Senior Director of Operations

Cushman & Wakefield • Chicago, IL

1d

About The Position

The Senior Director of Operations for Maintenance, Reliability & Engineering (MRE) is a strategic and operational leader responsible for driving excellence across asset management, engineering, and reliability functions. This role ensures the safe, efficient, and cost-effective operation of facilities and equipment, while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation. The ideal candidate will bring deep technical expertise, strong leadership capabilities, and a proven track record of delivering results in complex industrial environments. In concert with the priorities of a significant business transformation, the Senior Director Operations leads a central organization that supports the enterprise business, while also enabling the growth of services offering on account. As a senior leader in the transformation, this role influences strategy and establishes priorities for the account. Responsibilities include evangelizing the benefits of self-performing engineering services, integrating disparate groups of mobile engineers as well as converting third-party supported services into self-performed.

Requirements

• BA/BS degree in Business Management/Engineering/Leadership or related field.
• Previous service industry experience, progressing to a senior leadership position.
• Demonstrated problem solving and customer service skills.
• Proven administrative, management, and leadership skills.
• Digital Fluency skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Strong customer service skills.
• Flexibility with regard to schedule and ability to travel at least 50%.
• Minimum ten years’ (10) experience in the maintenance, reliability and engineering services industry, with at least seven years in a leadership position.

Nice To Haves

• MBA Preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership Develop and execute long-term strategies for maintenance, reliability, and engineering aligned with both account/client and corporate goals.
• Lead capital planning and asset lifecycle management to optimize performance and ROI.
• Collaborate with cross-functional leaders to align operations with business objectives.
• Operational Excellence Drive preventive and predictive maintenance programs to maximize equipment uptime and reliability to world-class standards.
• Implement world-class reliability practices including RCM, TPM, and root cause analysis.
• Drive standardization of engineering and maintenance processes across all sites and business units.
• Team Leadership & Development Lead a high-performing team of engineering, maintenance, and reliability professionals.
• Foster a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Mentor and develop talent, ensuring succession planning and capability building.
• Performance & Compliance Ensure compliance with all regulatory, environmental, and safety standards.
• Monitor contract KPIs and operational metrics to drive performance improvements.
• Manage budgets, forecasts, and cost control initiatives.
• Innovation & Technology Champion the adoption of digital tools, CMMS systems, and Industry 4.0 technologies.
• Evaluate and implement new technologies to improve reliability and reduce downtime.
• Lead engineering innovation initiatives to support operational scalability and sustainability.
• Business Development Coordinates all Special sales and related activities, working in conjunction with Operations Directors, Regional Leaders, and Site Leadership, to develop plans for business growth Supports VP/SVP activity to help generate new business.
• Finance Monitors/evaluates current and new account budgets, with emphasis on the management of overhead, labor, materials, and service contract expenses in order to achieve financial objectives.
• Analyzes financial dashboards on a monthly basis.
• Monitors and reviews payroll compliance to ensure timely completion and processing and, working in conjunction with Directors and leaders, to ensure accuracy.
• Oversees and monitors the purchasing and inventory control functions for all account locations, working in conjunction with leaders and Corporate offices.
• Develops and administers cost containment/reduction activities among assigned accounts.
• People Leadership Drives overall process for screens, interviews, and selecting Exempt personnel (Directors, Regional Managers, Senior Managers, Managers, Area Managers, etc.), working in conjunction with Human Resources.
• Oversees the process for selection and hiring of Non-Exempt personnel (facilities staff), and ensures compliance with Federal, State, Local, and Company guidelines.
• Evaluates the work performance of all direct reports annually and prepares a calibration and succession plan account wide.
• Establishes contingency Director, Regionals, Operations Manager, Area Manager, and in anticipation of new accounts, to ensure timely staffing through identification of current managers who are to be transferred to new accounts.
• In partnership with Human Resources, establishes and implements career development paths for Directors, Regionals, Operations Managers, Area Managers, and Supervisors, working with employees who seek opportunities for advancement.
• Drives and monitors compliance with the technical skills training of employees, ensuring timely and effective record keeping, follow-up, and re-training as required.
• Remains knowledgeable about Union contracts and guidelines, and participates as needed in Union salary issues, grievances, layoffs, and other related matters.
• Safety Partner with Safety leadership to oversee and implement safety policy, procedures, and communications for all personnel, and monitors the same for impact/effectiveness.
• Provides active leadership in establishing and maintaining a culture of safety, including adherence to company safety practices, establishment of safety review boards, and oversight of safety training.
• Monitors and evaluates Workers Compensation activities within his/her area of operations, working in conjunction with the corporate Director of HSSE and Director of Safety.
• Other Performs special assignments as needed or as requested by the Senior Vice President and/or the Vice President, Operations.
• Executes such other responsibilities as determined by the Senior Vice President and/or the Vice President, Operations.

Benefits

• Cushman & Wakefield also provides eligible employees with an opportunity to enroll in a variety of benefit programs, generally including health, vision, and dental insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life, and disability insurance programs, and paid and unpaid time away from work.
• In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, Cushman and Wakefield provide eligible employees with competitive pay, which may vary depending on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, total hours worked, job type, business line, and applicability of collective bargaining agreements.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director