Regional Technical Manager
CBRE Excellerate
Remote
Who We Are
We are the market leader in commercial real estate services and investments and provide an integrated suite of high-quality real estate services to our clients across Africa and the Middle East, including facilities management, advisory & transaction services, project management.
We support predominantly corporate clients who buy services on a contracted basis all across the Middle East and Africa - even globally, depending on their portfolio.
Why choose us
Imagine more than just the future of work; with CBRE Excellerate, you can create it. As part of our global powerhouse, you'll find a culture that fosters an entrepreneurial mindset, where your best work is not just encouraged but celebrated. Collaborate with talented individuals, harness the support of unparalleled resources, and enjoy the journey as you grow both personally and professionally.
Regional Technical Manager - French and English Speaker
Fluent in both French and English (written and spoken). This is a non-negotiable requirement given the multilingual nature of the portfolio.
Position Overview
The Regional Technical Manager is the primary technical authority for CBRE Excellerate's Integrated Facilities Management (IFM) engagement with the Client across the region. Operating at the intersection of CBRE Excellerate's delivery teams and the Client's own engineering organisation, the role drives end-to-end resolution of all technical matters — from first notification through to formal closure — and ensures that CBRE Excellerate and the Client receive clear, consistent, and expert technical guidance.
Role Purpose
The Regional Technical Manager serves as the single Point of Contact (POC) for all technical matters on the Client account. The role owns the technical narrative — communicating clearly
with FMs, PMs, contractors, and the Client — and is accountable for ensuring that no technical issue stalls, escalates unnecessarily, or closes prematurely without a validated resolution.
Key Responsibilities
- Technical Leadership & Advisory Act as the definitive technical authority on the Client account, providing clear, evidence-based guidance to FMs, PMs, and the Client on all engineering and facilities-related matters. Translate complex technical issues into actionable recommendations that non-technical stakeholders can understand and act upon. Review and endorse technical solutions proposed by contractors, specialist vendors, or internal teams before implementation. Support FMs and PMs in scoping technical works, reviewing method statements, and interpreting engineering reports, studies (e.g. discrimination studies, arc flash assessments), and OEM recommendations.
- Point of Contact — Technical Matters Serve as the first point of escalation for all technical queries and issues across the region. Maintain close communication with the Client's representatives on technical matters, ensuring alignment and timely responses. Coordinate across countries and time zones, ensuring issues in both Anglophone and Francophone markets receive equivalent attention and clarity of communication.
- Incident & Problem Management (End-to-End) Own the full lifecycle of technical incident and problem management — from initiation and classification, through investigation and remediation, to formal closure and post-incident review. Initiate incident reports promptly upon notification of any significant technical event, ensuring accurate documentation of symptoms, root cause, impact, and corrective actions. Drive problem management for recurring or systemic issues, ensuring permanent fixes are identified and implemented rather than repeated workarounds being applied. Maintain a clear and complete audit trail for all incidents and problems, accessible for Client review, compliance audits, and future reference. Manage and track technical incidents through the relevant ITSM/CMMS platform, ensuring all fields are completed accurately and ticket statuses are kept current at all times.
- Change Management Lead the technical assessment and sign-off of change requests (CHGs) involving engineering systems, power infrastructure, and critical environments. Ensure method statements, risk assessments, rollback plans, and safety procedures are in place before any significant technical change is executed. Coordinate planned shutdowns, power-down events, and maintenance windows in close collaboration with the Client's engineering teams and operations.
- Client Engineering Team Liaison Serve as the primary interface between CBRE Excellerate's delivery team and the Client's in-house engineering team, fostering a collaborative and transparent working relationship. Support CBRE Excellerate in interpreting and acting upon the Client's engineering standards, specifications, and strategic intent. Facilitate joint technical reviews, engineering forums, and site walkdowns with the Client's engineering representatives Ensure CBRE's technical delivery consistently meets or exceeds the Client's engineering expectations and contractual obligations.
- Vendor & Contractor Technical Oversight Review and technically validate quotes, scopes of work, and proposals submitted by specialist vendors and contractors. Ensure technical deliverables from third parties — reports, drawings, commissioning records — meet the required standard before acceptance. Provide technical direction to contractors during complex or high-risk works, including critical power installations, generator maintenance, elevator projects, and protection studies.
- Asset Management & Engineering Compliance Oversee the technical integrity of critical assets across the portfolio — UPS systems, generators, ATS units, HV/LV switchgear, HVAC, elevators, and building management systems. Support lifecycle planning, asset replacement recommendations, and capital expenditure justifications from a technical standpoint. Ensure all engineering activities comply with applicable local regulations, international standards, and the Client's internal engineering policies. Champion engineering best practice and a culture of continuous improvement across the IFM delivery team.
- Technical Reporting & Communication Produce and present clear, concise technical reports for the Client and internal leadership in both French and English as required. Prepare monthly and ad hoc technical summaries covering incident trends, open problems, change activity, and engineering risks. Represent CBRE Excellerate in technical meetings with the Client, contractors, regulators, and OEM representatives. Key Competencies Technical depth in electrical engineering and critical facilities systems. Bilingual fluency (French and English) — able to negotiate, report, and lead meetings in both languages without dependence on translation Structured problem-solver with a methodical, end-to-end approach to incident and problem management. Credible with both technical and non-technical audiences — able to simplify without losing accuracy. Self-driven and capable of operating with autonomy across a dispersed, multi-country portfolio. Collaborative — able to build trusted relationships with the Client's engineering team, CBRE Excellerate staff, and third-party contractors. High attention to detail in documentation, audit trails, and technical records. Resilient under pressure, particularly during major incidents and critical system outages. Working Environment This is a regional role with a significant travel component. The incumbent will regularly visit sites across Sub-Saharan Africa, mostly countries where French is the primary working language. The role requires flexibility in working hours to respond to technical incidents across multiple time zones and to maintain effective relationships with teams and clients operating in different countries.
Bachelor's degree or higher in Electrical Engineering; a post-graduate qualification in Facilities or Engineering Management is an advantage.
Minimum 8 years of relevant experience in technical facilities management, critical systems engineering, or a similar discipline.
Demonstrated experience managing complex, multi-site technical operations across Sub-Saharan Africa, especially Francophone countries (e.g. Senegal, DRC, Cameroon, Gabon, Ivory Coast).
Professional registration or membership with a recognised engineering body is advantageous.
Strong practical understanding of critical systems: power distribution, UPS, generators, ATS/changeover systems, HV/LV switchgear, HVAC, and fire & life safety systems.
Familiarity with electrical protection philosophies, including discrimination (selectivity) studies and arc flash analysis.
Proficiency in ITSM or CMMS platforms (e.g. ServiceNow, Maximo, MYMCS) for incident and work order management.