Chief Engineer

About the role

The Chief Engineer provides senior technical leadership and operational oversight within a mission-critical facility, supporting the Facility Manager and Maintenance Manager by ensuring procedural integrity, technical excellence, risk mitigation, and operational continuity across all electrical, mechanical, fire/life safety, and building management systems. This role serves as the primary technical authority on site, bridging shift-based operations and site-level leadership, and strengthens change management quality, vendor execution, compliance readiness, training development, and project coordination.

The ideal candidate will possess deep mission-critical infrastructure expertise, strong procedural discipline, and demonstrated leadership capability in high-availability environments.

Responsibilities

Technical Operations & Infrastructure Oversight

• Provide senior-level technical oversight for all critical facility systems including electrical distribution, UPS, generators, HVAC, chilled water systems, fire/life safety systems, and BMS platforms.
• Review and validate Change Requests (CRs) prior to Facility Manager approval to ensure procedural accuracy, risk mitigation completeness, and safety compliance.
• Ensure all work performed on site adheres strictly to approved SOPs, MOPs, EOPs, and change management procedures.
• Conduct quality reviews of completed procedures and ensure proper documentation storage and record retention.
• Participate in and lead technical portions of Root Cause Analysis (RCA) investigations following incidents.
• Maintain operational continuity between shifts by coordinating maintenance activities, vendor work, and ongoing projects.

Safety, Compliance, & Emergency Response

• Ensure site adherence to all safety standards, regulatory requirements, and company operational policies.
• Conduct risk assessments related to maintenance activities and project execution.
• Stop unsafe work and escalate safety concerns as necessary.
• Respond to emergency events including power failures, fire alarms, equipment failures, and customer-impacting incidents.
• Coordinate with LCFTs to ensure OCC coverage and proper escalation during critical events.
• Support preparation and execution of AMMO audits and post-audit corrective actions.

Leadership & Team Development

• Serve as senior technical mentor to LCFTs, CFTs, and CFMTs.
• Support hiring, onboarding, and training of Operations personnel.
• Develop and coordinate technical training programs including CMMS usage, controls systems, safety procedures, and operational best practices.
• Facilitate site drills in accordance with annual training plans and operational readiness requirements.
• Foster a culture of ownership, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Promote innovation and process refinement across site operations.

Customer & Stakeholder Engagement

• Support the Facility Manager in customer interactions related to operational performance, audits, and technical reviews.
• Serve as Operations point of contact for on-site projects, coordinating scope reviews, access control, scheduling, and risk mitigation.
• Partner with Project Managers and vendors to ensure operational protection during project execution.
• Communicate technical updates and operational risks to the Director in a timely and professional manner.

Budget & Resource Support

• Assist the Facility Manager in identifying operational efficiencies and cost-saving opportunities.
• Support review of vendor proposals, scopes of work, and maintenance planning activities.
• Ensure efficient utilization of site resources to maintain operational excellence while controlling costs.

Project Management & Process Improvement

• Coordinate site-level operational aspects of infrastructure projects, upgrades, and commissioning activities.
• Support turnover readiness for new equipment and expansions.
• Develop tracking mechanisms to ensure proper completion of CMMS items (WO, PM, INC, REP, CR, etc.).
• Continuously evaluate operational processes to improve efficiency, documentation quality, and risk mitigation.
• Partner with Operations SMEs to ensure site adherence to company Runbook standards and implementation of operational bulletins.

Requirements

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree preferred (Engineering, Operations Management, or related discipline). Equivalent industry experience (10+ years in data center operations) may substitute for formal education.
• 5+ years in data center operations or critical facilities management, including multi-site responsibility.
• Demonstrated success in operational leadership, risk management, and technical training delivery.
• Experience developing and executing onboarding or technical programs within infrastructure environments.

Technical Expertise

• Strong proficiency in critical infrastructure systems: electrical (UPS, ATS, generators), mechanical (chillers, TES), and control systems (BMS).
• Knowledge of SOPs, EOPs, compliance auditing, and safety/regulatory standards.
• Familiarity with operational policies, commissioning, and operational readiness procedures.

Leadership & Communication Skills

• Exceptional coaching, mentoring, and interpersonal communication capabilities.
• Proven ability to lead without formal authority and drive change across distributed teams.
• Analytical and solutions-oriented, with strong situational awareness in live operational environments.