Facilities Director

What you'll bring to the team

Role Summary

The Facilities Director is a critical senior leader responsible for driving the performance, reliability, and safety of all technical and infrastructure assets across the resort.

 

This role sits at the intersection of engineering excellence, operational delivery, and commercial performance—ensuring that every ride, facility, and system operates safely, efficiently, and in a way that enhances the overall guest experience.

 

You will lead a complex, multi-disciplinary technical organization, partnering closely with senior stakeholders to shape asset strategy, capital investment, and long-term sustainability. Your impact will be seen in improved uptime, reduced risk, optimized spend, and a consistently high-quality guest environment.

What You’ll Own

Strategic & Technical Leadership

• Define and execute a forward-looking Technical Services strategy aligned to business goals
• Act as the senior advisor on asset reliability, engineering risk, and infrastructure planning
• Drive alignment between technical operations and commercial outcomes (guest experience, uptime, cost efficiency)

Asset Management & Operational Excellence

• Ensure all rides, facilities, and infrastructure operate at best-in-class reliability and safety standards
• Lead proactive maintenance strategies, improving availability, lifecycle performance, and cost control
• Oversee compliance with all regulatory and internal standards, partnering with Health & Safety teams

Opex & Capex Ownership

• Own and manage operating and capital budgets, ensuring strategic allocation of resources
• Lead long-term asset replacement and investment planning
• Ensure all spend delivers maximum ROI, safety assurance, and operational sustainability

Capital Projects & Development

• Oversee major capital programs, including ride installations, infrastructure upgrades, and refurbishments
• Evaluate and influence investment decisions based on technical feasibility, lifecycle value, and risk mitigation
• Partner with Merlin Magic Making to embed technical excellence into new developments

Governance, Risk & Compliance

• Ensure full alignment with Global Technical Services standards and statutory requirements
• Act as escalation point for critical technical risks, system failures, and performance issues
• Maintain strong audit readiness and ensure closure of non-conformities

Innovation & Continuous Improvement

• Drive innovation across engineering and facilities operations
• Introduce new technologies, maintenance strategies, and cost efficiencies
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence

People Leadership & Capability Building

• Lead and develop a large, multi-functional technical workforce
• Build capability across teams, ensuring strong succession planning and talent development
• Foster a culture of accountability, safety, and high performance

Sustainability & Environmental Leadership

• Partner with sustainability teams to reduce environmental impact and energy consumption
• Integrate sustainability into asset lifecycle planning and capital strategy
• Lead initiatives that align with Merlin’s long-term environmental commitments

Vendor & Stakeholder Management

• Own key supplier relationships, ensuring performance, safety, and service excellence
• Influence senior stakeholders across operations, finance, and global technical teams
• Operate confidently at executive level, translating technical insight into business decisions

How You’ll Make an Impact

• Improve asset uptime and operational reliability across the resort
• Deliver high-value capital programs that support growth and guest experience
• Strengthen compliance, reduce risk, and enhance safety performance
• Build a high-performing technical organization capable of sustained excellence

 

 

 

 

Qualifications & Experience

What We’re Looking For

Experience

• Significant senior leadership experience in engineering, facilities, or asset-intensive environments
• Proven track record managing large-scale maintenance and capital programs
• Experience operating in complex, fast-paced, multi-site environments

Capabilities

• Deep technical expertise across mechanical, electrical, and infrastructure systems