Chief Engineer

Most chief engineer jobs hand you someone else's deferred maintenance. This one hands you a brand-new building. We opened in March 2026 - 122 extended-stay suites, every one with a full kitchen, running at some of the strongest occupancy in the Hampton Roads market. Every system in the building is new and under warranty. You won't spend your first year fighting a 30-year-old chiller;

you'll spend it building the preventive maintenance program that keeps this property new - and that becomes the blueprint for every facility we open next.

• A new plant, not a repair backlog. You'll manage warranties and commissioning punch-lists, dial in the systems, and set the standard not to dig out of years of neglect.
• A founding-team seat in a growing brand. We proprietary extended-stay brand, with our next ground-up property already in development in Norfolk. The playbook you write here travels - and so can you, into area or regional engineering leadership as the brand scales.
• Real ownership. You run the department, control the maintenance budget, choose your vendors, and sit at the table with the GM on capital planning. One building, one boss, your standards.
• Backed by 40+ years of operations. We developed and managed top-performing Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, and IHG hotels since 1982 - you get entrepreneurial-brand energy with established-company support and benefits.

• The entire physical asset - building structure, appearance, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, life-safety, and technology systems.
• The preventive maintenance program: build it, run it, and complete every guest suite on a 90-day PM cycle - including the kitchen appliances (cooktop, refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave) that make extended-stay maintenance a different craft than standard hotel work.
• Warranty and vendor management: track new-build warranties, hold contractors to their punch lists, and manage outside vendors for scope, quality, and cost.
• Guest-down-time response: resolve in-suite issues within 30 minutes or hand off cleanly to the desk or GM - our guests live here for weeks, so their suite is their home.
• Department expense management: weekly supply inventory, purchasing within budget, and maintenance spending that protects hotel profitability.
• Compliance and inspections: routine property inspections to brand, state, federal, and local standards, including amenity spaces (fitness, guest laundry, 24-hour market) and life-safety readiness.
• Team leadership as the department grows: hiring, training, scheduling, and developing hands-on leadership technicians, tools in hand, standards visible.
• Capital planning: partner with the GM to identify, scope, and prioritize capex projects.

• 3-5 years as a hotel chief engineer, or senior maintenance leadership in hotels, multifamily, or extended-stay/serviced apartments where guest or resident service was critical.
• Genuine multi-trade hands: HVAC/PTAC, plumbing, electrical, drywall/paint, and appliance repair. You diagnose before you dispatch.
• A guest-first instinct and the communication skills to work daily with front desk, housekeeping, and long-stay residents.
• Valid driver's license; ability to work a flexible schedule and share an on-call rotation for after-hours emergencies.

• EPA 608 Universal certification.
• Extended-stay, apartment, or condo engineering background - in-suite kitchens and laundry are our daily reality.
• Experience standing up a PM program, work-order system, or engineering department from scratch.