Chief Engineer Lake Forest, IL
About The Position
The Chief Engineer leads day-to-day maintenance and engineering operations for Grainger's Corporate Headquarters and Data Center, ensuring safe, reliable, and efficient performance of building infrastructure, critical systems, and facility support services. This role provides technical leadership to maintenance technicians, oversees preventive and corrective maintenance strategies, manages vendors and projects, and partners across Corporate Real Estate, Business Continuity, Critical Space Operations, and other stakeholders to support uninterrupted business operations. You will serve as a subject matter expert for building automation, CMMS, maintenance planning, and engineering best practices while driving continuous improvement, equipment reliability, and team capability.
Requirements
- Technical leadership
- Coaching and training maintenance technicians
- Preventive, predictive, corrective, and emergency maintenance
- Project management (planning, budgeting, scope development, contractor coordination, execution, quality assurance, commissioning, closeout, stakeholder communication)
- Vendor relationship management
- Reliability-centered maintenance strategies
- Budget development and forecasting
- Subject matter expertise in CMMS, maintenance planning, business continuity, emergency response, and recovery
Responsibilities
- Lead daily engineering and maintenance operations to ensure safe, reliable performance of building mechanical, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, life safety, and critical infrastructure systems.
- Provide technical leadership, coaching, and hands-on training for maintenance technicians on work practices, troubleshooting techniques, engineering standards, and maintenance procedures.
- Prioritize preventive, predictive, corrective, and emergency maintenance work based on operational risk, business priorities, equipment criticality, and available resources.
- Manage maintenance, renovation, infrastructure, and capital improvement projects, including planning, budgeting, scope development, contractor coordination, execution, quality assurance, commissioning, closeout, and stakeholder communication.
- Manage vendor relationships and service contracts by setting performance expectations, monitoring service levels, resolving issues, reviewing invoices, and ensuring compliance with company and regulatory standards.
- Develop reliability-centered maintenance strategies that increase equipment availability, extend asset life, reduce downtime, optimize maintenance costs, and support continuous improvement.
- Partner with the Facility Manager to develop operating and capital budgets, forecast maintenance expenditures, assess lifecycle costs, identify replacement needs, and recommend cost-effective engineering solutions.
- Serve as a subject matter expert for CMMS, maintenance planning, business continuity, emergency response, and recovery activities while driving improvements in data quality, reporting, operational efficiency, energy management, technician productivity, and customer satisfaction.
Benefits
- Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans with coverage starting on day one of employment
- 6 free sessions each year with a licensed therapist
- 18 paid time off (PTO) days annually for full-time employees
- 6 company holidays per year
- 6% company contribution to a 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan each pay period
- Employee discounts
- Tuition reimbursement
- Student loan refinancing
- Free access to financial counseling, education, and tools
- Maternity support programs
- Nursing benefits
- Up to 14 weeks paid leave for birth parents
- Up to 4 weeks paid leave for non-birth parents
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
No Education Listed
