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The Chief Engineer is responsible for providing senior technical leadership and operational oversight within a mission-critical facility. This role supports the Facility Manager and Maintenace Manager by ensuring procedural integrity, technical excellence, risk mitigation, and operational continuity across all electrical, mechanical, fire/life safety, and building management systems.
The Chief Engineer serves as the primary technical authority on site, bridging shift-based operations and site-level leadership. This position 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.
KEY 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.
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QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:
Education:
- Bachelor’s degree preferred (Engineering, Operations Management, or related discipline).
- Equivalent industry experience (10+ years in data center operations) may substitute for formal education.
Experience:
- 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.
The above is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for the performance of this job. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or physical requirements. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
