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Union Chief Engineer

CBRE • Full-time • Chicago, IL, US • 3w ago

Job ID

259113

Posted

09-Feb-2026

Service line

Advisory Segment

Role type

Full-time

Areas of Interest

Engineering/Maintenance

Location(s)

Chicago - Illinois - United States of America

About the Role:

As a CBRE Union Chief Engineer, you will be responsible for engineering operations and directing vendors and subcontractors. 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:

Manage operations, assign work orders, and provide technical and procedural training of coworkers and subcontractors.
Consult with clients to schedule preventive maintenance and other downtime to cut business interruption and inconvenience.
Formulate and implement a preventive maintenance program to ensure that building machinery and systems meet or exceed their rated life.
Monitor 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.
Confirm that work is complete, equipment is fully functional and client space is in prime working condition.
Respond to emergency situations, summoning additional assistance as needed.
Apply extensive and diversified knowledge of principles, advanced techniques, and theories to create unprecedented solutions.
Showcase in-depth expertise in cutting-edge theories, techniques, and/or technologies within own function.
Use experience and knowledge of all job areas within a function, practical experience in several functional areas or businesses, or concentrated knowledge of a particular discipline to coach and guide others.
Lead by example and model behaviors that are consistent with CBRE RISE values. Negotiate with senior management, customers, regulators, or vendors to influence decisions of strategic importance. Anticipate potential objections, and persuade others, often at senior levels and of divergent interest, to adopt a different point of view.
Drive the direction and resource allocation for programs, projects, or services.
Significantly impact the design of policies and procedures. Provide moderate impact on the business direction through the development of innovative services or products.

What You’ll Need:

High School Diploma, GED, or trade school diploma with 8-10 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.
Current City of Chicago Stationary Engineer License
Active member of Local 399
Universal CFC
OSHA 10 Certification or higher
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.
Multi-dimensional, conceptual, and innovative thinking to develop new solutions.
Ability to identify and solves the most complex problems.
In-depth knowledge of Microsoft Office products. Examples include Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.
Expert organizational skills with an unrivaled inquisitive mindset.

Should any element of this Job Description conflict with the provisions of an applicable collective bargaining agreement, the terms and conditions of the collective bargaining agreement will prevail.

The pay range for this position is subject to an applicable Collective Bargaining Agreement. The negotiated rate for the Union Chief Engineer position is $74.73 per hour. Please refer to the Collective Bargaining Agreement regarding pay scale.

Equal Employment Opportunity: CBRE has 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 recruitingaccommodations@cbre.com or via telephone at +1 866 225 3099 (U.S.) and +1 866 388 4346 (Canada).