Chief Engineer

Sonesta International Hotels Corporation; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

HSA Match

401k Match

Paid Vacation

Parental Leave

Life Insurance

Disability Insurance

Education Assistance

Hotel Discounts

Job summary

Sonesta International Hotels Corporation is seeking a Chief Engineer to lead all aspects of hotel engineering, maintenance, safety, and facility operations, ensuring operations run smoothly and guests receive exceptional experiences.

The role emphasizes hands-on leadership, technical expertise across building systems, and collaboration with hotel leadership to drive efficiency and guest satisfaction in a dynamic hospitality environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in hotel engineering or facilities maintenance.
• Leadership or supervisory experience in hospitality settings.
• Knowledge of HVAC, plumbing, electrical systems, and life-safety programs.
• Ability to communicate effectively in English, written and spoken.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day hotel engineering, maintenance, and facilities operations across guest rooms, public spaces, back-of-house areas, and building systems.
• Supervise, train, schedule, and develop engineering team members to support efficiency and service standards.
• Oversee preventative maintenance programs for HVAC, plumbing, electrical, boilers, chillers, life-safety systems, and general infrastructure.
• Respond to maintenance requests, guest concerns, and downtime events quickly to minimize impact on guest satisfaction.
• Manage building systems, inspections, maintenance schedules, and compliance programs.

Skills

Leadership

HVAC systems

Building systems

Preventive maintenance

Budget management

Safety compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher in Engineering/Facilities Management

Technical certification or trade schooling

Tools

Blueprints/Schematics

Power tools

Meters/Diagnostics

Job description

Chief Engineer

We’re People People. Are you? We’re Sonesta International Hotels—the 8th largest hotel company in the U.S. (and growing fast). With a dynamic mix of full-service and focused hotels across major cities, our diverse portfolio of owned, managed, and franchised properties means we’re everywhere our guests need us to be. But here’s the thing—we’re not just in the business of hotels, we’re in the business of people. We bring service with passion, loyalty with purpose, and create experiences that genuinely connect—delivering quality, value, and memorable stays across 1,000+ properties in eight countries (and counting).

As the Chief Engineer, you’ll lead all aspects of hotel engineering, maintenance, safety, and facility operations to ensure our property remains fully operational, guest-ready, and running at its best every day. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who thrives in fast-paced hospitality environments and enjoys balancing technical expertise, preventative maintenance, team leadership, and operational strategy. You’ll oversee building systems, repairs, maintenance programs, capital projects, life safety systems, and engineering team operations while partnering closely with hotel leadership to support guest satisfaction and operational excellence.

Responsibilities

• Lead all day-to-day hotel engineering, maintenance, and facilities operations across guest rooms, public spaces, back-of-house areas, and building systems.
• Supervise, train, schedule, and develop engineering and maintenance team members to support operational efficiency and exceptional service standards.
• Oversee preventative maintenance programs for HVAC systems, plumbing, electrical systems, boilers, chillers, kitchen equipment, elevators, life safety systems, and general hotel infrastructure.
• Respond to maintenance requests, guest concerns, equipment repairs, and operational issues quickly and professionally to minimize downtime and ensure guest satisfaction.
• Manage building systems, property inspections, maintenance schedules, and operational compliance programs.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA regulations, fire and life safety requirements, environmental standards, building codes, and hotel safety procedures.
• Support capital improvement projects, renovations, vendor management, contractor coordination, and facility upgrades.
• Monitor engineering department budgets, maintenance expenses, inventory levels, energy usage, and operational costs to drive efficiency and profitability.
• Partner closely with Housekeeping, Food & Beverage, Front Office, and Operations teams to support seamless hotel operations and guest experiences.
• Maintain accurate maintenance logs, engineering documentation, compliance records, inspections, and reporting requirements.
• Lead emergency response efforts related to building systems, weather events, power outages, or operational disruptions as needed.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, sustainability, preventative maintenance, and operational excellence.
• Help create a safe, efficient, and welcoming environment aligned with Sonesta’s People People culture.
• Any other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required; technical certification, trade school, or degree in Engineering, Facilities Management, HVAC, Electrical, or related field preferred.
• College Degree Preferred.
• 5+ years of engineering, facilities maintenance, or hotel maintenance experience preferred.
• Working knowledge of: Plumbing codes, Electrical codes, National/Local fire codes, Local Mechanical codes, Water treatment program, Blue prints, and plumbing and wiring schematics, Power and hand tools, meters, etc. as it relates to the technical trade.
• Previous leadership or supervisory experience within hotels, resorts, commercial buildings, or hospitality operations preferred.
• Strong knowledge of HVAC systems, plumbing, electrical systems, boilers, refrigeration, life safety systems, and preventative maintenance programs.
• Ability to communicate effectively in English, both verbally and in writing.
• Compute basic arithmetic to include percentages.
• Experience managing hotel engineering operations, vendor relationships, maintenance scheduling, and capital projects.
• Knowledge of OSHA regulations, fire and life safety standards, building codes, and hospitality maintenance compliance requirements.
• Strong troubleshooting, problem-solving, and technical diagnostic skills.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to respond to operational emergencies as needed.
• Valid Driver's License.
• Flexible availability including evenings, weekends, holidays, and on-call support as required in hospitality operations.
• A passion for hospitality, operational excellence, teamwork, and creating safe and exceptional guest experiences behind the scenes.

Anticipated Pay Range & Additional Job Information

How we reward you At Sonesta, we know showing up for our guests starts with showing up for our people. That means supporting your health, your financial future, and everything in between.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance
• Health Savings Account (HSA) with Company Match
• 401(k) Retirement Plan with Company Match
• Paid Vacation & Sick Time
• Paid Parental Leave
• Company-Paid Life Insurance
• Company-Paid Short-Term & Long-Term Disability
• Hospital Indemnity, Critical Illness & Accident Insurance
• Educational Assistance
• Sonesta Hotel Discounts (yes, you’ll want to use these )

Our Commitment to You

Sonesta is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We actively support professional growth and personal happiness in each of our employees at each of our hotels, resorts, suites and cruise ships. We seek out people who will eagerly partner with us to improve the overall Sonesta experience for our guests, and the overall Sonesta experience for their fellow colleagues.

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations.