The Requirements
To meet the basic qualifications for this role you will have legal authorization to work permanently in the United States for any employer without requiring a visa transfer or visa sponsorship. To be a good fit for the Chief Engineer opportunity, you also should have:- A bachelor's degree OR significant relevant experience.
- Significant experience in commercial building maintenance requiring strong electrical knowledge and HVAC and mechanical skill. Quick question for you - click here
- Proven management skills and a track record of success in managing staff (1+ members) and vendors/contractors in critical facilities environments (ideally in data centers, but it may also be in other critical operations situations, such as in the military -- perhaps Army Prime Power, Navy Muse or Air Force CE). Quick question for you - click here The ability to:
- Manage projects effectively.
- Develop installation standards and project tracking / management documents.
- Respond effectively, verbally or in writing, to sensitive issues, complex inquiries, and complaints.
- Make effective presentations and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers and the general public.
- Knowledge of all applicable laws, rules, codes, regulations and ordinances in performing data / communications and mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) projects.
- Experience developing and managing operating and capital budgets.
- The ability to estimate costs of projects, including:
- Tracking costs for projects.
- Processing and tracking purchase order requests and invoices.
- Developing appropriate RFP processes.
- Experience with MS Office applications and the ability to comprehend, analyze and interpret complex project, Visio, and PDF documents.
- An Operating Engineers license (SMA) or equivalent is a plus, preferably electrical and/or mechanical.
- The ability to be available and contacted 24x7.
- Self-motivation and a self-starter approach to learning and evolving in your role, and taking ownership of a facility with two separate buildings.
- Outstanding communication skills, specifically including written communication.
- A high level of commitment to customer service toward both co-workers, contractors, and clients.
- A demonstrated ability to:
- Achieve goals under time and productivity pressure.
- Work well under pressure and bring a proactive approach to unusual occurrences.
- Interact effectively with diverse personalities.
- Excellent problem-solving skills, including the ability to:
- Analyze and solve problems involving several options and limited information.
- Interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram or schedule form and to work independently.
- Advanced analytical and quantitative skills.
- Good organizational skills, attention to detail and openness to new ideas and procedures.
The Role
You will report to the Data Center Manager, located off-site, and provide leadership for and hands-on support for all facilities operations needs. While you will work a day shift, you will hold responsibility for the site 24/7/365, meaning you must have on-call availability. The data center is full and runs well, so we don't expect that after hours work will be extensive, but when you receive and alarm you must respond immediately.As Chief Engineer, you'll manage diverse duties throughout the day from managerial activities to meeting with customers, overseeing systems operations, processing paperwork and more. You will work closely with and manage the activities of contractors and vendors -- a good deal of work is outsourced -- but also manage hands-on equipment responsibilities. Currently, you'll serve as the sole Digital Realty facilities engineer on-site but could take on one direct report in the future.
More specifically, you and/or the staff/contractors will:
- Oversee all building systems and critical facilities equipment and other equipment associated with the raised floor environment including fire / life safety, plumbing, mechanical, bonding, innerduct, wire ways and electrical systems and equipment.
- Plan, implement, coordinate and supervise all mechanical / electrical & HVAC operations, maintenance and energy management programs for a critical facilities environment. Quick question for you - click here
- Maintain cost-effective and efficient operation of all building systems.
- Manage, direct and coordinate the activities of contracted personnel or third parties who are providing services or performing work at this facility.
- Oversee scheduling of preventative maintenance, contracted maintenance and general maintenance with minimum disruption of building services.
- Coordinate the input and output of the preventative maintenance system and review the status on a monthly basis.
- Recommend / implement improvements to the preventative maintenance program on an ongoing basis. This will include devising technical enhancements to improve various aspects of building operations.
- Maintain lighting in all areas of the building.
- Understand the engineering design and operation aspect of each building system.
- Monitor all allocations of building system capabilities to various base building and tenant needs.
- Act as the primary technical resource for building engineers, property management and various Digital Realty groups.
- Evaluate, assign and monitor the safe work responsibilities and capabilities of employees and contractors; ensure adherence to safety requirements and prescribed procedures.
- Ensure compliance with all safety procedures as well as utilization of protective equipment.
- Coordinate maintenance efforts with outside contractors, tenant finish personnel and engineers.
- Maintain ongoing communication with tenants, owners, property management and vendors.
- Coordinate development of and / or maintain as-built drawings.
- Respond quickly to emergency situations (such as fire, evacuation, equipment failures, etc.) and customer concerns.
- Implement and administer inventory control programs, and purchase parts and supplies.
- Ensure compliance with applicable codes, requisitions, government agencies and Digital Realty directives as they related to building operations.
Why Digital Realty
Make your markYou will be replacing a Chief Engineer who is retiring. He's done a good job and the facility is running well. At the same time, you will have the opportunity to make your mark in multiple areas as you take ownership of the facility (including two side-by-side buildings) and leverage your unique talents and expertise. For example, you could make strides in creating SOPs and MOPs that any engineer coming to the site could understand and follow. Quick question for you - click here
Career options
While you could be challenged in this role for years to come, if you're driven to further advance your career, success in this position could set you up to advance with Digital Realty. You might pursue advancement within Technical Operations by transferring to a larger site and managing a team, or follow another path such as moving into Data Center Management. Some opportunities would require relocation.
Exciting time to join
With the acquisition of Telx, Digital Realty added robust colocation, strategic network dense connectivity, a vast and open partner ecosystem and unmatched freedom of choice to one of the world's largest data center footprints. You will enjoy working with a Telx team located on site.
The "best of both worlds"
You'll find that working for our company may be a little bit different. We are small enough, with over 1400 employees worldwide, that your hard work will be visible throughout the organization, yet our extensive portfolio of services and solutions and proven track record of growth, stability and industry-leading innovation give you the resources and tools you need to take your career to the next level.
Strong foundation
Our financial strength and stability provide our customers with the assurance that Digital Realty will be their data center partner for current data center needs and those in the future. Our investment grade debt ratings provide us with access to capital and financing options to support the growth of our company and allow us to continually invest in our properties. We view each of our customers as a long term partner. At Digital Realty the success of their business is our business.
Unique culture
We are a collaborative, people-focused group dedicated to quality and continuous improvement. When you become a member of our team, you receive our commitment to your continued development and support.
Green standard for sustainability
At Digital Realty we are committed to improving the performance and energy efficiency of our data centers through the creation, adoption and promotion of industry-leading best data center practices and experience. We are pioneers in thinking about green data centers, as well as, adopting and building to LEED and BREEAM certification requirements. We are also a Contributing Member of The Green Grid.
Excellent compensation
In addition to a competitive wage and discretionary bonus potential, we offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes all you would expect plus some pleasant surprises, like multiple flexible spending plans, a generous company match on the 401(k) plan, and more.
Pictured: While you won't get hands on with the technical assets, you will learn about data center operations, including both the leading-edge telecom/Internet infrastructure (above) and mission critical systems such as cooling (below), power, security and more. Each of our data campuses is part of the largest ecosystem of world-class US, European, and APAC carriers, hosting physical connection points for the world's telecommunications networks and Internet backbones.
Keys to Success
As noted, you will be responsible for a data center with two separate buildings and a limited on-site team. Your supervisor is located in Georgia and travels regularly, and the Real Estate Management team for your facility is located in Virginia. That means that you will need to be self-reliant, self-motivated and highly competent. Regardless of the skills you bring to the table, you can plan on there being a significant learning curve. You will need to dedicate yourself to learning to reduce that curve, and proactively ask questions and reach out for assistance. You won't be alone or work in a silo though. There is an on-site contract engineer that has been with us for a long time who will help you get up to speed, you'll have the help and be able to partner with your supervisor, and undergo Digital Realty training.Data Center operations is a high-expectations, high-demand field. The job can be stressful and you will have to be able to manage that stress while maintaining quality and a strong sense of urgency. In addition to overseeing daily activities and ongoing process improvements, you will need to respond to questions, requests, and concerns from both customers and Digital Realty leadership. You should be able to shift directions quickly, take care of a new priority, and then pick up again where you left off before the shift.
To truly excel in this role, you will focus on the positive side of difficult scenarios by approaching them as an opportunity for everyone involved to hone their skills and expand their experience, as well as gain valuable insights. You'll focus on presenting solutions, not simply highlighting problems. If you actively look at each problem, be able to state the problem, why it's a problem and offer at least one solution, you'll be on the road to success.
All that being said, it bears repeating: if you can be successful here, you will make a name for yourself within Digital Realty and be in a position to develop your career. Additionally, you'll learn a cutting-edge industry that will continue to grow and evolve, allowing you to have skills that will be valued as we step toward the future.
About Us
Digital Realty Trust, Inc. supports the data center and colocation strategies of more than 600 firms across its secure, network-rich portfolio of data centers located throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Digital Realty's clients include domestic and international companies of all sizes, ranging from financial services, cloud and information technology services, to manufacturing, energy, gaming, life sciences and consumer products.Digital Realty is a publicly traded company (NYSE: DLR) with investment grade ratings from all three major ratings agencies.
Digital Realty offers a highly competitive compensation package, excellent benefits, and an environment that recognizes and rewards your contributions. Digital Realty is an equal opportunity employer, EOE/AA/M/F/Vets/Disabled
Please do not forward unsolicited resumes to any employee of Digital Realty and its subsidiaries. Digital Realty is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited referrals.