About the Role:
The Critical Services Manager (Southeast Asia) is responsible for the oversight of mission-critical engineering systems across the Southeast Asia portfolio, ensuring operational resilience, risk mitigation, and compliance with client and account standards.
The role provides technical governance, engineering leadership, and risk assurance across all sites, safeguarding uninterrupted operations in critical environments.
The position operates within a matrix structure, ensuring regional accountability while maintaining alignment with account requirements and the client’s engineering standards and governance frameworks.
What You'll Do:
Critical Infrastructure Oversight & Resilience
- Oversee reliability and performance of critical systems (electrical, mechanical, HVAC/ACMV, fire/life safety) across SEA sites.
- Identify system vulnerabilities and drive mitigation actions.
- Ensure site teams maintain systems to support high availability and operational continuity.
Engineering Governance & Technical Assurance
- Review engineering designs, proposals, and method statements prepared by vendors, QPs, PEs, LEWs, and consultants.
- Provide technical challenge and assurance without assuming design liability or professional responsibility.
- Ensure no introduction of operational risks to critical systems or business operations.
Risk Management & Critical Environment Controls
- Oversee implementation of Critical Environment Work Authorisation (CEWA) and other control processes.
- Ensure robust risk assessments, method statements, and safe execution of high-risk works.
- Lead or support incident reviews, root cause analysis (RCA), and dissemination of lessons learned.
- Respond to audit team promptly with precise as-installed and operation information
- Drive consistency in incident reporting, escalation, and risk management practices across the region.
Regional Engineering Alignment & Standards
- Drive consistency in engineering practices, maintenance strategies, and operational standards across SEA sites.
- Ensure alignment with client engineering standards, account requirements, and APAC or International engineering guidance.
- Support continuous improvement initiatives to enhance system reliability and operational consistency.
Engineering Team Leadership & Management
- Provide technical leadership and direction to country FM teams and engineering personnel across the SEA portfolio.
- Establish clear expectations on engineering standards, maintenance practices, and risk management approaches.
- Coach and guide site teams on critical systems, high-risk activities, and incident response.
- Identify capability gaps and drive training, knowledge sharing, and competency development across the region.
- Promote consistency in engineering practices while respecting local site operational structures and reporting lines.
Stakeholder Engagement & Technical Advisory
- Act as the SEA engineering subject matter expert (SME) for critical systems.
- Advise the Sub-regional IFM Lead, APAC Engineering Lead, client stakeholders, and Client Technology Team on engineering risks and decisions.
- Support discussions with landlords, consultants, and vendors on matters affecting critical infrastructure.
Vendor & Technical Oversight
- Provide technical oversight of vendors performing work on critical systems.
- Ensure proposed methodologies are appropriate, safe, and aligned with operational and client requirements.
- Support evaluation of vendor capabilities for critical engineering services.
Financial Planning, Budgeting & Forecasting
- Support the development of operating and capital budgets for critical engineering systems across the region.
- Provide technical input into financial planning, forecasting, and cost optimisation initiatives.
- Review and validate engineering-related expenditures to ensure alignment with operational priorities and lifecycle requirements.
- Support lifecycle planning, including asset replacement strategies and long-term capital planning.
Project & Change Risk Review
- Review engineering projects, fit-outs, and changes impacting critical infrastructure.
- Ensure appropriate risk assessments, shutdown planning, and contingency measures are in place.
- Support PMO and project teams by providing engineering input from an operational risk perspective.
Emergency & Incident Support
- Provide technical leadership and guidance during critical incidents or system failures.
- Support site teams in troubleshooting and recovery of critical systems.
- Ensure post-incident reviews are conducted and improvements implemented across the region.
Health, Safety & Environment (HSE)
- Reinforce compliance with HSE requirements for all critical engineering works.
- Promote safe execution of high-risk activities within critical environments.
- Support investigation of safety incidents related to engineering works.
Qualifications & Experience
- Degree in Engineering or related discipline with minimum 10 years of relevant experience.
- Degree in Electrical Engineering is preferred.
- Strong experience in critical facilities or mission-critical environments (e.g. banking, data centres).
- Deep technical knowledge of electrical, mechanical, HVAC/ACMV, and life safety systems.
- Experience working with vendors, QPs, PEs, LEWs, and engineering consultants.
Personal skills
- Demonstrate initiative leadership, responsiveness, and creativity.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Effective interpersonal skills.
- Analytical and attention to detail.
- Self-confident and motivated.
- Strong customer service focus.
- Proactive and takes initiative.
- Flexibility and adaptability.
- Ability to support others / the team in achieving goals.
- Ability to think on your feet and effectively deal with stress in a supportive environment is also considered necessary.
- Ability to quickly establish and effectively use relationships / contacts with CBRE colleagues and clients.
Performance & Accountability Framework
- Accountable to: Sub-regional IFM Lead (SEA) for operational delivery and risk outcomes
- Functionally aligned to: APAC Engineering Lead for engineering standards and technical direction
Works closely with:
- Country FM Leads (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines)
- Vendors
- Client Technology Team
- PMO / Project Teams (on project works)
- External consultants (QPs, PEs, LEWs)
- Engineers and Shift Technicians (24x7) in Singapore
Why CBRE
When you join CBRE, you become part of the global leader in commercial real estate services and investment that helps businesses and people thrive. We are dynamic problem solvers and forward-thinking professionals who create significant impact. Our collaborative culture is built on our shared values — respect, integrity, service and excellence — and we value the diverse perspectives, backgrounds and skillsets of our people. At CBRE, you have the opportunity to chart your own course and realize your potential. We welcome all applicants.
Applicant AI Use Disclosure
We value human interaction to understand each candidate's unique experience, skills and aspirations. We do not use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to make hiring decisions, and we ask that candidates disclose any use of AI in the application and interview process.
