Director, Critical Environments - Engineering

Cushman & Wakefield; United States; Remote; USD 145,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Vision insurance

Dental insurance

Flexible spending accounts

Health savings accounts

Retirement savings plans

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Paid time off

Unpaid time away from work

Job summary

Cushman & Wakefield is seeking a Director, Critical Environments - Engineering in the United States. The role leads engineering and operational requirements for data center platforms, working with GOS/C&W teams and client accounts to ensure uptime, scalability, and compliance.

The position requires advanced knowledge of power distribution, cooling, and building automation, with a focus on safety, sustainability, and continuous improvement across critical facilities.

Qualifications

• Experience in data center environments.
• Minimum of 10 years in commercial property/facilities engineering.
• Minimum 3 years of management experience in facilities/engineering, with building systems oversight.

Responsibilities

• Provide engineering oversight in data center environments to ensure uptime and SLA adherence.
• Lead engineering efforts for power distribution, cooling, fire suppression, and BAS to mitigate risk.
• Partner with operations, site stakeholders, and clients to align practices with business continuity and performance goals.
• Support capacity planning with IT, facilities, and project teams to meet current and future demand.
• Ensure compliance with standards (Uptime Institute, ASHRAE, NFPA, OSHA) and assist in audits and documentation.
• Develop and monitor technical programs, policies, and procedures for National Operations and Engineering.
• Coordinate with clients and Cushman & Wakefield facilities teams to implement safety, quality, sustainability, energy management, and Energy Star initiatives.
• Conduct periodic site inspections to review performance of suppliers and on-site staff.

Skills

Communication Proficiency

Interpersonal Skills

Organization Skills

Technical Proficiency

Leadership

Education

High School/GED

2-year technical degree plus 3-5 years experience

HVAC-focused technical training

Job description

Job Title

Director, Critical Environments - Engineering

Job Description Summary

The Director of Critical Environments- Engineering is a member of the Corporate Critical Environments/Data Center central SME team and is responsible for providing subject matter expertise to the critical solutions business. In addition, will be responsible for overseeing critical environments engineering and operational requirements, including but not limited to the GOS C&W engineering, IFM and data center platforms while supporting all GOS critical accounts. This position will have close interaction with Senior Management, Regional Engineering Management, and with Property Management.

Job Description

• Provide engineering support and oversight in Data Center environments, ensuring continuous uptime, system redundancy, and adherence to mission-critical infrastructure standards, including Tier-level compliance and SLA requirements.
• Lead engineering efforts by supporting critical systems such as power distribution, cooling infrastructure, fire suppression, and building automation systems to maintain optimal performance and risk mitigation.
• Partner with Data Center operations teams, site-level stakeholders, and client representatives to align engineering practices with business continuity objectives, incident response protocols, and performance optimization strategies.
• Support capacity planning and infrastructure scalability by collaborating with IT, facilities, and project management teams to ensure engineering systems meet current and future demand.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory and industry standards (e.g., Uptime Institute, ASHRAE, NFPA, OSHA) and contribute to audit readiness and documentation for mission-critical sites.
• Assist with development, implementation and monitoring of technical programs, and policies and procedures as required by both National Operations and Engineering.
• Works with clients and C&W facility management team to help implement and coordinate requirements such as safety, quality assurance, sustainability, energy management, Energy Star, C&W engineering disciplines, and combined energy and water tracking tools.
• Conducts periodic site inspections in accordance with the guidelines presented in the national Engineering platform to review client sites and check performance of C&W suppliers and self performing technicians.
• Conducts physical property, mechanical, electrical and system assessments as needed or requested
• Provides leadership and direction for the implementation of client and corporate initiatives
• Provides direction and consultation to the operating staff for HVAC, MEP systems, Fire & Life Safety systems, Automation, Security, and OSHA compliance
• Assists in scope definition, contract negotiations and bid reviews for service, and capital replacement projects
• Establish and maintain a network of consultants/pre-qualified service providers to provide assistance and expertise to the field in matters beyond the expertise of operations staff (i.e. MEP design Engineer of record, Environmental, Structural, and Architectural)
• Provides effective and prompt responses to requests from C&W leadership and clients

Key Competencies

• Communication Proficiency (oral and written)
• Interpersonal Skills
• Organization Skills
• Technical Proficiency
• Leadership

Important education

• High School Diploma or GED Equivalent
• Two-year technical degree plus 3 to 5 years of related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education, experience, and training.
• Completion of Technical school study relating to HVAC design and Maintenance preferred

Important experience

• Experience working in a data center environment
• Minimum of 10 years of commercial property experience
• Minimum of 3 years of management level experience in facilities/property maintenance, engineering, the installation and operation of Building Systems (HVAC, plumbing, Fire/Life Safety, etc.), project management, and supervision of skilled trades and technical staff

additional eligibility qualifications

• Operating Engineers License as required by local jurisdictions, and equivalent
• Technical proficiency in the mechanical, electrical and control systems used in the Property Management industry
• Expertise in the operation, management and the cost controls of Property Operations
• Knowledge and interpretation and application of applicable commercial building codes and standards
• Experience reading and interpreting documents such as blueprints, safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and BAS SOO
• Strong understanding of project management processes
• Basic Computing Skills in Outlook, Excel & Word
• A high level of functional/technical knowledge of building system operation is necessary and must have proficiency in plumbing, HVAC, and electrical distribution systems.
• Must be able to prepare and present detailed reports on building operations and systems. Must be able to write professional business correspondence and procedural manuals. Must have the ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, and internal and external customers.
• Ability to quickly define problems, gather and assess relevant data and information, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions in order to implement solutions and repairs and delegate to appropriate personnel. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables
• Ability to travel up to 30-40% - estimated

Cushman & Wakefield also provides eligible employees with an opportunity to enroll in a variety of benefit programs, generally including health, vision, and dental insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life, and disability insurance programs, and paid and unpaid time away from work. In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, Cushman and Wakefield provide eligible employees with competitive pay, which may vary depending on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, total hours worked, job type, business line, and applicability of collective bargaining agreements.

The compensation that will be offered to the successful candidate will depend on factors such as whether the position is covered by a collective bargaining agreement, the geographic area in which the work will be performed, market pay rates in that area, and the candidate’s experience and qualifications.

The company will not pay less than minimum wage for this role.

The compensation for the position is: $ 144,500.00 - $170,000.00

Cushman & Wakefield is an Equal Opportunity employer to all protected groups, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. Discrimination of any type will not be tolerated.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position at Cushman & Wakefield, please call the ADA line at 1-888-365-5406 or email [e-mail]. Please refer to the job title and job location when you contact us.

INCO: “Cushman & Wakefield”