Director, Engineering

Location: New York, New York, USA

Remote Type: Hybrid

Time Type: Full time

Job Description

Job Title

Director, Engineering

Job Description Summary

The MEM Director provides executive leadership over a multi-region mobile engineering portfolio supporting retail operations. This role is accountable for high-volume maintenance execution, workforce strategy, financial performance, regulatory compliance, outsourcing strategy, and continuous operational improvement.
Working in close partnership with the Retail Director and Business Operations Director, this role ensures engineering strategy aligns with overall retail portfolio objectives, operational performance standards, financial targets, and long-term asset lifecycle planning.
The Director will lead multiple layers of union and non-union personnel, this position ensures consistent service delivery, labor stability, cost containment, regulatory adherence, and data-driven performance management across approximately 660 sites.

Job Description

Organizational Scope

Direct Reports

• 1 Engineering Manager
• 3 Senior Chief Engineers
• 1 Chief Engineer
• 1 Business Operations Manager

Indirect Reports

• 62 Engineering and Field Staff
• 4 Business Operations Staff
• Multi-layer leadership structure including Chiefs, Assistant Chiefs, and Senior Coordinators

Portfolio Scale

• ~3,000+ monthly work orders
• ~1,000+ monthly financial transactions
• $15.7M annual operating budget
• ~660 retail locations

 

 

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Partnership & Portfolio Alignment

• Partner closely with the Retail Director to align engineering execution with retail service standards, customer experience priorities, and SLA performance expectations.
• Collaborate with the Business Operations Director to ensure integration between FM and MEM functions, financial governance, reporting standards, and process optimization initiatives.
• Provide engineering insight to support portfolio-level decision-making, capital prioritization, and operational strategy development.
• Contribute to RFP responses, renewals, and operational growth strategies.

Portfolio & Operational Leadership

• Provide strategic direction and operational oversight for the retail mobile engineering program.
• Balance reactive SLA performance, Reliability-Based Maintenance (RBM) compliance, and preventative maintenance execution.
• Oversee CMMS dispatch matrix to optimize technician deployment, workload distribution, and geographic routing efficiency.
• Ensure asset-level documentation supports lifecycle planning and long-term capital forecasting in partnership with Retail and Operations leadership.
• Rapidly assess operational challenges, analyze data, determine root causes, and implement corrective action plans.
• Support operational transitions, stabilization initiatives, and special programs across the portfolio.

Workforce & Labor Strategy

• Lead union and non-union engineering teams within a multi-region structure.
• Collaborate with Retail and Operations leadership on workforce planning and labor cost modeling.
• Develop and manage hourly billing rate structures in partnership with Finance.
• Address attrition trends and implement workforce stabilization strategies.
• Guide managers through HR processes including performance management and corrective action.
• Establish structured training programs and enforce operational compliance standards.
• Conduct skills assessments and implement compliant upskilling initiatives.

 

Financial & GMP Accountability

• Develop and manage a $15.7M operating budget within GMP cost containment requirements.
• Partner with the Business Operations Director to align financial performance with broader portfolio goals.
• Monitor labor spends, overtime utilization, and cost drivers.
• Review and approve ~1,000+ monthly financial transactions.
• Reallocate funds across budget categories to maintain operational continuity.
• Identify cost containment and margin protection strategies while maintaining SLA compliance.

CMMS Governance & Data Integrity

• Oversee CMMS governance including dispatch optimization, asset documentation, and PM compliance.
• Standardize work order documentation and classification protocols across the engineering team.
• Improve cross-functional “swivel chair” workflows impacting work order management, PM schedules, RBM tracking, and asset data integrity.
• Establish data governance practices to improve reporting accuracy and reliability.
• Monitor KPIs and performance dashboards (Power BI) to drive accountability and transparency across leadership teams.

Reporting & Analytics

• Develop and maintain integrated reporting dashboards leveraging CMMS, payroll, GPS, and financial systems.
• Provide operational and financial performance insights to Retail and Operations leadership.
• Standardize reporting definitions and portfolio performance metrics.
• Use analytics to improve productivity, routing efficiency, labor optimization, and asset reliability.

Engineering Equipment, Fleet & Field Operations

• Oversee mobile engineering fleet operations, utilization, and regulatory compliance.
• Manage procurement and lifecycle planning for vehicles, tools, uniforms, and field technology.
• Approve capital equipment purchases and ensure disciplined spending within budget.
• Ensure engineers are properly equipped to meet service standards and safety requirements.
• Coordinate with Procurement, Finance, and Operations leadership on vendor strategy and pricing alignment.

 

Vendor, Compliance & Risk Management

• Evaluate and approve outsourcing decisions based on cost, risk, and SLA impact.
• Ensure vendor accounts remain in good standing and align with performance expectations.
• Maintain compliance with MSA obligations, environmental regulations, and safety standards.
• Mitigate operational, financial, and environmental risks across the portfolio.

Continuous Improvement & Operational Optimization

• Leverage GPS and operational analytics to improve routing efficiency and technician productivity.
• Implement Six Sigma methodologies to enhance engineering SOPs and maintenance workflows.
• Lead workflow redesign initiatives in collaboration with Retail and Operations leadership.
• Drive preventative maintenance compliance and reliability improvement strategies.
• Reduce asset downtime and enhance lifecycle performance across the portfolio.

Core Competencies

• Executive Engineering Leadership
• Cross-Functional Portfolio Partnership
• Workforce & Labor Strategy
• GMP Financial Governance
• CMMS & Data Integrity Oversight
• Fleet & Field Productivity Optimization
• Vendor & Outsourcing Governance
• Regulatory & Risk Management
• Six Sigma & Continuous Improvement
• Data-Driven Decision Making

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.

The compensation that will be offered to the successful candidate will depend on factors such as whether the position is covered by a collective bargaining agreement, the geographic area in which the work will be performed, market pay rates in that area, and the candidate’s experience and qualifications.

The company will not pay less than minimum wage for this role.

The compensation for the position is: $ 144,500.00 - $170,000.00

Cushman & Wakefield is an Equal Opportunity employer to all protected groups, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. Discrimination of any type will not be tolerated.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position at Cushman & Wakefield, please call the ADA line at 1-888-365-5406 or email [email protected]. Please refer to the job title and job location when you contact us.

INCO: “Cushman & Wakefield”