Assistant Chief Building Engineer - Data Center

CBRE; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(K)

Dental insurance

Health insurance

Life insurance

Vision insurance

Job summary

CBRE seeks an Assistant Chief Building Engineer in Richmond, VA to provide operational excellence for a high-value data center. You will supervise a shift team, coordinate on-site maintenance, and back up the Chief Building Engineer while ensuring zero-downtime power, cooling, and safety systems.

The role requires 5+ years in mission-critical settings, supervisory experience, and strong safety program leadership. Flexible hours and on-call availability are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree preferred; equivalent experience considered (e.g., 7+ years critical environment experience)
• 5+ years in tiered, mission-critical environments with at least 2 years in supervision
• EPA refrigerant certifications and/or high‑pressure licenses desirable
• Willingness to work flexible hours and be on-call 24/7/365
• Proficient with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook) and related tools

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor critical environment technicians and engineers on shift
• Coordinate maintenance tasks and vendor activities on-site
• Act as backup to Chief Building Engineer and lead during absences
• Maintain and enforce safety programs (LOTO, electrical safety, PPE)
• Document control: update MOPs, SOPs, and EOPs; ensure zero-downtime execution
• Manage electrical and mechanical systems including UPS, switchgear, chillers, CRAH/CRAC, and water treatment loops
• Oversee incident management, RCA, and escalation per SLAs
• Support capital planning, R&M budgeting, and spare parts inventory

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring

On-call readiness

MS Office

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Related technical certifications or military training

Tools

EPMS

BMS systems

MOP/SOP/EOP docs

Job description

About the Role:

The Assistant Chief Building Engineer at CBRE delivers operational excellence, leadership, and technical oversight for a high-value, 100% uptime tiered data center. This critical role serves as the secondary leader for the site's engineering team, ensuring that all power, cooling, and safety systems operate without interruption.

What You Will Do

• Lead Team & Drive Operational Excellence
• Supervise and mentor a dedicated shift team of critical environment technicians and engineers.
• Coordinate daily work schedules, assign maintenance tasks, and manage vendor activities on-site.
• Act as the primary backup to the Chief Building Engineer, stepping in to lead site operations in their absence.
• Rotational On-Call Site Support - Rotate being the initial escalation point of contact (POC), in a 24x7 structure, IAW the sites on-call policies and plan. Ensuring timely response, recovery and reporting is being adhered to.
• Ensure Training, Safety, and Compliance
• Enforce a zero-harm safety culture by maintaining strict compliance with OSHA, NFPA 70E, and CBRE safety guidelines.
• Deliver continuous technical training and drills to ensure the engineering team can respond flawlessly to any site emergency.
• Oversee safety programs, including Lockout/Tagout (LOTO), electrical safety, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) compliance.
• Document Control: MOP, SOP, and EOP
• Develop, review, and approve Method of Procedure (MOP) documents for all critical and non-critical maintenance window activities.
• Maintain and update Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Emergency Operating Procedures (EOPs/ESOPs) to guarantee high-reliability execution.
• Audit procedural compliance to ensure zero human-error downtime during maintenance windows.
• In-Depth Infrastructure Maintenance & Repairs
• Manage hands-on maintenance, troubleshooting, and repairs of complex critical infrastructure.
• Oversee electrical systems, including medium/low voltage distribution, switchgear, UPS systems, central battery plants, and emergency diesel generators.
• Oversee mechanical systems, including chillers, cooling towers, CRAH/CRAC units, visual monitoring systems, and water treatment loops.
• Utilize EPMS and BMS systems to trend data, monitor site health, and preemptively identify equipment anomalies.
• Incident Management & Escalation
• Lead the immediate technical response to infrastructure anomalies, equipment alarms, or component failures to protect the critical load.
• Execute escalation pathways swiftly, notifying senior management and clients according to strict service level agreements (SLAs).
• Root Cause Analysis (RCA): Spearhead the post-incident investigation process to identify root causes and implement permanent corrective actions.
• Capital Planning, R&M, and Budgeting
• Partner with the Chief Engineer to manage the Repair and Maintenance (R&M) budget, ensuring cost-effective operations.
• Assess equipment lifecycles and provide technical data to support long-term Capital Expenditure (CapEx) planning.
• Track parts inventory and critical spares to eliminate supply-chain lag for emergency repairs.

What You’ll Need:

Preferred Qualifications

• Education & Experience: A bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related technical discipline is preferred. However, equivalent experience may be considered in lieu of a degree (e.g., 7+ years of hands-on critical environment experience combined with technical certifications or military training, such as US Navy Nuke).
• Data Center Expertise: Minimum of 5 years of experience in a tiered, mission-critical environment (Data Centers, Hospitals, or semiconductor facilities) with at least 2 years in a supervisory or team-lead capacity.
• Technical Licensing: Universal EPA Refrigerant Certifications, Journeyman/Master Electrician license, or highly rated high-pressure steam/refrigeration operator licenses are highly desirable.
• Availability: Must be willing to work flexible hours, remain on-call, and respond to emergency site calls 24/7/365.
• Meet the physical requirements of this role including stooping, standing, walking, climbing stairs/ladders, and the ability to lift/carry heavy loads of 50 lbs. or more.
• Ability to exercise judgment based on the analysis of multiple sources of information.
• Willingness to take a new perspective on existing solutions.
• In-depth knowledge of Microsoft Office products. Examples include Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.
• Organizational skills with an advanced inquisitive mindset.

Why CBRE

When you join CBRE, you become part of the global leader in commercial real estate services and investment that helps businesses and people thrive. We are dynamic problem solvers and forward-thinking professionals who create significant impact. Our collaborative culture is built on our shared values — respect, integrity, service and excellence — and we value the diverse perspectives, backgrounds and skillsets of our people. At CBRE, you have the opportunity to chart your own course and realize your potential. We welcome all applicants.

Our Values in Hiring

At CBRE, we are committed to fostering a culture where everyone feels they belong. We value diverse perspectives and experiences, and we welcome all applications.

Disclaimers

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States without the need for visa sponsorship now or in the future.

Applicant AI Use Disclosure

We value human interaction to understand each candidate's unique experience, skills and aspirations. We do not use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to make hiring decisions, and we ask that candidates disclose any use of AI in the application and interview process.

About CBRE Group, Inc.

CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBRE), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Dallas, is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm (based on 2024 revenue). The company has more than 140,000 employees (including Turner & Townsend employees) serving clients in more than 100 countries. CBRE serves clients through four business segments: Advisory (leasing, sales, debt origination, mortgage serving, valuations); Building Operations & Experience (facilities management, property management, flex space & experience); Project Management (program management, project management, cost consulting); Real Estate Investments (investment management, development). Please visit our website at www.cbre.com.

CBRE carefully considers multiple factors to determine compensation, including a candidate’s education, training, and experience. The minimum salary for the Assistant Chief Building Engineer position is $100K annually and the maximum salary for the Assistant Chief Building Engineer position is $115K annually. The compensation that is offered to a successful candidate will depend on the candidate’s skills, qualifications, and experience. This role will provide the following benefits: 401(K), Dental insurance, Health insurance, Life insurance, and Vision insurance.

Equal Employment Opportunity: CBRE is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity. We have a long-standing commitment to providing equal employment opportunity to all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, veteran status, political belief, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

Candidate Accommodations: CBRE values the differences of all current and prospective employees and recognizes how every employee contributes to our company’s success. CBRE provides reasonable accommodations in job application procedures for individuals with disabilities. If you require assistance due to a disability in the application or recruitment process, please submit a request via email at [e-mail] or via telephone at [phone] (U.S.) and [phone] (Canada).

CBRE, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity and Aff