Director of Engineering

Director of Engineering

Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort | Miramar Beach, Florida

About Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort

Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort is a premier destination on Florida’s Emerald Coast, spanning approximately 2,400 acres between the Gulf of Mexico and Choctawhatchee Bay. With 72 neighborhoods, approximately 1,400 vacation rental properties, four championship golf courses, a full-service marina, tennis facilities, private club amenities, multiple dining outlets, and Hotel Effie, the resort offers a diverse and complex operating environment unlike that of a traditional hotel.

The resort also features approximately 90,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space across multiple venues, along with recreational facilities, residential communities, hospitality operations, and extensive grounds. Maintaining these varied facilities requires a hands-on, strategic engineering leader who understands the demands of a large, multi-facility resort and can balance daily operations with long-term planning.

Position Summary

The Director of Engineering is responsible for the overall operation, maintenance, repair, and long-term reliability of the resort’s buildings, infrastructure, equipment, utilities, and physical assets. This leader oversees engineering and maintenance operations across a diverse portfolio of hospitality, recreational, residential, and commercial facilities, ensuring that all properties are safe, functional, well-maintained, and operating efficiently.

This position requires a strong leader who can manage a broad range of maintenance needs, develop and mentor a skilled team, oversee capital improvement projects, manage departmental budgets, and establish preventative maintenance programs that protect the resort’s assets and enhance the guest and owner experience.

The ideal candidate has experience leading engineering operations at a large resort, destination property, or similarly complex multi-building operation. Experience limited to a single, stand-alone hotel may not provide the breadth of experience required for this position.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Engineering and Facilities Operations

•    Oversee the day-to-day engineering, maintenance, and repair operations across resort facilities, including guest accommodations, common areas, restaurants, meeting and event spaces, recreational amenities, and supporting infrastructure.

•    Establish and maintain preventative maintenance programs for buildings, mechanical systems, electrical systems, plumbing, HVAC, elevators, life-safety equipment, and other critical assets.

•    Ensure facilities are maintained to established standards for safety, cleanliness, functionality, appearance, and guest service.

•    Coordinate maintenance priorities across multiple departments and properties while minimizing disruption to guests, owners, members, and daily operations.

•    Monitor the condition of buildings, equipment, roads, sidewalks, lighting, drainage, and other physical assets, identifying issues and addressing them proactively.

•    Respond to emergencies, equipment failures, severe weather, and other operational issues as needed.

•    Maintain appropriate records, inspections, permits, service agreements, and maintenance documentation.

Leadership and Team Development

•    Lead, develop, and hold the engineering and maintenance team accountable for performance, productivity, safety, and service standards.

•    Establish departmental goals, work schedules, staffing plans, and performance expectations.

•    Recruit, train, coach, and develop supervisors, technicians, and other engineering personnel.

•    Build strong working relationships with resort leadership and department heads to coordinate maintenance needs and operational priorities.

•    Promote a culture of accountability, teamwork, continuous improvement, and timely response to maintenance requests.

Capital Projects and Asset Management

•    Develop and manage capital improvement plans, equipment replacement schedules, and long-term maintenance strategies.

•    Evaluate the condition and remaining useful life of major systems and equipment, making recommendations for repairs, upgrades, and replacements.

•    Oversee renovation projects, equipment installations, contractor work, and facility upgrades from planning through completion.

•    Obtain and evaluate contractor proposals, monitor project budgets and schedules, and ensure work meets established specifications and safety standards.

•    Coordinate projects around resort occupancy, events, seasonal demand, and other operational considerations.

•    Maintain accurate asset inventories and recommend investments that protect property value and improve operational efficiency.

Budgeting and Financial Management

•    Prepare and manage the engineering department’s operating and capital budgets.

•    Monitor labor, repair, maintenance, utilities, equipment, supplies, and contractor expenses.

•    Identify opportunities to reduce operating costs without compromising safety, quality, or the guest experience.

•    Review utility consumption and implement energy and water conservation initiatives where practical.

•    Evaluate vendor contracts and service agreements to ensure cost-effectiveness and appropriate service levels.

•    Provide regular reporting on departmental performance, project progress, expenses, and capital needs.

Safety, Compliance, and Risk Management

•    Ensure compliance with applicable building codes, fire and life-safety requirements, environmental regulations, OSHA standards, and other relevant federal, state, and local requirements.

•    Maintain inspection schedules and ensure deficiencies are corrected promptly.

•    Support emergency preparedness, hurricane readiness, severe-weather response, and recovery efforts.

•    Work closely with Security, Risk Management, Human Resources, and resort leadership to address hazards and reduce operational risks.

•    Ensure employees and contractors follow established safety procedures and use equipment appropriately.

•    Maintain appropriate emergency response procedures for critical equipment and infrastructure failures.

Energy, Sustainability, and Operational Improvement

•    Identify opportunities to improve the reliability, efficiency, and useful life of resort facilities and equipment.

•    Implement preventive and predictive maintenance practices to reduce equipment downtime and emergency repairs.

•    Monitor energy and water usage and recommend improvements to building systems and operating practices.

•    Evaluate new technologies, maintenance systems, and equipment that may improve productivity and reduce long-term costs.

•    Establish measurable performance standards for work-order completion, preventive maintenance, equipment reliability, and departmental responsiveness.

Qualifications

•    Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Facilities Management, Construction Management, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant experience will be considered.

•    Minimum of five to seven years of progressive engineering or facilities management experience, including leadership responsibility; additional experience may be required based on the scale and complexity of the operation.

•    Demonstrated experience overseeing engineering and maintenance operations for a large resort, destination property, multi-building hospitality operation, or comparable complex facility.

•    Experience managing operating budgets, capital expenditures, renovation projects, contractors, and preventative maintenance programs.

•    Strong working knowledge of HVAC, electrical, plumbing, mechanical systems, building infrastructure, and life-safety systems.

•    Experience leading and developing a diverse maintenance and engineering team.

•    Knowledge of applicable building codes, safety standards, regulatory requirements, and emergency preparedness procedures.

•    Strong organizational, communication, problem-solving, and financial management skills.

•    Ability to manage competing priorities, make sound decisions under pressure, and work effectively with multiple departments.

•    Proficiency with maintenance management systems, work-order platforms, budgeting tools, and Microsoft Office applications.

Preferred Experience

•    Previous engineering leadership experience at a large destination resort with multiple buildings, extensive recreational amenities, and significant infrastructure requirements.

•    Experience supporting golf facilities, marinas, private clubs, vacation ownership properties, condominium communities, or other mixed-use resort operations.

•    Experience overseeing properties with a substantial number of guest accommodations or individually maintained residential units.

•    Experience managing major capital projects, renovations, utility systems, and multi-year asset replacement plans.

•    Experience in a coastal market, including hurricane preparedness, storm recovery, corrosion prevention, and the maintenance challenges associated with salt air and a humid climate.

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions

•    Ability to walk extensive distances across resort grounds, buildings, recreational facilities, and outdoor areas.

•    Ability to climb stairs and ladders and access mechanical rooms, rooftops, equipment areas, and other maintenance locations when necessary.

•    Ability to work indoors and outdoors in Florida’s heat, humidity, rain, and other changing weather conditions.

•    Ability to inspect facilities, equipment, and work sites that may involve uneven surfaces, confined areas, noise, dust, and varying temperatures.

•    Ability to respond to urgent maintenance issues, emergencies, and severe weather events, including occasional work outside normal business hours.

•    Ability to communicate effectively with employees, contractors, guests, owners, and leadership across a large resort environment.

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