Group Director of Engineering

Ocean House Collection

Group Director of Engineering

Full-time, Exempt

Job Description

A Collection Unlike Any Other

The Ocean House Collection (Company) includes three luxury properties on the Rhode Island shoreline.

Ocean House (OH) is the Collection’s Forbes Five-Star flagship, offering 49 guest rooms, 20 signature suites, and 13 private villa vacation homes. Amenities include a 12,000-square-foot Ocean & Harvest Spa, over 10,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, and up to 8 unique dining venues in peak season.

Weekapaug Inn delivers a relaxed but luxurious New England experience. With 29 guest rooms and 4 signature suites, the Inn’s dining celebrates seasonal, locally sourced ingredients, enhanced by bespoke resort activities and naturalist-led excursions.

Watch Hill Inn, founded in 1845, combines historical charm with cutting-edge technology across 21 suite-style accommodations. Guests enjoy access to the full range of amenities, dining, and experiences at both Ocean House and Weekapaug Inn.

Scope of Position

The Group Director of Engineering oversees all Company maintenance operations including equipment maintenance and repair, landscaping, and residence maintenance, as well as monitoring ongoing preventative maintenance programs for all building management systems for all Company properties. 

This encompasses, but is not limited to, physical building structure, all mechanical, electrical, H.V.A.C. systems and related equipment in accordance with energy conservation and preventative maintenance programs while ensuring the upkeep of guest areas to maintain an attractive hotel.  The Group Director of Engineering will also manage all rehabilitation, expansion, and/or special capital improvements and capital maintenance projects, and other managed Company properties that may be known or unknown at this time including but not limited to: Ocean House, Weekapaug Inn, Watch Hill Inn, the Cottage Collection, the 20 Bay Street project, and all staff housing and offsite facilities whether owned or leased.

KNOWN CAPITAL PROJECTS

• Redesign, permit and install Ocean House’s Septic System (System A and System B)
• Manage construction and rebuild service road to the Beach per Coastal Resource Management Council (CRMC) approved plan
• Manage construction of access road to redesigned OWTS (on site wastewater treatment system)
• Manage construction of new beach storage area and associated access road
• Manage redesign and re-construction of OH Beach Services Program to comply with CRMC Regulations
  • Design, permit and construct “temporary” decking around Dune Cottage
  • Design, permit, and construct new beach service utilities per RIDEM and CRMC plans (kitchen, dishwashing, flushable toilets, electric, gas and water)

Schedule Requirements

The operation is 24 hours a day 7 days a week, inclusive of all holidays.  While the Company will make every attempt to create a work-life balance environment, all exempt team members may be required to work extended shifts and additional days based on business demands.  Working more than eight hours per day and more than five consecutive days as needed is  an expectation of all exempt roles.  Travel may be required and may include some overnight stays.  All exempt team members should be responsible in scheduling their time off.

Key Relationships

Internal:  This position supervises the following departments: Ocean House Engineering, Landscaping, Weekapaug Inn Maintenance, Residential Maintenance. This position works closely with all departments including the Ocean House Resort Manager, Director of Rooms, General Manager of Weekapaug Inn, and the President and Managing Director.

External: This position has regular contact with the company’s consultants, vendors, city personnel, ownership and inspectors. Maintains appropriate relationships with other associations, industry, government, public service organizations and vendors, to enhance the image of the Company and the attainment of its objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Participates in decisions affecting the overall positioning, planning, and operations of the Company.
• Maintains a climate that attracts, retains, and motivates top quality staff, and vendors
• Recruits, trains, appraises, supervises, supports, develops, promotes, and guides qualified staff.
• Designs, supports, and oversees cross-functional teams throughout the Organization.
• Advises the Executive Committee, ownership, and senior management  on short-term and long-term financial objectives (capital projects), budgeting, and business and staff policies and procedures for the company. 
• Effectively enables the Engineering, Landscaping, and Maintenance teams so they can act on behalf of the Company by:
  • providing direction and resources, removing barriers, and helping develop people’s skills, articulating expectations and clarifying roles and relationships
  • encouraging people to question organizational assumptions and ask strategic questions, ensuring quality decision-making
  • anticipating conflicts and facilitating resolution.
  • engaging people in process as well as tasks; modeling appropriate behavior; and coaching people to success.
• Administrative Responsibilities include:
  • Conducts regularly scheduled walk-throughs and visually assesses the safe and efficient maintenance and operation of the physical structure(s) of the hotel, all mechanical, electrical, H.V.A.C. systems and any other related equipment. 
  • Assigns and verifies completion of all routine maintenance on public spaces, meeting rooms, ballrooms, outlets, back of the house spaces and grounds. Assigns and verifies completion of all repairs, replacement, and renovations projects to offices, and employee work areas.
  • Hires, trains, supervises, coaches and counsels' staff within the department.
  • Adheres to all Corporate required purchasing policies and controls, to include all outside contractor bids, budgets, and schedules.
  • Maintains effective Energy Management and Preventive Maintenance programs, conducting special training for other operating departments on the safe and efficient use of equipment and energy in the hotel and budlings.
  • Informs President and Managing Director, Executive Committee, and hotel department heads, on a regular basis, regarding the specific and overall condition of the building structure(s), related systems and equipment offering prudent and cost-effective proposals for maintaining same. Accesses and inputs information into a computer and generates reports.
  • Coordinates with other departments all the work necessary to maintain general conditions, safety and health standards set forth by hotel policies and other legal requirements.
  • Provides direction for interviewing, hiring, counseling, training, and disciplining for engineering employees, in coordination with the Group Director of Human Resources.
  • Directly supervises all maintenance issues related to the operations to provide efficient services and comfort to employees and guests.
  • Maintains both the exterior and interior of the hotel, including painting, cleaning, aesthetic repairs, and additions.
  • Schedules repairs and maintenance with the Ocean House Resort Manager or Weekapaug Inn General Manager so as not to interfere with hotel operations.
  • Recommends possible projects for future capital budgets. Obtain bids, supervise, and coordinate contractors in performance of project work.
  • Maintain own and monitor facilities special permits and licenses as required by local authorities. 
  • Control schedules, staffing, and payroll.
  • Manages records, logs, and utilities reports by keeping accurate and current engineering records. 
  • Ensures that all performance reviews are performed in a professional and fair manner in compliance with the company's guidelines.
  • Maintains and updates the MSDS sheets to ensure the safety of and communicate to employees.

• Participate in and lead key Safety Initiatives and trainings for the Safety Committee
• Project Management Responsibilities include:

• Hold regularly scheduled project status meetings by zoom or in person
• Create agenda, manage, and run meetings
• Create and publish meeting notes and detailed follow ups to all participants
• Manage all contractors, vendors, and other participants to ensure that they are present at meetings, and have completed their tasks per follow up list
• Interface with regulatory agencies as necessary to obtain permits.
• Hold offline conversation with all participants to ensure progress and work through delays and decision points.

• Maintenance & Capital plans for Ocean House and Weekapaug Inn:

• Identify all mechanical systems, their lifespan, and replacement schedules, costs, and budget appropriately.
• Develop Capital Expenditure plans to be used for maintenance and replacement program and condominium association budgets.

• Responsible for practicing, managing, and promoting Company’s Mission and Values so that it becomes an intricate part of the everyday operation
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• Follow sustainability guidelines and practices related to Company’s sustainability programs
• Carry out any other duties which fall within the broad spirit, scope, and purpose of this job description and which are commensurate with the role.

Required Job Knowledge and Skills

• Skill in organizing resources and establishing priorities.
• Ability to effectively and efficiently handle multiple, simultaneous, and complex tasks and projects. 
• Ability to supervise and train employees, to include organizing, prioritizing, and scheduling work assignments. 
• Employee development and performance management skills. 
• Information research, analysis, and evaluation skills. 
• Advanced verbal and written communication skills and the ability to work with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse operation. 
• Demonstrated skills, knowledge and experience in the design and execution of financial and control systems. 
• Strong creative, strategic, analytical, organizational, and personal sales skills. 
• Experience developing and managing budgets, and hiring, training, developing, supervising, and appraising personnel.
• Fluency in English both verbally and written

• Ability to perform job functions with attention to detail, speed, and accuracy under pressure of tense/confrontational situations
• Uphold the Company standards, policies, and procedures
• Prioritize and organize tasks and work area
• Ability to remain calm and resolve problems using good judgement as interpreted by the management
• Follow directions
• Work cohesively with co-workers as part of a team
• Maintain confidentiality of guest/employee information and pertinent hotel data

Qualifications and Experience:

• At least bachelor’s degree of Engineering preferred
• At least 5 years Hotel engineering/maintenance functions required
• At least 5 years’ supervisory or managerial experience in related disciplines
• Strong experience in large scale capital project management
• Strong leadership and management skills.
• Fluency of the English language is required (read, write, speak)
• In-depth knowledge of building systems and engineering principles.
• Excellent problem-solving and troubleshooting abilities.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Financial management and budgeting experience.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
• In-depth knowledge of relevant safety regulations and building codes in Rhode Island.
• Experience with preventative maintenance software and CMMS systems is often preferred

Physical Requirements:

The position requires a broad range of physical abilities, including climbing, kneeling, crouching, reaching, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting and hearing. Must be able to perform sustained physical activity, use various tools or equipment requiring visual acuity and lift approximately 25–50 pounds as needed. Must be comfortable working both indoors and outdoors, with exposure to noise, weather conditions, and potential workplace hazards such as moving equipment, vehicles, electrical current, heights, heat, or chemicals.

This Job Description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the person occupying this position.  The person in this position will be required to perform any other job-related duties assigned by their supervisor.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.