Director of Engineering

JLL•New York, NY

3d•$200,000 - $260,000•Onsite

About The Position

As Senior Director of Engineering, you will delight our Financial Services client through the strategic and operational delivery of JLL's Engineering services across a dynamic Americas real estate portfolio. With your extensive engineering expertise and business acumen, you will drive the strategic and tactical delivery of operational excellence for world-class office and critical environments while delivering 100% uptime in support of client business continuity. You’ll lead a team of 40 union and non-union Operating Engineers with 4 direct reports and will be responsible for providing transformational leadership that fosters an ownership-mindset culture while developing and empowering our people to deliver outstanding services aligned with our client's desired outcomes. You will have the chance to work in a culture of collaboration, both locally and across the globe, setting JLL apart as a leader in the industry. We embrace innovative ways of working and provide various opportunities for you to strengthen and advance your career, always prioritizing your growth and development. This is an onsite role based in Midtown Manhattan with approximately 15-20% travel.

Requirements

8-10+ years of strategic and tactical engineering management experience for multi-regional portfolios, including large-scale, high-rise buildings and complex facilities, preferably supporting financial services or technology-focused clients with critical systems.
Demonstrated expertise in engineering services, including hands-on experience with building systems including critical environments.
Proven track record of implementing and managing robust Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) programs that drive compliance, consistency, and continuous improvement through standardized procedures, regular audits, inspections, corrective actions, and lessons learned sharing to ensure optimal performance, risk mitigation, and client satisfaction.
Undergraduate degree; engineering, engineering technology, or a related field
Demonstrated transformational leadership in establishing standardized processes, resource alignment, and governance frameworks to deliver operational excellence and consistent results across portfolio operations.
Excellent leadership with proven success in recruiting, developing, and retaining top engineering talent and succession planning, including creating development plans and fostering an inspiring, empowering culture.
Executive presence with exceptional communication skills and the ability to build trust-based relationships across all stakeholder levels, influencing stakeholders and driving enterprise-wide transformation.
Strong budget development and forecasting abilities, with deep understanding of operational budgeting, cost management, variance analysis, and financial reporting to support asset life cycle analysis and capital planning.
High-level performance in vendor management and contract negotiations, including managing service level agreements for mission-critical systems and coordinating with third-party subject matter experts.
Proficiency in industry-standard technology platforms such as Building Management Systems (BMS/BAS), Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS), Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM), and advanced analytics/reporting tools to ensure operational excellence and compliance.
Demonstrated ability to comply with JLL and client-directed policies and procedures, including regulatory compliance, audit readiness, and safety protocols.
High-level performance in vendor management and contract negotiations.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree (MBA, MS Engineering, or related field)
Experience managing global service delivery
Professional engineering certifications or licenses

Responsibilities

Portfolio leadership and service delivery. You'll drive strategic and tactical excellence as the senior leader responsible for delivery, client satisfaction, and transformational initiatives within our Americas engineering portfolio. Each day brings opportunities to analyze portfolio-wide performance data, identify optimization opportunities, and present strategies that leverage industry trends and data-driven insights to enhance client experience.
Ensure continuous operation of mission-critical systems. You'll maintain 100% uptime for all critical infrastructure through proactive monitoring, preventive maintenance programs, and rapid incident response protocols that minimize any risk of service disruption.
Drive predictive maintenance and asset reliability programs. You'll implement condition-based monitoring, thermal imaging, and predictive analytics to identify potential failures before they occur, scheduling maintenance activities during planned windows to eliminate unplanned downtime and maximize system reliability.
Lead comprehensive risk mitigation and business continuity planning. You'll develop and maintain robust contingency plans, redundancy strategies, and emergency response procedures that protect against system failures, ensuring seamless business operations even during unexpected events or equipment malfunctions.
Maintain 24/7 operational readiness and emergency response capability. You'll establish on-call engineering support structures, conduct regular system testing and failover drills, and ensure your team is prepared to respond immediately to any critical incidents that could impact business operations.
Oversee vendor and service provider performance for critical systems. You'll manage relationships with OEM partners, maintenance contractors, and specialty service providers to ensure guaranteed response times, proper spare parts inventory, and technical expertise are always available to support mission-critical infrastructure.
Operational excellence. You'll establish enterprise-wide standards and QA/QC processes that enable consistent delivery, scalability, and continuous improvement.
Safety and compliance: You’ll ensure full compliance with all applicable codes, regulations, and industry standards—including OSHA, NFPA, NEC, and local jurisdictions—while conducting regular compliance audits, maintaining all required certifications and permits, and staying current with evolving regulatory requirements. You'll implement rigorous safety procedures that protect personnel during maintenance and emergency operations, ensure proper lockout/tagout procedures, provide ongoing safety training, and foster a culture of safety-first operations.
Performance achievement. You'll drive achievement of contractual requirements and account goals, including work order management metrics and CPI/KPI targets, while maintaining high client satisfaction measured through performance indicators and satisfaction surveys.
Financial stewardship and performance management. You'll oversee comprehensive financial planning including operational budgeting and forecasting. Your focus on cost optimization and variance analysis ensures performance within approved budgets and CPI tolerances while delivering measurable value through annual savings targets and transparent financial reporting.
Client partnership and relationship building. You'll establish and maintain strong relationships at all organizational levels, serving as the primary point of escalation for complex operational challenges. Through regular governance business reviews and strategic planning sessions, you'll present portfolio analytics, benchmarking insights, and recommendations that reinforce JLL's position as strategic partner of choice.
Team development and cultural transformation. You'll invest in people care by creating development and succession plans that strengthen our talent pipeline and promote our "Destination Account" vision. Your leadership fosters a culture of excellence, ownership, and empowerment while leading change initiatives that embed best practices through standardized, programmatic approaches across the portfolio. You'll implement portfolio transformation programs that equip our people with the training and resources needed for success.
Integration and collaboration. You'll ensure seamless integration across all JLL services, coordinating internally to deliver a unified OneJLL approach for our client. You and the engineering leads will participate in the One Team collaboration program that includes our client's Workplace teams and Landlords, working together in a client-centric manner to achieve combined success. Your collaborative mindset identifies issues early and engages leadership to support timely resolution.