Central Utility Plant Lead
About The Position
Step into a senior leadership role as Central Plant Lead where you'll serve as the primary technical authority for our Central Utility Plant operations. This position combines hands-on operational leadership with strategic oversight of mission-critical building systems that support business continuity. You'll bridge plant operations, engineering execution, and maintenance strategy while acting as the primary escalation point for plant-related issues and performance optimization. This role offers the opportunity to lead a technical team, drive reliability improvements, and contribute to JLL's engineering excellence standards in a dynamic, high-impact environment.
Requirements
- High school diploma or equivalent required
- 7+ years of progressive experience operating or maintaining central plant or critical mechanical systems
- 2-3+ years in a senior engineer, lead technician, or supervisory plant operations role
- Advanced knowledge of chilled water systems, plant sequencing, HVAC thermodynamics, and reliability-centered maintenance principles
- Experience with BAS platforms, data-driven diagnostics, and ability to interpret mechanical/electrical one-lines, P&IDs, and control sequences
- Strong leadership skills with ability to provide after-hours on-call technical support and escalation management.
Nice To Haves
- Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, HVAC, Facilities Management, or related field
- Licensed or certified HVAC/Mechanical professional with Universal EPA Certification
- NFPA/OSHA safety training and operator certifications related to boilers or central plant systems
- Experience with critical environment operations, risk-based decision-making, and capital planning support.
Responsibilities
- Lead daily Central Plant operations with full accountability for operational uptime, system reliability, and lifecycle performance of chilled water systems, boilers, cooling towers, and pumping systems
- Direct plant start-ups, shutdowns, seasonal changeovers, and load transfers while serving as the technical decision-maker during abnormal conditions and system incidents
- Own execution quality of preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance programs while performing advanced troubleshooting and leading root-cause analysis following equipment failures
- Provide leadership and technical direction to Central Plant Operators and Engineering staff, establishing clear expectations for safety, documentation, and operational discipline
- Utilize BAS analytics, trending data, and performance metrics to identify degradation trends, optimize efficiency, and proactively mitigate potential failures
- Champion zero-incident safety culture while ensuring compliance with OSHA, NFPA, EPA requirements including LOTO, confined space entry, and chemical handling protocols
- Maintain accurate CMMS documentation, plant logs, and SOPs while supporting KPI reporting on uptime performance, energy use, and reliability trends.
Benefits
- 401(k) plan with matching company contributions
- Comprehensive Medical, Dental & Vision Care
- Paid parental leave at 100% of salary
- Paid Time Off and Company Holidays
- Early access to earned wages through Daily Pay
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
High school or GED
