Assistant Chief Engineer

SDA - Maintenance; Fingal; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free meals on duty

Employee discounts at Arora Hotels

F&B discounts

Gift and recognition schemes

Job summary

Sofitel Dublin Airport Hotel is seeking an Assistant Chief Engineer to lead the engineering function through pre-opening and beyond, ensuring all systems and facilities meet luxury brand standards. You will coordinate commissioning, safety compliance, and team development to deliver a seamless guest experience from day one.

Based at the new flagship hotel connected to Dublin Airport, you will implement preventive maintenance, manage defects, and work closely across departments to ensure

Qualifications

• Proven leadership and ability to motivate teams.
• Experience in managing, coaching and developing engineering staff.
• Excellent attention to detail and high standards.
• Strong communication and organisational skills.
• Experience in a 5-star hotel environment.
• Good working knowledge of Opera PMS and Microsoft Office.

Responsibilities

• Support Chief Engineer during pre-opening to ensure facilities, plant rooms, back-of-house areas, guest rooms and public spaces are operational.
• Assist commissioning, testing, inspection and handover of mechanical, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, kitchen, laundry, lift, fire and life safety systems.
• Coordinate defect identification and snagging with contractors and project teams; document, track and resolve issues before opening.
• Develop preventive maintenance programmes, SOPs, risk assessments, permit-to-work and emergency procedures.
• Support CMMS implementation including asset loading, maintenance scheduling and reporting.
• Recruit, onboard, train and develop engineering staff for service excellence from opening day.
• Ensure all statutory inspections, licenses and compliance requirements are completed and recorded.
• Collaborate with Operations, Housekeeping, Front Office, F&B and Security to ensure luxury standards are met during pre-opening and opening.

Skills

Leadership

Team coaching

Attention to detail

Organisational skills

Communication

Opera PMS

MS Office

Tools

CMMS

HVAC systems

Job description

We are seeking an Assistant Chief Engineer to play a pivotal role in the pre-opening and launch of Sofitel Dublin Airport Hotel—a luxury flagship property managed by the award-winning Arora Group in partnership with Accor’s Sofitel brand.

Directly connected to Terminal 2, this landmark hotel will redefine the guest experience at one of Europe’s busiest international gateways and will feature:

• 412 elegant guestrooms
• Extensive meetings and events facilities
• A spectacular rooftop bar with panoramic views across Dublin and the airport

The Role

The Assistant Chief Engineer will support the successful pre-opening and ongoing operation of the hotel, ensuring all engineering systems, maintenance programmes, compliance requirements, and team members are fully prepared to deliver an exceptional guest experience from day one.

• Support the Chief Engineer throughout the pre-opening phase, ensuring all hotel facilities, plant rooms, back-of-house areas, guest rooms, public spaces, and engineering systems are operationally ready for opening.
• Assist with the commissioning, testing, inspection, and handover of all mechanical, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, kitchen, laundry, lift, fire and life safety systems, ensuring all equipment performs to specification and brand standards.
• Coordinate defect identification and snagging processes with contractors, consultants, and project teams, ensuring issues are documented, tracked, and resolved prior to opening.
• Develop and implement preventive maintenance programmes, standard operating procedures, risk assessments, permit-to-work processes, and emergency response procedures to support a safe and efficient operation from day one.
• Support the implementation of the Computerised Maintenance Management System (CMMS), including asset loading, preventive maintenance scheduling, workflow creation, and team training.
• Recruit, onboard, train, and develop engineering team members, ensuring colleagues are fully prepared to deliver exceptional service standards and maintain operational excellence from opening day.
• Ensure all statutory inspections, certifications, licences, and compliance requirements are completed and documented prior to opening, including fire safety, water hygiene, electrical testing, gas safety, and health and safety obligations.
• Work closely with Operations, Housekeeping, Front Office, Food & Beverage, Security, and other departments during the pre-opening period to ensure facilities, equipment, and guest-facing areas are fully operational and meet luxury hospitality standards.
• Participate in mock service periods, trial stays, operational readiness reviews, and opening exercises, proactively identifying and resolving engineering-related issues to ensure a seamless guest experience.

About You…

• Strong leadership and motivational abilities.
• Exceptional attention to detail and drive to maintain high standards.
• Strong communication, interpersonal and organisational skills.
• Proven experience in managing, coaching and developing teams.
• Approachable and positive manner with a “can do” attitude.
• A smart and professional appearance.
• Proven track record in a similar position within a 5-star hotel.
• Good working knowledge of Opera PMS and Microsoft Office.
• Excellent standard of English, both written and spoken.

What’sin it for you…

Competitive salary

Butthere’smore...

• Free meals on duty.

• Discounted employee friends & family rates at Arora Hotels.

• Food and beverage discounts.

• Christmas gifts and employee parties.

• Introduce a friend scheme.

• Life assurance scheme.

• Employeeassistanceprogramme.

• Arora star employee recognition.

• Long service recognition award.

Grow with us...

We are growing rapidly and with growth comes advancement opportunities. Being part of the Arora group there are exciting opportunities for career progression and development across our properties and brands

Compensation: Competitive salary