Director of Engineering - Custer State Park Resort

Xanterra Travel Collection•State Game Lodge, SD

21h•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Engineering provides strategic and hands-on leadership for engineering, maintenance, utilities, facilities, fleet, asset management, and capital improvement functions across Custer State Park Resorts. The resort operation includes multiple lodges, cabins, restaurants, commercial kitchens, retail outlets, recreational facilities, employee housing, roads, parking areas, utility systems, and guest-service facilities throughout Custer State Park in South Dakota’s Black Hills. The role is responsible for preserving historic assets, improving guest and employee experiences, supporting seasonal and year-round operations, and ensuring safe, sustainable, reliable infrastructure. The Director develops long-term maintenance and capital strategies, leads engineering and maintenance personnel, oversees technical systems and construction projects, and partners with resort leadership, South Dakota State representatives, Xanterra corporate resources, contractors, vendors, and professional service providers. The successful candidate combines facilities and project-management expertise with practical field leadership, working alongside the team and responding to operational needs while maintaining accountability for safety, regulatory compliance, financial performance, environmental stewardship, and guest service.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Facilities Engineering, Construction Management, Facilities Management, Building Technology, or a related field; an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience may be considered.
Seven to ten years of progressive experience in engineering, facilities, maintenance, construction, utilities, or asset management, including significant managerial or supervisory responsibility.
Demonstrated experience leading complex, multi-site facility operations in hospitality, resorts, parks, institutional environments, or a comparable setting.
Demonstrated experience planning and managing capital and construction projects, including scope, budget, schedule, procurement, contractor oversight, quality control, and closeout.
Working knowledge of HVAC, electrical distribution, plumbing, mechanical systems, water and wastewater systems, building automation, refrigeration, fire protection, and life-safety systems.
Experience developing preventive maintenance programs and administering CMMS/EAM systems.
Knowledge of OSHA requirements and applicable environmental, public-health, building, fire, life-safety, federal, state, and local regulations.
Experience developing and managing operating and capital budgets and evaluating project costs and financial returns.
Strong leadership, communication, organization, problem-solving, negotiation, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
Ability to read and interpret plans, specifications, technical manuals, contracts, codes, inspection reports, and regulatory requirements.
Ability and willingness to work alongside the team and provide hands-on technical support when operationally required.
Valid driver’s license and ability to travel among facilities and project sites.
Ability to work in varying weather conditions and on uneven terrain, including wet, icy, or snow-covered surfaces.
Ability to sit, stand, and walk for extended periods; climb stairs and ladders; bend, kneel, crouch, crawl, or lie flat to inspect equipment and facilities.
Ability to lift and carry objects weighing up to 50 pounds and safely use appropriate tools and personal protective equipment.
Ability to work at elevation, enter mechanical and utility spaces, and travel regularly among multiple facilities and project sites.
Ability to provide on-location or overnight coverage and work on-call, early mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, or varied shifts when operational needs, projects, weather events, or emergencies require.

Nice To Haves

Professional Engineer (PE), Certified Facility Manager (CFM), LEED AP, Certified Educational Facilities Professional, or comparable engineering, facilities, construction, energy, or sustainability credential.
Experience in state or national parks, destination resorts, remote hospitality operations, or facilities with significant seasonal opening and closing requirements.
Experience preserving and maintaining historic buildings and infrastructure.
Experience working with government agencies, concession agreements, environmental compliance programs, and protected natural or cultural resources.
Experience managing projects valued at $1 million or more and developing multi-year capital and asset-replacement plans.
Experience supporting both seasonal and year-round hospitality operations.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute engineering, maintenance, and asset-management strategies that support property operations, guest service, safety, sustainability, and long-term business objectives.
Lead engineering and maintenance functions across multiple properties and facilities, accounting for seasonal operating demands.
Build a high-performing organization focused on reliability, responsiveness, craftsmanship, accountability, operational excellence, and hospitality.
Partner with resort departments, South Dakota State Park leadership, corporate support functions, and external professionals, agencies, contractors, and vendors.
Oversee maintenance and reliable operation of resort buildings, facilities, utilities, roads, parking areas, fleet, transportation assets, and supporting infrastructure.
Provide technical oversight for water and wastewater, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, building automation, refrigeration, fire protection, life-safety, and related systems.
Assess facility conditions, document deficiencies, prioritize corrective work, and develop maintenance, infrastructure, and asset-replacement plans.
Coordinate facility openings, winterization, shutdowns, recommissioning, and operational-readiness activities.
Provide hands-on technical assistance to location maintenance teams for troubleshooting, inspections, repairs, emergencies, and operational priorities.
Develop preventive and predictive maintenance programs and oversee CMMS/EAM records, work orders, schedules, inspections, costs, and documentation.
Establish work-order standards; maintain technical records and documentation; analyze equipment failures and maintenance trends; develop safe-work procedures; and track performance indicators.
Lead capital improvement, renovation, infrastructure, and construction projects from concept and feasibility through design, procurement, construction, commissioning, closeout, and operational turnover.
Prepare project scopes, budgets, schedules, contracts, bid and procurement documents, change orders, and correspondence; oversee professional service providers and contractors.
Conduct project planning, site coordination, progress reviews, budget tracking, quality inspections, punch lists, and acceptance activities, ensuring approved scope, schedule, budget, safety, and limited guest disruption.
Develop capital plans, cost estimates, business cases, and return-on-investment analyses while balancing modernization and compliance with historic-character and park-resource preservation.
Ensure engineering and maintenance work complies with applicable laws, OSHA requirements, fire and life-safety standards, environmental and public-health requirements, and State Park expectations.
Maintain safe-work programs and coordinate inspection, testing, maintenance, correction, and documentation of life-safety equipment and systems.
Partner with Risk and Sustainability on environmental hazards, spills, regulated materials, hazardous waste, pest management, and corrective actions.
Track and resolve deficiencies identified by assessments, audits, inspections, and internal reviews; develop emergency, severe-weather, utility-failure, continuity, and recovery plans.
Investigate incidents, equipment failures, and near misses, determine root causes, and implement corrective and preventive actions; promote a proactive safety culture.
Promote energy efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction, responsible materials management, and sustainable practices; monitor utility use and identify improvement opportunities.
Support environmental stewardship by balancing operational requirements with protection of wildlife, natural resources, historic assets, and the park environment.
Develop and manage operating, utility, staffing, maintenance, and capital budgets; monitor expenses, forecast needs, investigate variances, and apply cost controls.
Approve expenditures within authority and ensure purchasing, bidding, contracting, invoicing, and documentation follow company policies.
Maintain departmental and project records and communicate performance, risks, deferred maintenance, project status, budget results, and resource needs to leadership.
Recruit, onboard, train, schedule, supervise, coach, and develop engineering and maintenance staff in coordination with Human Resources.
Establish organizational structure, responsibilities, work standards, performance expectations, and accountability across maintenance teams.
Develop succession planning, technical training, cross-training, and workforce-development initiatives; ensure required training and applicable licenses or certifications are maintained.
Conduct department meetings, safety discussions, coaching, performance evaluations, and recognition activities; coordinate staffing for seasonal operations, emergencies, on-call needs, projects, and peak demand.
Foster collaboration and effective communication with operating departments, with attention to the impact of maintenance work on guests and coworkers.
Perform other duties as assigned.