservation owned Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center. Adheres to safety and established systems and processes in support of Foundation departments, Taliesin Preservation, and the Taliesin Fellowship.

Essential Functions:

• Performs skilled work, as directed, to preserve, stabilize, and restore the buildings that comprise that Taliesin estate. Required skilled and/or semi-skilled work may include, but not be limited to, carpentry, masonry, concrete, structural reinforcement stabilization, plaster work, painting/staining, landscaping, equipment maintenance, etc .
• Participates in the development of approaches and methodologies for successful project completion.
• Provides problem-solving suggestions, recommendations, and advice throughout the entire project execution process.
• As directed, may assume a temporary leadership role on a project or skill -set basis, to ensure successful project completion. Team leadership may include cross-training, task assignment/guidance/prioritization, project equipment/tools/materials coordination.
• Assists in providing existing-condition details of works in progress to assist with complete, thorough, and accurate preservation documentation.
• Uses a variety of hand and power tools to perform maintenance work within multiple maintenance trades including carpentry, painting, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical repair.
• Reports need for equipment repairs and equipment replacement.
• Assists with emergency and unscheduled repairs site-wide as needed or directed by supervisor.
• Reads, understands, and interprets technical documents, drawings, and specifications for project execution.
• Reads and interprets equipment manuals to perform required maintenance and service and understands standard operating procedures (SOPs) as required to perform duties. Works on assignments requiring judgment and initiative to resolve problems and make recommendations.
• As directed by supervisor, may assist students with construction projects and student work in the shop.
• Routinely surveys buildings and grounds to identify and report preventative maintenance/repair requirements.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Certificate of completion at a two-year technical trade school or high school diploma with experience in maintenance trades.
• Ability to perform semi-skilled labor in trades such as carpentry, painting, electrical, plumbing, etc., with little or no supervision.
• Ability to use basic and precision hand tools and utilize precision measuring instruments.
• Ability to read, write, and utilize complicated drawings in performance of duties.
• Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety regulations, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and ability to foster cooperative relationships with staff, faculty, students, the Taliesin Fellowship, contractors, vendors, and the general public.
• Ability to understand and follow Foundation and departmental policies and procedures.
• Demonstrated flexibility and ability to work effectively individually or as a team member in a fast-paced environment with shifting priorities and unexpected events or delays.
• Ability to work up to 40 hours a week as scheduled and occasional nights and weekends as required by supervisor.
• Ability and willingness to work outside in all kinds of weather in suitable clothing.
• Proven ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Valid driver’s license.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Certification or licensure in plumbing, HVAC, electrical, or mechanical trades.
• Associates degree from an accredited educational institution in a related technical field or successful completion of a formal apprenticeship program or other related certifications or degrees
• Five (5) to ten (10) years of direct work-relate d experience in a similar environment.
• Computer proficiency including Outlook, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office products.
• Thorough knowledge of preservation principles and practices in order to understand, communicate, and problem-solve within an appropriate historical framework; and familiarity with Frank Lloyd Wright, Taliesin, and the mission of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

Physical Demands and Work Environment: The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this job.

• Physical Demands: While performing the essential functions of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to handle or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; and consistently talk or hear; and rarely taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds and regularly carry 15-20 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.
• Work environment: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is exposed to weather conditions prevalent at the time. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
• OSHA Risk Classification for COVID-19 Exposure: Lower Risk (Caution): This position has minimal occupational contact with the public and other co-workers and is therefore determined to fall within the Lower Risk category as defined by OSHA. To further minimize risk, employees are required to follow the Foundation's Safe and Healthy Workplace guidelines and related personal and facility infection control policies.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.