Head of Maintenance

Chief Engineer / Maintenance Manager — Hotel & Resort

Role Overview

This position takes ownership of the physical condition of the entire property, from guest rooms and public areas through to kitchens, laundry, pool plant and back-of-house service corridors. The working week is a mix of hands-on inspection, work-order prioritisation, contractor supervision and paperwork — checking that the preventive maintenance calendar is actually being executed, that breakdowns are diagnosed properly rather than patched, and that fire, electrical and water systems stay within regulation. The value of the role is measured in quiet reliability: fewer guest-facing failures, less firefighting, tighter control of maintenance spend, and an engineering function that stands up to audit.

Key Responsibilities

• Run the property's corrective and preventive maintenance programme across guest rooms, public areas, kitchens, laundry, swimming pool and water systems, HVAC plant and electrical services.
• Build, maintain and audit the annual preventive maintenance schedule, adjusting task frequency based on equipment condition, age and breakdown history.
• Prepare and manage the annual maintenance budget and capital expenditure proposals, covering equipment replacement planning, cost estimates and review of contractor quotations.
• Supervise the maintenance team and in-house trades — allocating daily work orders, setting priorities, inspecting completed work and coaching staff on safe working methods.
• Select, coordinate and supervise external contractors and service providers, verifying scope, workmanship, permits, insurance and site safety before and during works.
• Monitor the performance of plant and building systems to reduce downtime, control energy and utility consumption, and eliminate repeat failures.
• Keep the property compliant with fire, life-safety, electrical, water hygiene and building regulations, maintaining certificates, service logs and inspection schedules in an audit-ready state.
• Act as the escalation point for urgent breakdowns and emergency call-outs, including out-of-hours incidents that affect guests or critical services.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Diploma or degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering, or a closely related technical discipline.
• Previous supervisory experience within a hotel or resort engineering or maintenance function, leading technicians in a live guest-facing environment.
• Strong working knowledge of the construction industry, including building services installation, refurbishment works and contractor management practice.
• Several years of hands-on building services or facilities maintenance experience, with a proven track record of supervising a team and owning a maintenance schedule.
• Practical familiarity with HVAC systems, electrical distribution, plumbing, water treatment, pool plant and fire/life-safety equipment.
• Comfortable with preventive maintenance planning tools, work-order systems, asset registers and budget or cost tracking.
• Working knowledge of the statutory and regulatory requirements that apply to building operations and workplace safety.
• Able to read drawings, schematics and technical manuals, and to produce clear reports and recommendations for management.
• Strong scheduling, communication and problem-solving skills, with the composure to make sound decisions when guests are affected.
• Availability for on-call duty and a shift pattern that includes weekends and public holidays as operational demands require.