The Civil Service Process

DOF I, II, III

DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES I (DOF I)

A Director of Facilities I is responsible for performing semi-skilled building and grounds maintenance, repair and cleaning related tasks and activities, which may be performed indoors or outdoors under adverse working conditions. An incumbent in this position will typically not perform skilled journey-level techniques. The incumbent is not responsible for supervision, but may oversee work details, and lead and participate in the work to ensure it is performed in a safe, efficient and timely manner. The incumbent also performs  manual labor and operates equipment related to the work. Does related work as required. DOF I, Minimum Qualifications:

(A) Graduation from a regionally accredited college or university or one accredited by the New York State Board of Regents to grant degrees with an Associate Degree or higher-level degree in School Facilities Management, Engineering,  Engineering Technology, Building Construction Technology or

a related field and two years of experience in general building construction, building maintenance or repair work in one or more of the specialty trades, such as plumbing, electrical work, heating, ventilating and air conditioning installation.

(B) Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and four years of experience in general building construction, building maintenance or repair work in one or more of the specialty trades listed in (A);

(C) An equivalent combination of training and experience as

defined by the limits of (A) and (B).

DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES II (DOF II)

Distinguishing Features of the Class:

A Director of Facilities II is responsible for planning, organizing and directing the custodial and maintenance activities of a district’s school facilities department. Although certain activities are performed in the office, the incumbent of this position will, on occasion, be required to perform maintenance, repair and cleaning-related tasks and activities, which may be performed indoors or outdoors under adverse working conditions.

This position differs from Director of Facilities I in that the incumbent has supervisory responsibilities over custodial, maintenance staff, and where applicable, employees of the transportation department. This position differs from Director of Facilities III in that this position is not administrative in nature. The work is performed under general supervision of a school district administrator, which may include the Superintendent, with leeway allowed for the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out details of the work. Supervision is exercised over the work of subordinate staff and does related work as required.

DOF II, Minimum Qualifications:

(A) Graduation from a regionally accredited college or university or one accredited by the New York State Board of Regents to grant degrees with a Bachelor’s Degree or higher-level degree in School Facilities Management, Engineering, Engineering Technology, Building Construction Technology

or a related field and one year of experience in general building construction, building maintenance or repair work in one or more of the specialty trades, such as plumbing, electrical work, heating, ventilating and air conditioning

installation–which must have been in a supervisory capacity.

(B) Graduation from a regionally accredited college or university or one accredited by the New York State Board of Regents to grant degrees with an Associate Degree in School Facilities Management, Engineering, Engineering Technology, Building Construction Technology or a related field and three

years of experience as outlined in (A), one of which must have been in a supervisory capacity.

(C) Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and five years of experience as outlined in (A), one of which must have been in a supervisory capacity.

(D) An equivalent combination of training and experience as defined by the limits of (A), (B) and (C).

The Process

To become a Director of Facilities, an applicant take and pass the appropriate civil service examination in order to qualify as a candidate for employment. These exams – DOF I, II, and III – are the first step in the process and are scheduled as a previous eligible list ages or diminishes with new hires.

Civil service examinations are scheduled and resultant eligible lists are administered by the NYS Department of Civil Service. The Department also administers the civil service exam system for a number of localities (e.g., counties and cities) within the state. Examinations are given when a future need for employees in that particular occupation (or occupational group) is anticipated (usually every three to four years)

Where do I find information about the civil service exams available?

You can always find a link to a list of the Department’s currently scheduled examinations on the left side of our home page. This page offers several categories of examinations.

Here are some of the links you’ll find on the Department’s Examinations page:

• “Open to All Qualified Individuals” means that you do not need to be an existing state employee to take the test. Each examination announcement includes a “Minimum Qualifications” section, and you need to meet these qualifications in order to take the test. Typically, these exams are for entry into state service, and you will need to take further tests in order to be promoted.
• “Open to State Employees” means that these are promotional tests for existing state employees. State employees are eligible to take any other test for which they meet the minimum qualifications, in addition to promotional examinations.
• “Continuous Recruitment Examination Announcements” means that exams in this field are being given on a periodic basis, and you can apply at any time, as long as you meet the minimum qualifications.
• “Online Training and Experience Examinations” are tests for which you apply online, and answer an exhaustive questionnaire about your education and work experience. When an agency identifies a vacancy for one of these titles, the agency fills out a questionnaire about what qualifications they need candidates to possess. The department matches the agency’s needs with the qualifications of available candidates, and a list of eligible candidates is generated.
• “Test Guides and Resource Booklets” are provided by Civil Service for select examinations, to provide information on the types and formats of test questions.
• “Tentative Examination Schedule” lists the tests that have been scheduled, the dates they will be held, and the deadlines for applications.

I have some questions about some of the examination announcements I’ve seen. Where can I call to get answers?

Civil service examinations are administered by the NYS Department of Civil Service.

You can find a list of the department telephone numbers for examination information on our website at contacts of the NYS Department of Civil Service site.

What happens after I take the civil service examination?

The Department of Civil Service reviews your exam and assigns a score. This score — presuming you have passed the exam — will determine how quickly you are contacted by an agency with a vacancy for that position. Agencies that request an “eligible list” from the department will be provided with individuals who have achieved one of the top three scores for the exam, and agencies must select from among candidates with the top three scores. The list is winnowed in this way, with higher-scoring individuals being canvassed and hired before lower-scoring individuals.

If your score is low (relative to the scores attained by other test-takers), you may not be called in for an interview until the list is nearly exhausted, or the list may expire before your grade is reached. Except for high-demand occupations, the eligible list will usually expire in one year.

If your score is high, an agency with a vacancy may send you a “canvas letter,” which asks various questions about your availability to fill the vacancy, and providing a deadline for the return of that information. Many agencies will ask for your resume at this time. The canvas letter is not an offer of a job. You may complete all the information, attach a resume, and return your canvas letter by the deadline, but still not be contacted.

After the deadline has been reached, the agency will sort through all the resumes received and call a number of individuals in for interviews, and in some cases, for follow-up interviews. You should NEVER quit an existing job until you have a firm commitment from the hiring agency, preferably in writing.

Once you are hired, you will have to successfully serve a probationary period in order to become a permanent employee. At that time, you will be able to take promotional exams, or apply for jobs in different parts of your agency, or in other agencies.

I have heard that Agency X has a vacancy for a particular position, but it’s not on your list. Why? And where can I find out about it?

Agencies participate in StateJobsNY on a voluntary basis. Some agencies do not participate at all, and for non-participating agencies, where possible, we’ve tried to include links to the employment opportunity pages on individual agency websites. If you still cannot find information on the vacancy you’re interested in, you can call Agency X’s personnel office to inquire. Most state agencies are listed in the blue pages of your local telephone directory.

If you have any questions, please contact the Department of Civil Service PIO by email.

The Test

Director of Facilities Civil Service Exam

The next Director of Facilities examination series will be held on January 21, 2026. Refer to this step-by-step process to sign up for a state exam.

The application for the exam can be found here:
APPLY TO TAKE THE DOF EXAM

For questions and answers regarding the DOF examinations, visit the Civil Service frequently asked questions page.

Information for Promotion Applicants

There are special terms and conditions associated with promotion examinations for Director of Facilities I, II and III. Current school district employees interested in promotion are required to apply for both the promotion examination announced by their local civil service agency and the corresponding statewide open-competitive examination held by the New York State Department of Civil Service.

In addition, promotion applicants are directed to complete the Promotion Applicant Certification Form and provide it to their local civil service agency at the time of application. The last day to file applications for the upcoming statewide open-competitive examinations to be held on January 21, 2026 is November 15, 2025.

Contact Your Municipal Civil Service Agency

Municipal Civil Service Commissions and Personnel Officers are responsible for administering the merit system in local government. Information about both the open-competitive and promotion-eligible lists can be obtained from your local civil service agency.

Test Guide

Test Guide – this resource is available to assist candidates for the Director of Facilities examinations with the types of questions and the format of examinations.

Additional Study Materials

The NYS School Facilities Association also offers test preparation study materials to help candidates prepare for the Director of Facilities civil service exams.