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Operating Engineer

Cushman & Wakefield · Chicago, IL · $44.02–$51.79 an hour · Full time

Posted Oct 1, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about a time you found a problem during a routine inspection that could have become something bigger.

What they are checking: Whether they inspect with real attention instead of just checking boxes.

Tell me about a repair you couldn't figure out at first. How did you finally solve it?

What they are checking: Whether they persist, use manuals and colleagues, and learn from tough problems.

What would you do

You get three work orders at once: a leak above a tenant's desk, a lighting outage in a hallway, and a scheduled PM on a pump. How do you order them?

What they are checking: Whether they prioritize by safety and impact to the occupants, and communicate what will wait.

It's snowing hard at 5 a.m. and you're responsible for clearing walks before people arrive, but a boiler alarm goes off. What do you do?

What they are checking: Whether they can juggle general facility duties with critical systems and ask for backup when needed.

A client employee asks you to do a small job that isn't on a work order. How do you handle it?

What they are checking: Whether they stay helpful while keeping work documented and following the client's process.

About the work

Walk me through how you'd troubleshoot an air handler that's running but not cooling a floor in a commercial office.

What they are checking: Whether they follow a logical diagnostic path through controls, airflow and refrigeration instead of swapping parts.

What preventive maintenance would you do on a boiler, and how often?

What they are checking: Whether they know routine boiler care that prevents failures and keeps the building safe.

How do you use a CMMS to document your work, and why does logging parts and response times matter?

What they are checking: Whether they see equipment history data as part of the job, which the posting stresses.

What lockout/tagout steps do you follow before working on a motor or electrical panel?

What they are checking: Whether they follow safety procedures every time, since shortcuts here can be fatal.

How do you test fire and life safety systems without disrupting the building or setting off a false alarm response?

What they are checking: Whether they understand coordination with monitoring companies and occupants during life safety testing.

Practice this interview out loud.

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The full job description

As published by Cushman & Wakefield.

Job Title Operating Engineer Job Description Summary General inspection, calibration, troubleshooting, repair, test, and maintenance of all types of HVAC, electrical, lighting, fire, life, safety, and facility systems. Provide additional facility maintenance services including carpentry, plumbing, painting, snow removal, and CMMS system data entry to maintain client’s building infrastructure and grounds in a commercial office facility. Job Description SUMMARY OF ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: • Inspect, calibrate, maintain, troubleshoot, test, and repair all types of facility systems including HVAC, electrical, lighting, fire, life, safety, boilers, refrigeration units, compressors, motors and pumps and all associated controls and provide facility maintenance services including carpentry, plumbing, painting, landscaping and snow removal to maintain client’s building infrastructure and grounds. • Attend and/or participate in safety training per C&W SERVICES policy • Perform routine inspection, preventive maintenance, calibration, functional and operational testing of facility systems and equipment . • Utilize CMMS computer system to document tasks performed and maintain equipment histories including parts replaced, hours worked, time to respond, and time to complete. • Responsible for completing and data input for all assigned work orders (both corrective and PM) in a timely manner. • Maintain equipment, tools, and work areas in a clean, safe and orderly manner. • Utilize and have a general understanding of national and local codes for equipment repair. Perform all work in accordance with OSHA, state and municipal requirements and C&W SERVICES safety policies. • Perform quality work and regularly communicate repair status of devices and systems to supervisor/Manager. • Must be able to work with informal and formal teams, with other employees and customer representatives from various departments demonstrating a professional demeanor at all times. • May be required to work with and coordinate activities of other vendors including specialists • Perform all other tasks as assigned by supervisor/Manager in response to the needs of the client • Perform daily survey of buildings to identify repair and preventive maintenance tasks. • Report to supervisor/Manager on a regular basis (daily/weekly) on conditions relative to general operations. • Responsible for participating, seeking and coordinating training and continued professional development in the areas of advancing technology, safety, and general skill improvement. • Available for ON CALL duty on nights, weekends and holidays to address emergencies • Possible flexible hours to accommodate client needs SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES, if any: Not applicable to this position PERFORMANCE GOALS : • Safety – follow C&W SERVICES safety policy and participate in all required training and related programs • Quality – meet goals as outlined in the SLA’s for work completion, callbacks and customer service issues • Delivery – follow work order and services delivery processes QUALIFICATIONS: To perform this position successfully, an individual must be able to perform each job duty satisfactorily. Individuals must have a valid Stationary Engineer’s license as issued by the city of Chicago. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties. • Good general working knowledge of all trades • Proven mechanical ability and aptitude. • Good computer skills are required; operating knowledge and trouble-shooting of equipment via Building Management System preferred. • Proven ability to work cooperatively with others. • Demonstrates attention to detail • Understands business implications and decisions • Develops and implements cost saving measures • Conserves organizational resources • 2-5 years related experience and/or training at a semi-skilled level of experience of general maintenance in a commercial facility setting or equivalent combination of education and experience. • Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. • Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations. • Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. • Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished by supervisor/Manager in written, oral, diagram or schedule form • Increase knowledge and operation of specialized equipment through study of all manufacturer manuals and installer instructions. PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions . • Must be able to perform the following physical activities during a normal work-day: stand, walk, sit, use hands to finger, handle or feel, reach with hands and arms, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl, climb or balance, talk, hear and smell. • Must be able to lift up to 75 pounds 1/3 of time at work. • Must have the following vision requirement: close vision, distance vision, color vision, and depth perception WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. • Must be able to perform duties under the following environmental conditions Work near moving mechanical parts, work in high, precarious places with potential exposure to work environments containing fumes or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals, outdoor weather conditions, extreme cold and heat (non-weather), risk of electrical shock and occasional loud noise Cushman & Wakefield also provides eligible employees with an opportunity to enroll in a variety of benefit programs, generally including health, vision, and dental insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life, and disability insurance programs, and paid and unpaid time away from work. In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, Cushman and Wakefield provide eligible employees with competitive pay, which may vary depending on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, total hours worked, job type, business line, and applicability of collective bargaining agreements. The compensation that will be offered to the successful candidate will depend on factors such as whether the position is covered by a collective bargaining agreement, the geographic area in which the work will be performed, market pay rates in that area, and the candidate’s experience and qualifications. The company will not pay less than minimum wage for this role. The compensation for the position is: $44.02 - $51.79 C&W Services is an Equal Opportunity employer to all protected groups, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. Discrimination of any type will not be tolerated. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position at C&W Services, please call the ADA line at 1-888-365-5406 or email Accommodations@cushwake.com . Please refer to the job title and job location when you contact us. INCO: “C&W Services”

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