Director of Engineering

Breathe deeply, dream wildly, and discover a soulful sanctuary where finding yourself comes naturally. Magic sits around every corner and within every conversation. It enchants through the charm of Los Peñasquitos Canyon and the sunshine of San Diego. It’s where classic meets cool, the fine unwinds into fun and inspiration leads to immersion. 

Bask in the San Diego sunshine and enjoy our five-star setting at Fairmont Grand Del Mar. Immersed in nature, the resort hosts 249 elegantly appointed guestrooms and suites, an 18-hole private Tom Fazio-designed golf course, a five-star spa and offers two dozen weekly outdoor activities across the 400 acres of dramatic canyon scenery including yoga, meditation and archery. The Grand includes six different dining venues, including San Diego’s only three-Michelin starred restaurant, Addison.  

Growth and advancement are not only accessible but actively encouraged. We promote a balanced life for our colleagues and continually seek new ways to enhance our environment and support our beautiful home of San Diego. 

Annual Salary Range: $145,000 - $175,000 USD

The Director of Engineering will provide leadership, guidance and direction in achieving the hotel’s vision and mission. Reporting to the General Manager, the Director of Engineering will be responsible for implementing Accor engineering and work standards and overseeing the engineering operations.

What you will be doing

• Oversee the engineering department with attention to details and follow-up to ensure satisfactory completion of tasks and projects
• Maintain all equipment and systems in correct operational status including but not limited to Accor MEP standards, Fire & Life Safety standards, Risk Management, environmental standards, expenditures and project management
• Ensure proper completion of the Preventive Maintenance Program for guest rooms, public areas, and safety systems while working closely with the Rooms Division, Food & Beverage Department, Security, purchasing and other operational departments
• Maintain all mechanical rooms inclusive of Boiler Plant, chilled water circulation, air handling units, fan coils, VAVs, motors, pumps …etc.
• Prepare and control of the monthly and annual engineering department budget
• Experience in yearly engineering-budget preparations and monthly forecasting of the department’s expenses
• Forecast and manage the hotel energy and water usage and all the associated costs
• Prepare CAPEX expenditures for the engineering department and assist all other departments in preparing their CAPEX needs
• Identify issues and provide solutions, inclusive of outsourcing and managing 3rd party companies
• Identify, budget for and manage projects related to renovations and or replacements within the hotel
• Run landscaping both summer and winter operations
• Pool operations knowledge inclusive of water treatment
• Understand water treatment for closed systems and maintains all the related logs for testing of chemicals balance and legionella control.
• Work closely with the purchasing department to source the best products for the least cost
• Monitoring the Hotel's Energy consumption on daily and monthly basis
• Ensuring prompt and/or immediate response to maintenance requests from our guests, employees, and management of the Hotel
• Recruiting, scheduling, payroll, performance appraisals and reviews, training and development of all engineering colleagues
• Coordinate and complete all audits related to engineering and risk management
• Responsible for departmental health and safety, training programs, statutory compliance
• Manage the hotel emergency response team in coordination with Security and hotel management
• Coordination and management of outside contractors
• Ensure hotel compliance with all City and State regulations and ordinances
• Actively participate in the Hotel's Energy Management, Occupational Health & Safety, and Environmental programs.
• Lead and support a diverse team in the operations and maintenance of the hotel including: general maintenance, HVAC, kitchen repairs, carpentry, electrical, plumbing and grounds
• Set up and attend monthly departmental meetings for the engineering employees
• Manage at hotel level ACCORs Energy/Sustainability Programs and champion the Planet21 committee
• Be available on an ‘on-call’ basis during off hours for emergency situations
• Attend to all requests from the General Manager

Your experience and skills include:

• Bachelors’ degree in the engineering field with a minimum of 5+ years’ experience in a similar position in a hotel, OR a technical degree with 8+ years in a similar position with project management experience in the hospitality industry
• Team player and a proven team builder.
• Professional Engineer Designation an asset
• Knowledgeable in all municipal codes, City codes, State regulations, OSHA regulations as well as the Fire Department requirements and building testing.
• Proven negotiation skills with 3rd parties and contractors
• Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills
• Highly organized with the ability to be flexible, and to work well under pressure.
• Must be computer literate and familiar with computerized maintenance systems
• Must lead by example by displaying a high standard of performance with the ability to communicate these expectations to the team to achieve above expectation results.
• Hours of work and days off will vary according to business demands.
• Able to work in a fast-paced, upscale, luxury hotel at a downtown location that caters to leisure, meetings & conference environments.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

• Bachelors’ degree in the engineering field with a minimum of 5+ years’ experience in a similar position in a hotel, OR a technical degree with 8+ years in a similar position with project management experience in the hospitality industry

LANGUAGE SKILLS

• Fluent spoken and written English
• Fluent spoken and written Spanish is beneficial but not required

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

• Basic cost accounting

REASONING ABILITY

• Self-initiative and proven abilities in making sound decisions
• Creative quality improvement methods

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Requires high degrees of mobility with extensive walking, standing and sitting
• Frequent daily extended hours including occasional late night emergency call outs to property

Our commitment to Diversity & Inclusion: We are an inclusive company, and our ambition is to attract, recruit and promote diverse talent. Fairmont Grand Del Mar is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. EOE/M/F/D/V

Why work for Accor? We are far more than a worldwide leader. We welcome you as you are and you can find a job and brand that matches your personality. We support you to grow and learn every day, making sure that work brings purpose to your life, so that during your journey with us, you can continue to explore Accor’s limitless possibilities. By joining Accor, every chapter of your story is yours to write and together we can imagine tomorrow's hospitality. Discover the life that awaits you at Accor, visit https://careers.accor.com/

Do what you love, care for the world, dare to challenge the status quo! #BELIMITLESS