The Executive Director – Thermal and Utility Operations is responsible for the strategic direction, performance, and reliability of all thermal energy and utility systems across industrial, municipal, or campus-scale operations. This includes leadership over steam and hot water generation, chilled water, compressed air, cogeneration systems, fuel systems, and HVAC infrastructure. The role ensures that thermal and utility services meet safety, efficiency, and sustainability targets while supporting mission-critical operational demands. The Executive Director also drives innovation, decarbonization, and resilience across utility operations.
Strategic Oversight & Leadership:
Develop and implement long-term strategies for utility infrastructure, including steam, thermal, and energy systems.
Align operations with corporate sustainability, energy efficiency, and reliability goals.
Thermal Energy Systems Management:
Oversee the operation and optimization of boilers, heat exchangers, district heating systems, CHP plants, and fuel management systems.
Ensure consistent delivery of steam and hot water to support industrial or facility processes.
Utility Services Operations:
Lead management of chilled water, compressed air, vacuum systems, and other critical plant utilities.
Drive best practices in utility performance monitoring, load balancing, and resource optimization.
Reliability & Risk Management:
Establish predictive maintenance, asset reliability programs, and emergency response protocols for utility infrastructure.
Conduct root cause analyses and system resilience planning for mission-critical utility systems.
Capital Planning & Asset Management:
Direct capital investment strategies, budgeting, and project execution for thermal and utility infrastructure upgrades.
Oversee asset lifecycle planning using CMMS, digital twins, and asset condition assessments.
Compliance & Environmental Stewardship:
Ensure operations comply with regulatory frameworks (e.g., EPA, OSHA, ASME, ISO) and emissions standards.
Lead efforts to minimize carbon footprint and integrate renewable thermal energy sources.
Team Leadership & Organizational Development:
Build and lead multidisciplinary teams of engineers, technicians, and operators.
Promote workforce development, technical training, and leadership succession planning.
Stakeholder Engagement & Governance:
Collaborate with internal departments (engineering, EHS, finance, facilities) and external regulatory bodies.
Report key performance indicators (KPIs), energy usage, and compliance status to executive leadership.
Thermal Systems Optimization:
Maximize efficiency and performance of steam and heat generation systems through data-driven operations and advanced controls.
Utility Reliability & Resilience:
Ensure uninterrupted delivery of critical utilities through redundancy planning, robust maintenance, and system automation.
Energy Efficiency & Decarbonization:
Drive energy savings, fuel switching, and integration of clean technologies (e.g., heat pumps, waste heat recovery, solar thermal).
Smart Utilities & Digital Integration:
Implement intelligent utility management platforms, SCADA, IoT, and predictive analytics to enhance decision-making.
Regulatory Compliance & Safety:
Maintain full compliance with environmental, health, and mechanical safety standards while ensuring risk mitigation.
Strategic Capital Management:
Prioritize capital projects that improve utility performance, reduce lifecycle costs, and extend infrastructure longevity.
Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Mechanical, Energy, or Utility Engineering (or related field).
15–20+ years of progressive leadership experience in utility or thermal operations, preferably in large-scale industrial, municipal, or institutional settings.
Deep technical expertise in steam systems, district energy, CHP, HVAC, and compressed air systems.
Proven experience in strategic planning, budget oversight, and capital project execution.
Strong knowledge of relevant regulations (EPA, OSHA, ASME) and energy/environmental frameworks (ISO 50001, LEED).
Excellent leadership, stakeholder engagement, and cross-functional collaboration skills.