Chief Engineer / Operation Maintenance Supervisor

1. Position Summary

The Chief Engineer / Operations Maintenance Supervisor oversees day-to-day operations of all building systems at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Muirkirk Road Complex (MRC) in Laurel, Maryland. The MRC is a research campus with laboratories, animal research facilities, and a central utility plant that must operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

The Chief Engineer supervises the operations and maintenance staff, plans and oversees maintenance, responds to emergencies, and ensures every system runs safely and reliably, in line with the contract, manufacturer guidance, and all codes and regulations. This is a Key Personnel position under the contract. The Chief Engineer reports to the Project Manager.

2. Position Details

3. Key Responsibilities

Operations

1.    Oversee the day-to-day operation of all facility systems, including HVACR, electrical, plumbing, water treatment, and other critical systems, so they perform continuously and reliably.

2.    Manage boiler and chiller plant operations. Make sure systems that need 24/7 monitoring stay staffed and running, including the boiler plant, chiller plant, building automation system (BAS) monitoring, water treatment, and wastewater pretreatment.

3.    Monitor building systems for performance, efficiency, and regulatory compliance. Use the BAS to optimize operations without affecting research, safety, or the mission.

4.    Keep environmental conditions in animal care areas within the ranges set by FDA veterinary staff, including temperature, humidity, ventilation, air changes per hour, pressure relationships, and lighting. Treat any system failure or alarm in an animal care area as an emergency.

Supervision and Training

1.    Supervise operations and maintenance personnel. Assign work to technicians and monitor progress and quality. The contract makes the Chief Engineer solely responsible for making sure all work under their supervision meets contract requirements, manufacturer recommendations, and applicable codes, standards, and regulations.

2.    Review completed work orders for completeness and accuracy, and confirm the work was done correctly, before work orders are closed.

3.    Train operations and maintenance staff on procedures, systems, and safety. Make sure standard operating procedures (SOPs) are followed and staff know the building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and fire codes that apply to their work.

4.    Make sure staff follow all safety requirements and the safety and accident prevention plan. Work with the Environmental Health and Safety Manager on safety matters.

Maintenance Planning

1.    Plan and oversee maintenance. Help develop and maintain the preventive maintenance (PM) program, and plan, forecast, and schedule PM work in the FDA Archibus system. Support the contract standard of at least 96% on-time PM completion and 100% completion within 60 days of issue.

2.    Schedule equipment outages and PM activities. Coordinate planned shutdowns with the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) and building managers at least 48 hours in advance, except in emergencies.

3.    Manage spare parts, materials, and inventory, and order parts for repairs, projects, and PM. Use only new, factory-authorized (OEM) parts unless the COR approves a substitute in writing.

4.    Troubleshoot and resolve complex problems involving electrical, mechanical, plumbing, HVACR, and laboratory systems, and repair and maintain facility equipment.

Compliance, Inspections, and Emergencies

1.    Support inspections and audits, including state and local boiler, elevator, and fire protection inspections. Keep the site ready for environmental audit inspections.

2.    Assist with federal, state, and local permitting under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), and Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) requirements.

3.    Respond to emergencies and direct the technical response to protect life safety, prevent property damage, and restore critical systems.

Coordination

1.    Coordinate with the Project Manager and staff to integrate operations and maintenance activities. Report work status and issues to the Project Manager.

2.    Inspect the quality of work done by the team and coordinate with the Assistant Project Manager / Quality Control Manager on inspections and corrective actions. The formal quality control program is run separately from operations.

3.    Accept direction only from the COR and FDA Office of Facilities (OFEMS) Building Managers, and only for work within contract scope. Refer any other direction, or any request that may be outside scope, to the Project Manager.

4.    Work in restricted laboratory and animal areas, including BSL-3 laboratories and vivarium spaces, under FDA biosecurity and escort rules. Coordinate work in animal areas with FDA veterinary staff.

5.    Identify ways to improve operations and system reliability.

4. Required Qualifications

These are contract minimums. Experience must be documented on the resume. Items marked "with references" must also be supported by credible, verifiable references.

Experience

-       At least 10 years of experience managing boiler and chiller plant operations and mechanical maintenance for complex facilities, including at least 5 years of hands-on experience with building automation systems (BAS).

-       At least 3 years of experience supervising multi-trade maintenance staff of 5 or more people.

-       Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot and resolve issues involving electrical, mechanical, plumbing, HVACR, and laboratory systems, and to keep mission-critical infrastructure running continuously.

-       Experience supporting Biosafety Level (BSL)-2 and/or BSL-3 laboratory facilities that operate 24/7/365 (with references).

-       Experience with Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) requirements as they apply to building operations and maintenance (with references).

-       Experience supporting laboratory research and animal testing facilities of at least 350,000 square feet (with references).

-       Experience with a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS).

-       Experience managing spare parts, materials, and inventory.

-       Basic environmental compliance knowledge covering EPA, MDE, and WSSC requirements, including helping with permitting.

Licenses and Certifications

-       Valid and current State of Maryland First Grade (Grade 1) Stationary Engineer License, issued through the Maryland Department of Labor (formerly DLLR), held at the time of application. Maryland does not accept licenses from other states in place of its own license.

-       Valid and current HVACR-related certification appropriate to the systems operated.

-       Current OSHA 10-Hour General Industry Safety and Health certification.

-       Current First Aid / CPR certification.

Education

One of the following:

-       Associate degree in engineering technology, facilities management, or a related field; or

-       Technical or trade school certificate plus 4 years of additional relevant experience; or

-       High school diploma or GED plus a trade certification plus 6 years of additional relevant experience.

Skills

-       Proficiency in Microsoft Office.

-       Strong spoken and written communication skills.

-       Ability to read, interpret, and apply drawings, diagrams, plans, manuals, and schematics.

5. Preferred Qualifications

-       Universal EPA Section 608 refrigerant certification.

-       Electrical, HVACR, or plumbing trade license, or multiple trade licenses.

-       Building Operator Certification (BOC) or Certified Plant Engineer (CPE).

-       OSHA 30-Hour certification.

-       Bachelor's degree in engineering or a related field, or a Professional Engineer (PE) license.

-       Environmental compliance certification.

-       Advanced CMMS training, including experience with Archibus.

-       Experience with Phoenix Controls laboratory airflow systems and with Honeywell Tridium or Johnson Controls Metasys BAS platforms.

6. Physical Requirements and Working Conditions

-       Able to perform hands-on maintenance and inspections, and to demonstrate maintenance procedures to staff.

-       Able to work in all facility areas, including confined spaces and at heights.

-       Able to lift and carry up to 75 pounds.

-       Work is performed across the FDA Muirkirk Road Complex, including support of its outlying buildings.

-       Mostly field-based with some office work, in mechanical rooms, equipment spaces, and outdoor areas.

-       Wears FDA-provided protective clothing in restricted animal facility areas and follows all biosecurity rules.

7. Conditions of Employment

-       Must be a direct employee of North America Telecommunications, Inc. (NATIGroup), under its direct supervision and control. Subcontractor employees may not hold this position.

-       Assignment to this position requires prior written approval from the FDA Contracting Officer. The Government may review the resume before onboarding.

-       Must pass an FDA background investigation (Tier 2) and obtain an FDA badge before starting work. Background paperwork is submitted at least 30 days before the start date.

-       Must keep all required licenses and certifications current. No licensed work may be performed with an expired credential.

-       Must complete new employee orientation and all required safety training.

-       Must wear a company uniform with a visible company emblem and display the FDA badge at all times on site.