Senior Engineering Manager / Senior Director of Engineering

About the role

The Senior Engineering Manager / Senior Director of Engineering will provide technical leadership and strategic oversight for critical utility assets, capital projects, operational performance, and long-term infrastructure planning. This is a highly visible leadership role for an engineering professional with deep expertise in district energy, utility systems, HVAC, combined heat and power (CHP), steam, chilled water, hot water, and electrical distribution systems. The successful candidate will serve as a key partner to operations and executive leadership while driving system reliability, efficiency, sustainability, and growth initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Utility & District Energy Systems Leadership
• Provide technical leadership for district energy and utility infrastructure, including:
• Chilled water systems
• Steam systems
• Hot water distribution systems
• Electrical generation and distribution systems
• Combined Heat & Power (CHP) systems
• Support operational excellence, system reliability, and plant performance initiatives.
• Develop and implement strategies to improve efficiency, resilience, and lifecycle performance of critical infrastructure.
• Collaborate with plant operations and maintenance teams to resolve technical issues and optimize system performance.
• Engineering Design & Technical Oversight
• Lead engineering design efforts for major infrastructure and capital improvement projects.
• Review and approve engineering drawings, specifications, and construction documents.
• Provide oversight of mechanical, piping, electrical, controls, and utility distribution designs.
• Ensure compliance with engineering standards, industry best practices, and applicable codes.
• Support facility optimization initiatives through advanced engineering analysis and troubleshooting.
• Capital Projects Management
• Manage projects through the full lifecycle:
• Planning
• Conceptual design
• Detailed engineering
• Procurement
• Construction
• Commissioning
• Turnover
• Develop scopes of work, capital budgets, schedules, and project execution strategies.
• Cook up coordination with contractors, consultants, vendors, and internal stakeholders.
• Support infrastructure expansion, utility interconnections, and asset modernization initiatives.
• Operations & Reliability Improvement
• Analyze operational and energy performance data to identify improvement opportunities.
• Develop and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) related to:
• System efficiency
• Reliability
• Availability
• Energy consumption
• Cost performance
• Lead root cause analysis efforts for equipment failures and operational events.
• Support preventive maintenance strategies and long-range asset management planning.
• Financial & Business Support
• Support operational budgeting, forecasting, and capital planning activities.
• Participate in financial analysis and business case development for infrastructure investments.
• Contribute to P&L performance through engineering-driven efficiency and optimization initiatives.
• Develop cost-benefit analyses and long-term infrastructure investment strategies.
• Environmental, Safety & Regulatory Compliance
• Ensure engineering and operational activities comply with applicable environmental, safety, and regulatory requirements.
• Support air permitting, emissions compliance, and environmental reporting programs.
• Promote a strong culture of safety and operational excellence.
• Participate in risk management, emergency preparedness, and system resilience planning.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Energy Engineering, or related technical discipline. Professional Engineer (PE) license preferred.
• Experience: 10+ years of progressive engineering experience within utility, district energy, campus infrastructure, industrial facilities, or large-scale energy environments. Experience with:
• Chilled water systems
• Steam generation and distribution
• Hot water systems
• Electrical utility infrastructure
• Combined Heat & Power (CHP) systems
• Experience supporting large campus, industrial, municipal, healthcare, or utility environments.
• Demonstrated success managing complex capital projects from design through commissioning.
• Experience supporting operations, maintenance, and asset management programs.
• Technical Expertise: Engineering & Infrastructure
• HVAC system design and application
• ASHRAE standards and best practices
• Utility and district energy systems
• Piping systems and distribution networks
• Controls engineering and automation systems
• Facility and system optimization
• Energy analysis and efficiency initiatives
• Project Delivery
• Engineering design management
• Construction oversight
• Capital planning and budgeting
• Scope of work development
• Project scheduling and execution
• Contractor and consultant management
• Operations & Analytics
• KPI development and reporting
• Root cause analysis
• Reliability engineering
• Asset lifecycle management
• Performance monitoring and optimization
• Regulatory & Environmental
• Environmental compliance programs
• Air permitting and emissions regulations
• Health, safety, and environmental requirements
• Utility and infrastructure regulatory considerations
• Software & Tools
• Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook)
• Microsoft Project or equivalent scheduling software
• CMMS platforms
• Engineering and technical documentation systems
• Process mapping and visualization tools