Director of Engineering

Director of Engineering

This is not a regular job, andJacumba

Hot Springs Hotel is not a regular hotel.

We'rethe desert outpost of We Are Human Kind, a small independent hospitality group with zero interest in corporate polish and an obsession with gettingevery lastdetail right. Along a forgotten stretch of Old Highway 80, we've built something that doesn't really exist anywhere else: 20 artisan rooms, 5 off-site guest houses, mineral hot springs, a hot springs lake, a full bar and restaurant — and we own most of the surrounding town's commercial district, with a lot more coming.

We'rea small, independent team, and every person we hire matters.

Recent recognitionincludes:

San Diego Magazine's Best Boutique Hotel (2026), and a spot on Travel + Leisure's Best New Hotels in the World.

The Director of Engineering leads all maintenance, groundskeeping, and capital improvement work across

Jacumba

Hot Springs Hotel and every property in our portfolio, including guesthouses, rental units, the lake, and on-site shops. This role manages a team responsible for the day-to-day upkeep of buildings, grounds, and mechanical systems, and personally oversees the hotel's hot springs water system — one of the most technically complex and operationally critical assets on property. The Director also leads renovation and construction projects from planning through completion, working closely with the General Manager and ownership on scope, budget, and timeline.

This role provides strategic leadership for the department, ensuring all systems and servicesoperatesmoothly,meet company standards, andsupportboth guest satisfaction and financial performance. Given the hotel's active guest operations, this role also carries significant responsibility for emergency response and on-call management — acting quickly on time-sensitive issues, including overnight and after-hours situations, to protect guests, staff, and property.

• Hire, train, schedule, and supervise the maintenance and groundskeeping team across all owned properties.

• Set clear performance expectations, provide ongoing coaching, and build technicalskillwithin the team.

• Establish and enforce safety protocols, PPE requirements, and OSHA-compliant work practices.

• Build and manage the team's work schedule, balancing coverage needs across all properties with labor budget targets.

• Use Asana to track and prioritize incoming POM requests, and tobuild outclear daily task lists that keep the team focused and accountable.

• Own the department's on-call rotation, ensuring the team is properly staffed and reachable for after-hours, overnight, and weekend coverage.

• Serve as the primary point of escalation for urgent and time-sensitive facilities issues at the hotel, responding quickly to protect theguestexperience and property safety.

• Be available to respond personally to emergencies that arise overnight or outside business hours — including water, power, HVAC, or safety failures — and direct the team's response until the issue is resolved.

• Set clear protocols for how the team triages and escalates emergencies, so urgent issues are handled quickly and consistently even when the Directorisn'tthe first person notified.

• Coordinate the team's support for hotel events and activations, handling any setup, site prep, equipment checks, and breakdown needed to getspacesguest-ready — with the team potentiallyassistingduring theevent itselfas needed.

• Oversee preventive maintenance programs for the hotel, guesthouses, rental units, and shops — HVAC, plumbing, electrical, carpentry, painting, and general repair.

• Maintain grounds, landscaping, and irrigation across the property, including the lake area.

• Manage the pool and…