Founded in 2003, the Office of Communications (Ofcom), is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunication and postal industries in the UK.
Ofcom required a Facilities Manager to be based at their London Head Office. Ofcom approached Maxwell Stephens on an exclusive basis to act as the sole recruiter for this appointment.
“It was excellent to come across Maxwell Stephens during my search for a more relevant and fulfilling role. Rather than bombard me with numerous positions – they took the time to filter, and only send on to me vacancies that fitted my rather narrow criteria. The process was managed efficiently through first and second interview – through to the offer. Very positive attitude and well-tuned ear to what the clients require”.
Reporting to the Head of Property and Facilities Management and forming part of the senior management team, the post holder takes responsibility for the delivery of a best in class Facilities Management function across Ofcom’s diverse nationwide portfolio, comprising 7 sites and home to approximately 1,000 colleagues.
The primary purpose of the role is to oversee the day to day management of all Facilities Management related activities to include: Property & Corporate Occupancy, Project Management, Service Providers / Contracts, Building Services Maintenance, Space Management, Support Service Operations, Sustainability & Environmental, Financial Management, Information Management, Procurement, Risk Management and Health & Safety.
The post holder is also required to take line management responsibility for the Reception & Concierge Manager and Post & Reprographics Manager as well as joint matrix management responsibility for an in-house and outsourced team comprising 45 colleagues.
The Position
“I just wanted to say a big thank you to the team at Maxwell Stephens. They have been available whenever I’ve needed that bit of extra information and in particular a calming call just before the interview. I think that their approach has been professional and personal throughout the process and I’ve never felt like a number as with other recruitment agencies in the past.
I most certainly would recommend using Maxwell Stephens to any of my peers, both to find staff and for them to find their next role.”
The Candidate
For this role, the successful candidate needed to have significant relevant experience in similar roles and environments, which would need to include quantifiable experience of contractor management in a multi-site commercial property environment. In addition, applicable experience in project management and outsourced service management with an emphasis on gap analysis and quality standards implementation was required.
Due to the seniority and remit of the position, leadership skills with proven experience of leading, supporting and mentoring teams was a necessity. In regards to specific knowledge required for the role, the ideal candidate needed to possess an excellent understanding of statutory compliance and health and safety as it relates to multi-tenanted commercial property; a good technical understanding of hard and soft services with advanced awareness of PPM processes; strong financial management, budget interpretation and execution knowledge, and experience of service charge management and budgeting from a corporate occupier perspective
Qualifications were also a key factor in the recruitment search. The successful candidate needed to have a professional qualification in real estate and/or facilities management (BIFM Level 4+), qualification in health & safety (NEBOSH, IOSH) as well as a Project Management Prince II & Professional / Certified Membership of BIFM or equivalent.