Sr. Chief Engineer

cw; Santa Ana (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

cw is seeking a Senior Chief Engineer to lead engineering and maintenance operations across a large campus and portfolio, ensuring reliable, safe, and efficient building systems. You will oversee HVAC, electrical, plumbing, fire/life safety, BAS, and related infrastructure, driving preventive maintenance, capital planning, and major projects.

The role requires strategic leadership of engineering staff, partnership with facilities management, and delivery of long-term reliability and energy

Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership and direction for engineering and maintenance operations.
• Lead, supervise, coach, train, and develop engineering and maintenance personnel.
• Establish performance expectations and accountability for quality, productivity, customer service, and safety.
• Direct day-to-day engineering operations, including preventive maintenance, repairs, inspections, work orders, and vendor services.
• Develop engineering standards, procedures, and performance metrics.
• Provide advanced technical leadership for HVAC, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, hydraulic, fire/life safety, and building automation systems.
• Foster a collaborative, high-performing engineering organization focused on continuous improvement.
• Oversee operation and maintenance of HVAC, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, fire/life safety, BAS, and related systems.
• Lead preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance programs.
• Manage CMMS operations, work orders, inspections, equipment history, and reporting.
• Conduct facility inspections, condition assessments, technical audits, and engineering analyses.
• Maintain asset management and equipment lifecycle programs.
• Develop recommendations for replacement, modernization, and rehabilitation of aging infrastructure.
• Stay current with building technologies, maintenance methodologies, and industry best practices.
• Partner with Property/Facility Management on short- and long-term engineering strategies.
• Assist in development and management of capital budgets and replacement plans.
• Identify operational risks, infrastructure needs, and investment opportunities.
• Support feasibility studies and business cases for infrastructure projects.
• Provide technical leadership for major capital projects, including HVAC, roofing, plumbing, electrical, and BAS upgrades.
• Support project planning, bidding, contractor selection, commissioning, and closeout.
• Participate in building acquisitions, transitions, and startup activities.
• Assist with operating, capital, and extraordinary expense budgets.
• Monitor labor, maintenance expenses, utilities, and project costs.
• Develop technical scopes of work and specifications.
• Support procurement activities, RFP development, contractor evaluations, and bid analyses.
• Manage contractor and vendor performance.
• Review invoices and ensure expenditures align with approved budgets and contracts.
• Identify opportunities for lifecycle cost reduction and operational efficiencies.
• Lead engineering safety programs and site-specific safety plans.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA requirements, fire/life safety standards, environmental regulations, and building codes.
• Maintain emergency action plans and hazardous materials programs.
• Support emergency preparedness, disaster response, and environmental compliance initiatives.
• Promote a strong safety culture and safe work practices.
• Ensure required inspections, certifications, permits, and compliance documentation are maintained.
• Drive efficient operation of building systems and building performance.

Job description

Job Title

Sr. Chief Engineer

Job Description Summary

The Chief Engineer will be responsible for leadership of Engineers and management of daily operations, preventative maintenance and repairs to HVAC, electrical, fire life safety, plumbing, and all other building systems through planning and management of staff, subcontractors and other vendors. Responsibilities include management of campus environment (30 acre) consisting of 6 buildings (700K Sq. Ft.) occupant space, café, parking structure and surrounding association.

Job Summary

The Senior Chief Engineer serves as the senior engineering leader responsible for the overall performance, reliability, safety, and strategic direction of building engineering operations across a large, complex property, campus, or portfolio of properties totaling 500,000+ square feet. This role provides leadership and oversight of engineering and maintenance staff while ensuring the effective operation, maintenance, repair, and improvement of HVAC, electrical, plumbing, fire/life safety, building automation, and other critical building systems.In addition to maintaining full accountability for the core operational responsibilities of a Chief Engineer, the Senior Chief Engineer leads engineering programs, develops engineering talent, drives operational excellence, preventive and predictive maintenance strategies, energy and sustainability initiatives, capital planning, and major projects. This position serves as a key technical partner to Property/Facility Management and clients while ensuring engineering staff performance, regulatory compliance, financial stewardship, vendor performance, and the long‑term reliability of building infrastructure.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Engineering Leadership & Operational Excellence

• Provide overall leadership and direction for engineering and maintenance operations.
• Lead, supervise, coach, train, and develop engineering and maintenance personnel.
• Establish performance expectations and accountability for quality, productivity, customer service, and safety.
• Direct day‑to‑day engineering operations, including preventive maintenance, repairs, inspections, work orders, and vendor services.
• Develop engineering standards, procedures, and performance metrics.
• Provide advanced technical leadership for HVAC, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, hydraulic, fire/life safety, and building automation systems.
• Foster a collaborative, high‑performing engineering organization focused on continuous improvement.

Building Systems & Maintenance Management

• Oversee operation and maintenance of HVAC, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, fire/life safety, BAS, and related systems.
• Lead preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance programs.
• Manage CMMS operations, work orders, inspections, equipment history, and reporting.
• Conduct facility inspections, condition assessments, technical audits, and engineering analyses.
• Maintain asset management and equipment lifecycle programs.
• Develop recommendations for replacement, modernization, and rehabilitation of aging infrastructure.
• Stay current with building technologies, maintenance methodologies, and industry best practices.

Strategic & Capital Planning

• Partner with Property/Facility Management on short‑ and long‑term engineering strategies.
• Assist in development and management of capital budgets and replacement plans.
• Identify operational risks, infrastructure needs, and investment opportunities.
• Support feasibility studies and business cases for infrastructure projects.
• Provide technical leadership for major capital projects, including HVAC, roofing, plumbing, electrical, and BAS upgrades.
• Support project planning, bidding, contractor selection, commissioning, and closeout.
• Participate in building acquisitions, transitions, and startup activities.

Financial, Procurement & Vendor Management

• Assist with operating, capital, and extraordinary expense budgets.
• Monitor labor, maintenance expenses, utilities, and project costs.
• Develop technical scopes of work and specifications.
• Support procurement activities, RFP development, contractor evaluations, and bid analyses.
• Manage contractor and vendor performance.
• Review invoices and ensure expenditures align with approved budgets and contracts.
• Identify opportunities for lifecycle cost reduction and operational efficiencies.

Safety, Compliance & Risk Management

• Lead engineering safety programs and site‑specific safety plans.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA requirements, fire/life safety standards, environmental regulations, and building codes.
• Maintain emergency action plans and hazardous materials programs.
• Support emergency preparedness, disaster response, and environmental compliance initiatives.
• Promote a strong safety culture and safe work practices.
• Ensure required inspections, certifications, permits, and compliance documentation are maintained.

Energy, Sustainability & Building Performance

Drive efficient operation of building systems and u