Director of Engineering

Sonder (NASDAQ: SOND) is a leading global hospitality brand, offering premium, design-forward apartments and intimate boutique hotels for the modern, savvy traveler. Founded in 2014, Sonder combines thoughtfully designed spaces with seamless, tech-enabled service — all delivered through a single, beautifully integrated experience.
 

Our properties are located in the world’s most sought-after neighborhoods, spanning 40+ markets across nine countries and three continents. Through the Sonder app, guests enjoy full control over their stay — from self check-in to 24/7 support — making every detail of travel easier, more flexible, and more inspiring.

In 2024, we announced a strategic partnership with Marriott International, bringing Sonder properties to Marriott.com and the Marriott Bonvoy app. This integration connects our inventory and front of house and back of house systems with the world’s largest travel loyalty platform — unlocking exciting new possibilities for our guests and employees.

Sonder is focused on delivering amazing experiences for the modern traveler while driving smart, sustainable growth. Our team blends the agility of a tech company with the standards of a global hospitality brand — and we’re building something that’s reshaping the future of travel.

Life at Sonder

We aspire to build a workplace where employees can thrive. Our culture shapes how we make decisions, how we conduct meetings, how we communicate, and how we treat each other. It’s the coordinated way in which we work that gives us a shot at achieving the epic tale we hope to be part of. Our Leadership Principles are a foundational part of our culture and they play a vital role in guiding the values and actions of our team members. Each of these principles is at the heart of what we do. Check out this article to find out more about our Culture and Principles.

AT SONDER YOU WILL:

• As Director of Engineering, you will own our quality standards for Sonder spaces, to deliver exceptional customer experiences

• Manage maintenance administration, landlord relationships (including abatement management), vendor, and team management across multiple Sonder “markets” and cities

• Reports to the General Manager London and collaborate with team members in Hospitality Management, Housekeeping, Security, etc., as well as other internal and external stakeholders

• Establish practices and systems to comply with Health & Safety regulations, implement indications from statutory assessments (e.g. Fire Risk Assessments, Water Risk Assessments…), ensure the team is trained on Health & Safety practices

• Document best practices across and learnings for knowledge management

• Establish and maintain relationships with landlords and partners to ensure that we are receiving timely and important updates (i.e. construction, repairs, lease end dates, renewals, etc)

• Liaise with landlords and partners when maintenance or other requests need completion

• Ensure that requests to landlords are documented and updated in our internal lease tracking system

• Schedule maintenance work by communicating with our customer service team, ensuring that repairs are not inconvenient to guests

• Collaborate with our Hospitality Team to ensure that repairs and preventative maintenance work are being scheduled and completed in a timely manner

• Manage in collaboration with the City Teams a team of internal maintenance technicians and external contractors

• Lead special operations projects as needed

• Ensure that contractual obligations by Sonder and landlords are followed (i.e. maintenance, exterminators, etc)

• Support with Hotel openings in other UKI cities, assisting the real estate team with assessing property compliance, advising on projected investment needs and opening readiness

WHAT WE LOOK FOR:

• Extensive professional experience in the Hospitality industry, including prior property management, vendor/contract and people management

• International experience with multilingual and multicultural teams. 

• Fluent in English 

• College Degree or Vocational Degree/Certifications preferred

• Experience in managing multi-city operations, hotels and/or large-scale residential property management (500+ apartments)

• Ability to work well under pressure, juggle and prioritise multiple projects and adjust work accordingly, often against tight deadlines

• Analytical and financial skills to manage savings for Sonder from Landlords, Vendors, etc.

• Ability to see the big picture and strategize while prioritizing relentlessly and keeping an eye on the details

• Ability to interact with senior management, external client organizations and vendors

• Ability and interest in getting one’s hands dirty when needed - be it meeting a contractor or delivering towels in an emergency, you’re willing to roll up your sleeves to get the job done

• Very strong organizational skills

Benefits

We offer attractive employee travel perks for any Sonder location as well as health and lifestyle benefits. For eligible employees, benefits may include:

• Competitive compensation

• Medical, dental and vision insurance (where applicable)

• Flexible vacation

• Wellness and volunteering days

• Annual free credits and discounts to stay in Sonders

• Workplace flexibility (for remote-specified positions only) #ABetterWaytoWork

Learn More About Sonder

• Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability

• Data Privacy Policy

• Blog: Sonder Stories

• Instagram: @sonderstays

Equal Opportunity

We are an equal-opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or any other classification protected by applicable state, federal or local law. Extend Hospitality To All is one of Sonder’s Leadership Principles. Living up to that principle means fully embracing diversity: ensuring that all of our employees, guests, partners, and communities feel safe, respected, included, cared for, and empowered. 

As part of our commitment to creating a workplace open to all, we have created Sonder Circles, also known as employee resource groups. These groups aim to foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace aligned with the communities they serve. 

If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to [email protected].