Chief Engineer

HireTalent; Lake Forest (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

HireTalent seeks an experienced Chief Engineer to lead engineering, maintenance, and critical facility operations within a major corporate HQ and data center environment.

You will ensure safe, reliable operation of HVAC, electrical, BAS, life-safety, and emergency systems while guiding capital projects and asset reliability initiatives.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED.
• Minimum 7 years of progressive experience in industrial facilities operations.
• Minimum 5 years of data center maintenance experience.
• Experience leading maintenance teams and technical operations.
• Experience managing capital construction and infrastructure improvement projects.
• Knowledge of CMMS administration and maintenance planning.
• Experience working with BAS, HVAC controls, electrical distribution, emergency power and chilled water systems.
• Strong troubleshooting and root cause analysis capabilities.
• Knowledge of reliability-centered maintenance principles.
• Experience managing vendors, contractors, and service providers.
• Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall technical and operational leadership for engineering and maintenance functions.
• Ensure the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of critical infrastructure and data center systems.
• Lead maintenance teams and develop staff through coaching.
• Develop and implement preventive, predictive, corrective, and emergency maintenance strategies.
• Manage infrastructure, renovation, maintenance, and capital improvement projects from planning through completion.
• Coordinate contractors, vendors, consultants, and service providers.
• Develop project scopes, budgets, schedules, and business justifications.
• Establish maintenance standards, procedures, and best practices.
• Support business continuity and disaster recovery planning.

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Associate Degree (preferred)

Tools

CMMS administration

BAS

HVAC controls

Electrical distribution

Emergency power systems

Chilled water systems

Job description

We are seeking an experienced Chief Engineer to provide technical and operational leadership for engineering, maintenance, and critical facility operations supporting a major corporate headquarters and data center environment. This role is responsible for ensuring the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of complex building infrastructure, critical systems, and data center operations while leading maintenance teams, managing capital projects, and driving long-term asset reliability.

The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in commercial facilities engineering, critical infrastructure, and data center operations, along with strong leadership, project management, and reliability engineering experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall technical and operational leadership for engineering and maintenance functions
• Ensure the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of:
• HVAC systems
• Electrical distribution systems
• Plumbing systems
• Building automation systems
• Life safety systems
• Emergency power systems
• Chilled water systems
• Critical infrastructure supporting business operations
• Serve as the senior technical resource for complex infrastructure and equipment issues
• Lead advanced troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and reliability improvement initiatives
• Develop and implement preventive, predictive, corrective, and emergency maintenance strategies
• Establish maintenance standards, procedures, and best practices
• Lead, coach, and develop maintenance technicians through training and technical guidance
• Prioritize maintenance activities based on operational risk, equipment criticality, and business impact
• Develop reliability-centered maintenance programs to improve asset performance and reduce downtime
• Manage infrastructure, renovation, maintenance, and capital improvement projects from planning through completion
• Develop project scopes, budgets, schedules, and business justifications
• Coordinate contractors, vendors, consultants, and service providers
• Ensure compliance with applicable codes, regulations, company standards, and safety requirements
• Partner with facility leadership to develop operational and capital budgets
• Forecast maintenance expenditures and infrastructure replacement needs
• Develop long-term asset management and capital planning strategies
• Support business continuity, emergency response, and facility recovery planning
• Reliability
• Safety
• Energy efficiency
• Maintenance effectiveness
• Operating costs

Required Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED
• Minimum 7 years of progressive experience in:
• Industrial facilities operations
• Critical infrastructure maintenance
• Minimum 5 years of data center maintenance experience
• Strong experience managing critical facility infrastructure and large-scale mechanical systems
• Experience leading maintenance teams and technical operations
• Experience managing capital construction and infrastructure improvement projects
• Knowledge of CMMS administration and maintenance planning
• Experience working with:
• Building Automation Systems (BAS)
• HVAC controls
• Electrical distribution systems
• Emergency power systems
• Chilled water systems
• Critical facility operations
• Strong troubleshooting and root cause analysis capabilities
• Knowledge of reliability-centered maintenance principles
• Experience managing vendors, contractors, and service providers
• Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Associate Degree
• Additional certifications related to facilities management, data center operations, building systems, or engineering disciplines
• Experience supporting Fortune 500 corporate campuses or enterprise facilities
• Experience implementing asset management and reliability improvement programs
• Experience with business continuity and disaster recovery planning