Chief Engineer

CMI Management•Nashville, TN

22d•Onsite

About The Position

The Chief Engineer is a working supervisor responsible for leading facilities engineering, operations, maintenance, repair, and technical compliance across CMI customer sites in Nashville, Knoxville, and Memphis, Tennessee. The role serves as the senior onsite technical lead, overseeing employees and subcontractors while ensuring building systems operate safely, reliably, and in accordance with contract requirements, applicable standards, and regulations. The Chief Engineer leads maintenance personnel, oversees a broad range of building systems, develops maintenance strategies, responds to emergencies, and maintains official records in the customer’s National Computerized Maintenance Management System (NCMMS). The position also supports continuous commissioning, utility savings, quality control, facility planning, reporting, repair proposals, and project execution. It requires the ability to respond to emergencies outside normal working hours and travel among assigned Tennessee facilities as operational needs require.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
At least 5 years of recent experience leading operations and maintenance for large, complex commercial or Government facilities.
EPA Section 608 certification appropriate to assigned refrigerant work and any state or local licenses required for the equipment and work performed.
An advanced technical credential or equivalent documented experience in stationary engineering, HVAC/refrigeration operations, boiler operations, power engineering, or a related discipline.
Demonstrated experience operating, troubleshooting, repairing, and replacing HVAC, boiler, chiller, pump, motor, piping, controls, metering, and Building Automation System components.
Working knowledge of OSHA, NFPA, ASHRAE, ASME A17, environmental, life-safety, water-quality, and applicable federal, state, and local requirements relevant to facilities operations.
Ability to read and interpret contract requirements, technical specifications, drawings, schematics, manufacturer instructions, maintenance histories, permits, inspection reports, and operating data.
Proficiency with computerized maintenance management systems and ability to maintain accurate electronic records and use data to evaluate maintenance performance, equipment condition, service-call trends, and utility performance.
Ability to respond to emergencies outside normal working hours, meet site-access and security requirements, and travel among assigned Tennessee facilities as operational needs require.
Ability to communicate clearly in English, orally and in writing, with Government representatives, tenants, employees, subcontractors, inspectors, and emergency responders.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, facilities management, construction management, or a related field.
Experience with a federal portfolio or facilities of approximately 200,000 square feet or greater.
Credentials such as NAPE, an advanced boiler-operator credential, or an IUOE stationary-engineer credential.

Responsibilities

Serve as the senior onsite technical lead and working supervisor for facilities engineering, operations, maintenance, and repair; plan, assign, inspect, and document work performed by employees and subcontractors.
Lead, train, and mentor journeyman, apprentice, HVAC, and general maintenance personnel, and verify required training, licenses, and certifications.
Operate and maintain building systems within the PWS scope, including electrical, mechanical, HVAC, water and sewer, hydronic, filtration, generator, fire protection, life-safety, lighting, vertical transportation, architectural, structural, security, metering, and control systems.
Develop and execute routine, predictive, condition-based, and reactive maintenance strategies to maximize uptime, preserve warranties, prevent premature failure, and meet applicable specifications and standards.
Troubleshoot and oversee repairs to boilers, chillers, pumps, motors, controls, sensors, gauges, piping, tubing, expansion tanks, hydronic loops, and Building Automation Systems; perform refrigerant recovery and charging when properly certified.
Maintain occupied spaces and common areas within required temperature, humidity, ventilation, lighting, water-intrusion, odor, access, and safety conditions during occupied hours; promptly report and correct conditions that threaten health, safety, property, or operations.
Provide or coordinate 24/7 emergency response for critical system failures, asset protection, health and safety incidents, and vertical-transportation entrapments, ensuring required notifications and response times are met.
Lead a data-driven continuous commissioning program, optimize equipment schedules and sequences, identify energy and water waste, support demand reduction, and pursue utility savings while maintaining tenant comfort.
Maintain accurate asset, preventive-maintenance, service-call, inspection, testing, repair, subcontractor, permit, certification, and corrective-action records in the customer’s NCMMS.
Support development and annual updates of Building Operating Plans, emergency preparedness and response plans, utility demand-reduction plans, facility assessments, and other technical deliverables.
Conduct quality-control inspections; document deficiencies, root causes, and corrective actions; analyze recurring failures and service-call trends; and support quantitative Acceptable Quality Level performance reporting.
Inspect mechanical rooms, common areas, equipment, and active work for orderly conditions and compliance with OSHA, NFPA, environmental requirements, permits, customer directives, and applicable laws; apply the more stringent requirement when standards conflict.
Coordinate disruptive maintenance with the Contracting Officer’s Representative or designee, support daily status communications and monthly reporting, and immediately escalate major repairs, outages, safety violations, environmental issues, and operational risks.
Support repair proposals, cost estimates, material and subcontractor coordination, inspections, project execution, and transition activities; maintain common stock and supplier relationships while protecting Government data, equipment, keys, badges, and records.