Engineering Director

Nia Hotel; Menlo Park (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Hotel Nia in Menlo Park, California, seeks an experienced Director of Engineering to lead the Engineering and facilities operations, ensuring safety, reliability, and an exceptional guest experience.

This role will manage high-rise building systems, drive preventive maintenance, and deliver capital projects while partnering with leadership to optimize energy efficiency and operating costs.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5–7 years of progressive Engineering, Facilities, or Building Operations experience, preferably within hotels or luxury hospitality.
• Prior experience as a Director of Engineering or comparable leadership role strongly preferred.
• High-rise building experience required.
• Strong working knowledge of HVAC, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, fire/life-safety, building automation, vertical transportation, and preventive maintenance systems.
• Demonstrated experience troubleshooting complex building issues and developing long-term corrective solutions.
• Experience managing capital projects, contractors, vendors, budgets, and preventive maintenance programs.
• Strong knowledge of workplace safety practices and applicable building and regulatory requirements.
• Hospitality experience strongly preferred.
• Relevant technical licenses, certifications, or trade credentials are highly desirable

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and hands-on leadership for hotel Engineering and facilities operations.
• Oversee operation, maintenance, repair, and optimization of HVAC, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, refrigeration, life-safety, building automation, elevators and other critical building systems.
• Apply extensive high-rise and complex building experience to troubleshoot interconnected systems and resolve recurring or difficult engineering challenges.
• Conduct regular inspections of guestrooms, public areas, back-of-house spaces, mechanical rooms, exterior areas, and critical infrastructure.
• Establish strong preventive and predictive maintenance programs that reduce downtime, emergency repairs, and long-term operating costs.
• Maintain detailed documentation, maintenance schedules, equipment histories, warranties, inspections, and regulatory records.
• Ensure Engineering operations meet applicable building codes, fire and life-safety requirements, environmental standards, brand expectations, and regulatory requirements.
• Lead and coordinate capital improvement projects, renovations, major repairs, and equipment replacements from planning through completion.
• Develop scopes of work, review proposals, obtain competitive bids, and oversee contractors and vendors.
• Ensure projects are completed safely, on schedule, within budget, and to established quality standards.
• Maintain strong vendor accountability and ensure outside partners meet the hotel's expectations for quality, responsiveness, professionalism, and value.
• Partner with ownership, management, contractors, consultants, and other stakeholders on major building initiatives.
• Recruit, develop, coach, and lead a knowledgeable and highly responsive Engineering team.
• Build a culture of ownership, accountability, urgency, craftsmanship, and continuous improvement.
• Establish clear expectations and ensure the team understands not only how work should be completed, but why it matters to the operation and guest experience.
• Develop the technical capabilities of the Engineering team through training, cross-training, and hands‑on coaching.
• Create effective staffing and on‑call coverage to support a 24/7 hotel operation.
• Foster strong partnerships with Housekeeping, Front Office, Food & Beverage, Security, Events, and other hotel departments.
• Develop and manage the Engineering operating budget and support the development of the hotel's capital expenditure plan.
• Monitor utilities, repair expenses, contracts, equipment performance, and departmental spending.
• Identify opportunities to improve energy efficiency and reduce utility consumption without compromising guest comfort or building performance.
• Evaluate repair-versus-replacement decisions using operational impact, lifecycle cost, reliability, and return on investment.
• Maintain appropriate inventories of tools, parts, supplies, and critical replacement components.

Skills

Leadership

Hospitality experience

High-rise building expertise

Problem solving

Strategic thinking

Team development

Budget management

Regulatory compliance

Tools

HVAC systems

Building automation

Vertical transportation

Fire/life-safety systems

Energy management

Job description

Description

Hotel Nia is seeking an experienced, hands-on, and solutions-oriented Director of Engineering to lead the Engineering function and ensure the long-term performance, safety, reliability, and appearance of our hotel.

We are looking for more than someone who maintains a building—we are looking for a builder, problem solver, and operational leader who takes ownership, identifies opportunities before they become problems, and develops sustainable solutions that strengthen the property for the future.

The ideal candidate brings significant experience working with high-rise or complex commercial building systems and understands the interconnected nature of HVAC, electrical, plumbing, life-safety, mechanical, vertical transportation, building automation, and other critical infrastructure.

This leader will combine strong technical expertise with hospitality instincts, developing a high-performing Engineering team while ensuring that the physical environment consistently supports an exceptional associate and guest experience.

Key Responsibilities

Engineering & Building Operations

• Provide strategic and hands-on leadership for all hotel Engineering and facilities operations.
• Oversee the operation, maintenance, repair, and optimization of HVAC, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, refrigeration, life-safety, fire protection, building automation, elevators and other critical building systems.
• Apply extensive high-rise and complex building experience to troubleshoot interconnected systems and resolve recurring or difficult engineering challenges.
• Conduct regular inspections of guestrooms, public areas, back-of-house spaces, mechanical rooms, exterior areas, and critical infrastructure.
• Establish strong preventive and predictive maintenance programs that reduce downtime, emergency repairs, and long-term operating costs.
• Maintain detailed documentation, maintenance schedules, equipment histories, warranties, inspections, and regulatory records.
• Ensure Engineering operations meet applicable building codes, fire and life-safety requirements, environmental standards, brand expectations, and regulatory requirements.

Build, Solve & Improve

• Approach the property with a builder's mindset—continuously identifying opportunities to strengthen infrastructure, processes, systems, and the overall condition of the hotel.
• Diagnose root causes rather than relying on temporary fixes.
• Develop practical, sustainable solutions to complex operational and building challenges.
• Identify aging infrastructure, operational vulnerabilities, and capital needs before they impact the guest experience or hotel operations.
• Create short- and long-term plans for equipment replacement, building improvements, renovations, and capital projects.
• Partner with hotel leadership to prioritize investments based on safety, guest impact, operational risk, return on investment, and long-term property needs.
• Challenge existing processes when a safer, smarter, more efficient solution is available.

Capital Projects & Vendor Management

• Lead and coordinate capital improvement projects, renovations, major repairs, and equipment replacements from planning through completion.
• Develop scopes of work, review proposals, obtain competitive bids, and oversee contractors and vendors.
• Ensure projects are completed safely, on schedule, within budget, and to established quality standards.
• Maintain strong vendor accountability and ensure outside partners meet the hotel's expectations for quality, responsiveness, professionalism, and value.
• Partner with ownership, management, contractors, consultants, and other stakeholders on major building initiatives.

Leadership & Team Development

• Recruit, develop, coach, and lead a knowledgeable and highly responsive Engineering team.
• Build a culture of ownership, accountability, urgency, craftsmanship, and continuous improvement.
• Establish clear expectations and ensure the team understands not only how work should be completed, but why it matters to the operation and guest experience.
• Develop the technical capabilities of the Engineering team through training, cross-training, and hands‑on coaching.
• Create effective staffing and on‑call coverage to support a 24/7 hotel operation.
• Foster strong partnerships with Housekeeping, Front Office, Food & Beverage, Security, Events, and other hotel departments.

Financial & Operational Stewardship

• Develop and manage the Engineering operating budget and support the development of the hotel's capital expenditure plan.
• Monitor utilities, repair expenses, contracts, equipment performance, and departmental spending.
• Identify opportunities to improve energy efficiency and reduce utility consumption without compromising guest comfort or building performance.
• Evaluate repair-versus-replacement decisions using operational impact, lifecycle cost, reliability, and return on investment.
• Maintain appropriate inventories of tools, parts, supplies, and critical replacement components.

Requirements

Qualifications

• Minimum 5–7 years of progressive Engineering, Facilities, or Building Operations experience, preferably within hotels, luxury hospitality, high-rise buildings, or complex commercial properties.
• Prior experience as a Director of Engineering, Chief Engineer, Assistant Director of Engineering, Facilities Director, or comparable leadership role strongly preferred.
• High-rise building experience required.
• Strong working knowledge of HVAC, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, fire/life-safety, building automation, vertical transportation, and preventive maintenance systems.
• Demonstrated experience troubleshooting complex building issues and developing long-term corrective solutions.
• Experience managing capital projects, contractors, vendors, budgets, and preventive maintenance programs.
• Strong knowledge of workplace safety practices and applicable building and regulatory requirements.
• Ability to respond effectively to emergencies and make sound decisions under pressure.
• Strong organizational, communication, and leadership skills.
• Hospitality experience strongly preferred.
• Relevant technical licenses, certifications, or trade credentials are highly desirable