Chief Engineer

Cantor Fitzgerald

11d•Onsite

About The Position

The Chief Engineer leads engineering operations, maintenance, and technical planning for a two-property complex in Boston’s Back Bay. The role is accountable for building-system reliability, engineering team performance, safe operating practices, energy efficiency, and preventive maintenance and capital improvement programs. Working closely with property management, the Chief Engineer turns ownership objectives into operating plans that protect asset value, support tenant satisfaction, and manage costs. The position calls for a visible, hands-on leader who can troubleshoot complex issues, develop an engineering team, manage contractors, and communicate technical information clearly. The Chief Engineer establishes consistent operating standards across both buildings while accounting for their differing infrastructure, age, and maintenance needs. The Chief Engineer oversees building systems, team development, preventive and predictive maintenance, energy management, budgets and capital planning, projects and contractors, safety and emergency preparedness, and tenant communication. The position is on-site in Boston and includes regular field inspections and troubleshooting in addition to administrative responsibilities. After-hours emergency response and occasional evening, weekend, or holiday work may be required.

Requirements

Ten or more years of progressively responsible experience in commercial building engineering or facilities operations, including demonstrated leadership of an engineering team.
Experience operating large, complex commercial office buildings or a comparable multi-building environment.
Strong working knowledge of HVAC, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, building automation, and preventive maintenance practices.
Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot building systems, prioritize competing demands, and manage emergencies calmly and effectively.
Experience with operating budgets, capital planning, contractor management, and project execution.
Proficiency with building automation systems, CMMS/work-order platforms, Microsoft 365, and digital operating records.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical issues to nontechnical audiences.
Demonstrated commitment to tenant service, team development, accountability, and safe operations.
Technical education, apprenticeship, trade training, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
Applicable licenses and certifications required for the assigned equipment and work performed.
Availability to participate in after-hours emergency response and support planned shutdowns or projects outside normal business hours.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience as a Chief Engineer or Assistant Chief Engineer in a large commercial office property.
Experience overseeing both older, renovated buildings and modern high-rise infrastructure.
Experience with energy optimization, building analytics, retro-commissioning, and capital equipment replacement.
Familiarity with Boston-area building operations and applicable local reporting and compliance requirements.
EPA Section 608 Universal certification.
Relevant Massachusetts engineering or trade licenses, as applicable to the property’s systems.
A degree in mechanical engineering, facilities management, engineering technology, or a related discipline.

Responsibilities

Direct daily engineering operations across both buildings, coordinating staffing, maintenance, and response.
Oversee the operation, inspection, maintenance, and repair of mechanical, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, building automation, and other base-building systems, as applicable.
Coordinate with qualified service providers responsible for elevators, fire and life safety systems, and specialized equipment.
Maintain knowledge of system configurations, equipment condition, operating sequences, and critical dependencies; use building automation data, alarms, trend logs, and field observations to identify issues and direct corrective action.
Establish operating procedures, equipment logs, shutdown protocols, and escalation plans; investigate recurring failures and comfort issues and implement lasting solutions.
Coordinate maintenance and service interruptions to minimize disruption to tenants and building operations.
Lead, coach, and hold the engineering team accountable for technical performance, responsiveness, professionalism, and safe work practices.
Partner with property management on recruitment, onboarding, staffing plans, performance reviews, and succession planning; establish team responsibilities, priorities, and expectations.
Develop training and cross-training programs; plan staffing, shift schedules, vacation coverage, and after-hours rotations; review time cards and manage overtime within approved budgets and operational requirements.
Foster effective communication between engineering, property management, security, janitorial teams, and contractors.
Own preventive and predictive maintenance programs, aligning tasks and frequencies with equipment requirements, operating conditions, and asset criticality.
Maintain equipment inventories, maintenance histories, work orders, drawings, operating manuals, warranties, inspection reports, and service records in the CMMS and digital repository.
Ensure work orders are prioritized, assigned, completed, and documented; monitor overdue maintenance, repeat calls, backlogs, and critical deficiencies.
Maintain appropriate critical spare-parts inventories and accountability for tools, equipment, and supplies; use maintenance data to recommend operational improvements.
Monitor utility consumption and building performance, investigate unusual usage, and identify opportunities to reduce waste.
Optimize equipment schedules, control sequences, setpoints, and seasonal strategies while maintaining tenant comfort and system reliability.
Evaluate energy conservation projects and support energy benchmarking, emissions reporting, building-performance compliance, audits, retro-commissioning, electrification assessments, and approved sustainability initiatives.
Coordinate building automation and connected-equipment access under approved IT and vendor protocols; document project results and track performance against goals.
Partner with property management to prepare engineering operating budgets, expense forecasts, and capital plans; monitor expenses, explain variances, and recommend corrective actions.
Develop a prioritized multiyear capital plan based on equipment condition, useful life, operating risk, tenant impact, and ownership objectives.
Prepare project scopes, preliminary cost estimates, implementation schedules, and operational impact assessments; evaluate repair-versus-replacement alternatives based on lifecycle cost and asset performance.
Review proposals, purchase orders, invoices, and change orders within established approval authority; report on project progress, budget performance, deferred maintenance, and emerging risks.
Lead technical coordination of base-building repairs, equipment replacements, infrastructure upgrades, and assigned capital projects.
Support tenant improvement projects by reviewing building-system connections, access, shutdowns, and operational impacts.
Coordinate with property management, construction teams, design professionals, and tenants to protect building systems and minimize disruption.
Develop contractor scopes and support competitive procurement; monitor contractor safety, workmanship, schedule, cost, and compliance with building rules.
Coordinate project closeout, including testing, commissioning where appropriate, training, warranties, as-built documentation, and maintenance-system updates.
Coordinate work affecting historic building features with property management and appropriate specialists.
Implement company safety policies and applicable regulatory requirements; maintain inspection, testing, permit, and certification schedules.
Ensure work is performed by appropriately qualified and licensed personnel and reinforce safe practices, including lockout/tagout, electrical safety, hazardous-material handling, and contractor oversight, as applicable.
Maintain response procedures for equipment failures, water leaks, utility outages, severe weather, and other emergencies; coordinate emergency readiness and drills.
Respond to significant incidents, communicate impacts, document causes, and implement corrective actions; maintain after-hours coverage and participate in the emergency response rotation.
Serve as the primary technical resource for property management and a solutions-oriented partner to tenants; respond to requests and communicate timelines and resolution plans.
Investigate and document recurring comfort or service concerns; provide technical input for planned outages, disruptive work, and tenant communications.
Participate in tenant meetings, property inspections, and ownership discussions as needed.
Prepare concise monthly engineering reports covering system performance, maintenance, energy use, projects, staffing, and operational risks.