Hotel Chief Engineer - Lead MEP, Safety & Ops

Sonesta International Hotels Corporation; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 124,000 - 126,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

HSA with Company Match

401(k) with Company Match

Paid Vacation & Sick Time

Parental Leave

Life Insurance

Short-Term & Long-Term Disability

Educational Assistance

Hotel Discounts

Job summary

Sonesta International Hotels Corporation is seeking a Chief Engineer to lead the hotel’s engineering team at The Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel in San Francisco. You will oversee the safe operation of mechanical, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and life-safety systems, while coordinating with vendors and ensuring compliance with the Local 39 CBA.

The role requires strong leadership, preventive maintenance expertise, and the ability to respond to emergencies outside regular hours.

Qualifications

• Significant hands-on experience operating, maintaining, and repairing mechanical, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, refrigeration, and building-control systems in a hotel, commercial building, hospital, or comparable facility.
• Previous supervisory or lead-engineer experience, preferably in a union environment.
• Strong knowledge of preventive maintenance, life-safety systems, workplace safety, energy management, and applicable building regulations.
• Ability to lead, train, schedule, and provide clear direction to a team of skilled engineers and apprentices.
• Ability to diagnose equipment failures and respond effectively to urgent building-system conditions.

Responsibilities

• Direct the operation, care, preventive maintenance, and repair of the hotel’s steam, electrical, mechanical, HVAC, plumbing, refrigeration, life-safety, and building-control systems.
• Maintain responsibility for the safe and economical operation of the hotel’s physical plant.
• Supervise, assign, and coordinate the work of employees under the Chief Engineer’s direction.
• Provide orientation, technical guidance, and training to engineers, apprentice engineers, and trainees.
• Carry out hotel management’s operational directives while maintaining compliance with the Local 39 CBA.
• Perform bargaining-unit engineering work in addition to leadership responsibilities.
• Perform the engineering duties assigned under the CBA, including the operation, maintenance, and repair of mechanical, electrical, plumbing, refrigeration, water-distribution, energy-management, and life-safety systems.
• Inspect equipment and mechanical areas regularly and identify maintenance, repair, safety, and capital-improvement needs.
• Develop and maintain preventive-maintenance programs, operating records, equipment logs, inspection reports, and regulatory documentation.
• Respond to emergency conditions involving building systems, utilities, guest rooms, public areas, and life-safety equipment.
• Coordinate appropriate work with outside vendors and contractors while observing CBA jurisdiction and bargaining-unit work requirements.
• Monitor energy usage and recommend measures that improve efficiency without compromising guest comfort, safety, or hotel operations.
• Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local safety codes, environmental requirements, permits, and hotel policies.
• Co-chair the hotel Safety Committee, represent the Engineering Department, and support hotel-wide safety and injury-prevention programs.
• Maintain appropriate inventory levels for tools, equipment, parts, and operating supplies.
• Work collaboratively with hotel leadership and operating departments to support guest service and uninterrupted hotel operations.
• Perform all other work customarily performed by stationary engineers and assigned to the Chief Engineer classification under the CBA.

Skills

Hands-on experience

Supervisory experience

Preventive maintenance

Life-safety systems

Energy management

Building regulations

Team leadership

Diagnostics and troubleshooting

Education

EPA Universal Refrigerant Certification

OSHA training

Stationary-engineering certifications

Job description

Sonesta International Hotels Corporation is seeking a Chief Engineer to lead the hotel’s engineering team at The Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel in San Francisco. You will oversee the safe operation of mechanical, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and life-safety systems, while coordinating with vendors and ensuring compliance with the Local 39 CBA.

The role requires strong leadership, preventive maintenance expertise, and the ability to respond to emergencies outside regular hours.