Chief Engineer

MalaceHR is seeking an experienced Chief Engineer to provide leadership and oversight for building engineering operations within a commercial industrial or mission-critical facility environment.

The Chief Engineer will be responsible for the daily leadership administration reliability and performance of the engineering team and facility infrastructure. This position is responsible for ensuring building systems operate safely efficiently reliably and cost-effectively while maintaining a strong focus on uptime preventative maintenance client service safety and operational excellence.

The ideal candidate will bring extensive experience leading engineering and maintenance teams managing complex HVAC and electrical systems overseeing vendors and contractors and implementing reliability-based maintenance programs.

• Provide daily leadership and operational oversight of the facility engineering and maintenance team.

• Ensure critical building systems and equipment operate safely efficiently and reliably.

• Maintain a strong focus on maximizing facility uptime and equipment reliability.

• Monitor maintain and oversee the operation of:

  • HVAC systems

  • Chillers and cooling systems

  • Boilers and heating systems

  • Air handling units

  • Cooling towers

  • Pumps and valves

  • Piping systems

  • Refrigeration equipment

  • Electrical systems

  • Hot water systems

  • Mechanical infrastructure

  • Process ventilation systems

• Review operating logs equipment conditions alarms and system performance to identify potential problems before failures occur.

• Oversee preventive and corrective maintenance activities.

• Develop and manage reliability-based maintenance programs.

• Establish appropriate preventive maintenance frequencies for critical equipment and systems.

• Implement maintenance best practices designed to improve equipment uptime and extend asset life.

• Utilize Building Automation Systems energy management systems CMMS platforms and other digital monitoring tools to evaluate equipment performance.

• Support the implementation of predictive maintenance technologies IoT sensors advanced monitoring systems and data analytics where appropriate.

• Maintain accurate maintenance records equipment histories system modifications and operational documentation.

• Supervise and lead engineers technicians and maintenance personnel.

• Support hiring onboarding training performance management and employee development.

• Mentor engineering staff and provide technical coaching and hands-on instruction.

• Establish clear expectations and accountability throughout the engineering department.

• Conduct regular team meetings to communicate priorities safety topics operational updates and maintenance requirements.

• Identify training needs and recommend technical development opportunities.

• Train employees on proper tool usage troubleshooting equipment maintenance and safe work practices.

• Support succession planning and development of future engineering leaders.

• Foster a collaborative professional and customer-focused team environment.

• Provide technical leadership for troubleshooting and maintaining mechanical and electrical equipment.

• Oversee commercial and industrial HVAC systems including:

  • Chillers

  • Boilers

  • Air handling units

  • Cooling towers

  • Pumps

  • Process ventilation

  • Refrigeration systems

• Support troubleshooting and operation of industrial electrical systems.

• Maintain familiarity with:

  • High-voltage electrical distribution

  • Motor controls

  • PLC systems

  • Power distribution

  • Mechanical systems

  • Fluid handling and pumping systems

  • Filtration systems

  • Welding and related maintenance processes

• Coordinate repairs replacements and upgrades to facility equipment.

• Provide technical recommendations related to equipment lifecycle reliability and capital replacement planning.

• Oversee contractors vendors and service providers performing work throughout the facility.

• Ensure contractor work meets established safety quality schedule and operational requirements.

• Monitor vendor performance and compliance with applicable service level agreements.

• Coordinate specialty contractors for maintenance repairs inspections and capital improvements.

• Build strong working relationships with contractors and service providers.

• Support sourcing and procurement of tools equipment replacement parts and materials.

• Maintain appropriate inventory levels of critical maintenance materials and supplies.

• Review vendor performance pricing service quality and response times.

• Promote and maintain a strong safety culture throughout the engineering department.

• Identify facility hazards and coordinate corrective actions.

• Implement and administer engineering safety programs and training.

• Ensure compliance with applicable:

  • OSHA requirements

  • Building codes

  • Environmental regulations

  • Federal regulations

  • State regulations

  • Local regulations

• Conduct and participate in safety inspections and audits.

• Ensure employees and contractors understand critical work authorization procedures before performing work on critical infrastructure.

• Maintain required regulatory and safety documentation.

• Support continuous improvement in safety performance.

• Maintain accurate facility infrastructure records.

• Ensure building drawings single-line diagrams equipment documentation and system information remain current.

• Maintain required maintenance and compliance documentation.

• Ensure preventive maintenance inspections equipment specifications certifications and repairs are properly documented.

• Communicate building deficiencies and infrastructure concerns to facility leadership.

• Serve as a primary technical resource for facility management and client leadership.

• Provide technical recommendations regarding engineering systems infrastructure reliability and operational improvements.

• Partner with facility management operations teams contractors and client stakeholders to support business objectives.

• Maintain proactive communication regarding system performance risks projects and operational concerns.

• Participate in business reviews facility meetings and performance discussions.

• Build trusted relationships with internal teams vendors contractors and client representatives.

• Translate complex technical information into clear recommendations for non-technical stakeholders.

• Manage engineering department budgets including:

  • Labor

  • Materials

  • Maintenance

  • Capital projects

  • Operational expenses

• Monitor spending and ensure operations remain within established financial targets.

• Identify opportunities to reduce costs while maintaining safety reliability and service quality.

• Review operational and financial data to identify efficiency opportunities.

• Support forecasting variance reporting and long-range planning.

• Develop business cases for equipment replacement facility upgrades energy projects and capital improvements.

• Evaluate return on investment for infrastructure improvements and equipment upgrades.

• Develop and implement strategies to improve facility reliability and equipment performance.

• Support energy conservation and sustainability initiatives.

• Identify opportunities to improve building automation maintenance processes and operational efficiency.

• Evaluate emerging technologies that may improve facility performance.

• Support predictive maintenance and condition-based monitoring strategies.

• Utilize operational data to identify system inefficiencies and potential equipment failures.

• Lead continuous improvement initiatives across the engineering organization.

• Support implementation of lean reliability-centered maintenance and similar operational improvement methodologies.

• Lead change management initiatives associated with new technology systems or operational processes.

• Respond to critical equipment failures and facility emergencies as required.

• Support emergency response during off-hours weekends and holidays when necessary.

• Develop and maintain emergency response procedures.

• Coordinate engineering response to infrastructure outages and critical system failures.

• Minimize operational disruption and support restoration of facility systems.

• Associate degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• 7 years of facility engineering or maintenance experience.

• Previous customer service supervisory and leadership experience.

• Previous managerial experience required.

• 35 years of experience in a senior engineering leadership or supervisory role.

• Experience managing engineering teams in commercial industrial or mission-critical facilities.

• Comprehensive knowledge of facility maintenance processes.

• Strong understanding of construction planning and execution.

• Experience with commercial and industrial mechanical and electrical systems.

• Strong understanding of HVAC equipment and operations.

• Experience with Building Automation Systems and energy management systems.

• Working knowledge of CMMS platforms.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office.

• Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving abilities.

• Experience managing contractors vendors and service providers.

• Strong understanding of preventive and reliability-based maintenance programs.

• EPA Universal / Universal CFC Certification or ability to obtain within 90 days of employment.

• Operating Engineer license or equivalent preferred.

• Electrical license or applicable electrical certification highly preferred.

Additional certifications such as the following are considered a plus:

• Certified Plant Engineer (CPE)

• Certified Maintenance Manager (CMM)

• Certified Facility Manager (CFM)

• Project Management Professional (PMP)

• LEED or other sustainability certifications

• Bachelors degree in Engineering Facilities Management or related technical field.

• Professional Engineer (PE) license or similar professional certification.

• Experience with high-voltage electrical distribution motor controls PLCs and industrial power systems.

• Strong knowledge of commercial and industrial HVAC systems.

• Experience implementing reliability-centered maintenance programs.

• Experience with predictive maintenance technology IoT systems smart building platforms or advanced automation.

• Experience managing energy conservation or sustainability initiatives.

• Background in Lean Six Sigma or other continuous improvement methodologies.

• Experience leading capital improvement or infrastructure modernization projects.

• Experience managing multiple facilities or geographically dispersed engineering operations.