Director of Engineering

About Kerten Hospitality

Kerten Hospitality is a full-service lifestyle hospitality operator that designs distinctive destinations, stays, experiences, and communities. The company focuses on improving operations, strengthening profitability for investors, and embedding sustainability across its projects. Its work brings together accommodation, food and beverage, retail, entertainment, art, and wellness concepts to create ecosystem-driven, community-focused destinations for both international and local travellers. The group has an active development pipeline spanning several countries across the Middle East, Europe, and North Africa, with more than 55 lodging projects and over 4,500 keys planned.

Our Impact

The company’s destinations and concepts are shaped by purpose and grounded in ESG principles, local relevance, sustainability, innovation, and meaningful collaboration. Its values are Connection, Curation, Innovation, and Leading the Way, with a focus on supporting community growth.

About The Property

The House Hotel Jeddah King Road is located on the Red Sea coastline and is designed as a modern urban retreat that blends coastal energy with contemporary hospitality. The property features 129 thoughtfully designed rooms and a lively signature restaurant that serves as both a social meeting point and a dining destination.

Jeddah sits on Saudi Arabia’s western coast and is one of the Kingdom’s most vibrant cities, combining seaside living, culture, and modern city life. Guests and residents can experience both the Jeddah Corniche and the historic Al-Balad district, which is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The city is well connected through King Abdulaziz International Airport, which is approximately 20 km from the city centre.

Role Overview

The Director of Engineering will lead all engineering functions for the hotel, ensuring that guest rooms, public spaces, and essential technical systems operate safely, efficiently, and reliably. This role calls for strong technical depth, leadership capability, and the ability to manage maintenance, projects, budgets, and compliance in a luxury hospitality environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Direct the full scope of hotel engineering activities across guest areas, public spaces, and core technical infrastructure.
• Plan and execute preventive and corrective maintenance programmes for electrical, plumbing, HVAC, mechanical, and building systems.
• Guide, coach, and develop the engineering team while promoting safety, accountability, and high performance.
• Lead long-term capital upgrades, renovation efforts, and infrastructure initiatives in line with ownership and senior leadership objectives.
• Maintain adherence to all local legal requirements and health, safety, and environmental standards.
• Set engineering budgets, manage costs, and allocate resources to improve efficiency and support return on investment.
• Work closely with other hotel departments to keep operations smooth and respond quickly to urgent issues.
• Coordinate with contractors, consultants, and relevant authorities as required.
• Prepare and present updates on engineering performance, key metrics, and project status to the General Manager and ownership.

Experience and Skills

• Proven background in hotel engineering or facilities management, including senior leadership experience in luxury hospitality.
• Strong technical knowledge of electrical, plumbing, HVAC, mechanical, and building systems.
• Solid capability in strategic planning, budget management, and capital project delivery.
• Strong people leadership skills with experience in building, developing, and retaining engineering teams.
• Ability to interpret drawings, schematics, and technical manuals.
• Excellent analytical, decision-making, and communication abilities.
• Good understanding of local and international health, safety, and environmental regulations.
• Comfort using engineering management systems and Microsoft Office applications.
• Fluency in both English and Arabic.

What You Can Expect

• A competitive compensation package aligned with experience.
• Opportunities to progress within a growing organisation.
• A collaborative and inclusive workplace culture.
• The chance to work with a team committed to connection, innovation, curation, and leadership.

Additional Information

This is a full-time, onsite position based in Jeddah, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. The opportunity is with The House Hotel under Kerten Hospitality.