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Chief Bldg Engineer

CBRE

San Diego, CAJob$115–130K/yrSeen 1 day agoSeen in employer's feed 1 day ago

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At a glance

Compensation
$115–130K/yr
Location
San Diego, CA
Work Authorization
Not specified

Olive focuses on jobs in the United States, including remote roles you can work from there.

Job overview

The Chief Building Engineer performs complex preventive maintenance and corrective repairs across buildings, industrial systems, vehicles, equipment, and grounds. The role leads building operations, oversees engineering staff and subcontractors, plans maintenance, and ensures building systems operate as intended. It also responds to emergencies, develops improved methods, coaches coworkers, and contributes to operational plans. A high school diploma, GED, or trade school diploma with 5–8 years of job-related experience is requested; equivalent education and experience may substitute.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Building Operations, nice to havePreventive Maintenance, nice to haveCorrective Repairs, nice to haveFire Alarm Systems, nice to haveHVAC, nice to havePlumbing, nice to haveMicrosoft Office, requiredOrganizational Skills, requiredMathematics, requiredProblem Solving, requiredInnovative Thinking, requiredCommunication, nice to haveCoaching, nice to have

Qualifications

High School Diploma, GED, or Trade School Diploma or Equivalent Experience and Education, required5+ Years Job-Related Experience, requiredPrior Supervisory Experience, nice to haveLift 50+ Lbs, required

Full job description

About the Role:

As a CBRE Chief Building Engineer, you will perform complex preventive maintenance and corrective repairs of buildings, industrial systems, vehicles, equipment, and grounds.

This job is part of the Engineering and Technical Services job function. They are responsible for providing support, preventive maintenance, and repairs on equipment and systems.

What You’ll Do:

  • Follow all applicable codes, regulations, governmental agency, and company directives related to building operations and work safety.

  • Lead operations, assign work orders, and provide technical and procedural training of coworkers and subcontractors. Arranges for subcontractors as needed.

  • Consult with clients to schedule preventive maintenance during downtime to cut business interruption and inconvenience. Plan a preventive maintenance program to ensure that building machinery and systems meet or exceed their rated life.

  • Check building systems including fire alarms, HVAC, and plumbing to ensure the operation of equipment is within design capabilities and achieves environmental conditions prescribed by the client.

  • Oversee and inspect the work performed by engineering staff to make sure the work is complete; equipment is functioning properly, and client space is in great working condition.

  • Respond to emergency situations and ask for help when needed.

  • Apply advanced knowledge to seek and develop new, better methods for accomplishing both individual and department objectives.

  • Showcase expertise in own job discipline and in-depth knowledge of other job disciplines within the organization function.

  • Coach others to develop in-depth knowledge and expertise in most or all areas within the function.

  • Lead by example and model behaviors that are consistent with CBRE RISE values. Anticipate potential objections and persuades others, often at senior levels and of divergent interest, to adopt a different point of view.

  • Impact the achievement of customer, operational, project, or service objectives across multi-discipline teams. Work is guided by functional policies which impact the design of procedures and policies.

  • Contribute to new products, processes, standards, and/or operational plans in support of achieving functional goals.

  • Communicate difficult and complex ideas with the ability to influence.

What You’ll Need:

  • High School Diploma, GED, or trade school diploma with 5-8 years of job-related experience. In lieu of a diploma, a combination of experience and education will be considered. Prior shift manager or supervisory experience preferred.

  • Meet the physical requirements of this role including stooping, standing, walking, climbing stairs/ladders, and the ability to lift/carry heavy loads of 50 lbs. or more.

  • The innovative mentality to develop methods that go beyond existing solutions.

  • Ability to solve unique problems using standard and innovative solutions having a broad impact on the business.

  • In-depth knowledge of Microsoft Office products. Examples include Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.

  • Expert organizational skills with an advanced inquisitive mindset.

  • Highly sophisticated math skills. Ability to calculate somewhat complex figures such as percentages, fractions, and other financial-related calculations.

*California Residents: CBRE carefully considers multiple factors to determine compensation, including a candidate’s education, training and experience. The salary range is $115,000 - $130,000 per year + bonus. The compensation offered to a successful candidate will depend on the candidate’s skills, qualifications and experience.

Equal Employment Opportunity: CBRE is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity. We have a long-standing commitment to providing equal employment opportunity to all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, veteran status, political belief, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

Candidate Accommodations: CBRE values the differences of all current and prospective employees and recognizes how every employee contributes to our company’s success. CBRE provides reasonable accommodations in job application procedures for individuals with disabilities. If you require assistance due to a disability in the application or recruitment process, please submit a request via email at [email protected] or via telephone at +1 866 225 3099 (U.S.) and +1 866 388 4346 (Canada).

CBRE, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer (Women/Minorities/Persons with Disabilities/US Veterans)

How this job compares

Set against the 735 open Building Engineer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 13, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$115–130K/yr
  • California median$93–107K/yr30 salary ranges
  • US median$90–110K/yr164 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $123K, is 26% above the California median midpoint ($97K) — in the middle half of Building Engineer salary ranges in California.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 112 open Building Engineer jobs in California and 735 across the US. Under 1% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in California
Experience
This posting asks for at least 5 years of experience; Building Engineer postings that state a minimum ask for 4 years at the median (627 postings).
Education
39 of the 735 open Building Engineer jobs (5%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 13, 2026. Figures based on too few postings are left out.

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