Background
Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex (AAKSS) approached Maxwell Stephens to recruit an interim Facilities Manager. AAKSS operates an air ambulance service delivering urgent medical care to those who need it, and the organisation's focus on efficiency and safety means it relies on effective facilities management to support its life-saving work.
Interim facilities appointments carry a particular pressure. There is rarely a long handover, the incoming manager is expected to be effective quickly, and in a healthcare setting the estate is not a background consideration — it directly underpins the service being delivered. The brief was therefore less about finding someone with the right job title and more about finding someone who could take ownership immediately.
The Challenge
AAKSS needed an interim Facilities Manager to oversee essential operations, including:
- Contract negotiation with suppliers and service providers.
- Maintenance oversight across the organisation's facilities.
- Compliance management, keeping statutory and regulatory obligations in order.
- Safety and security protocol enforcement across the estate.
The remit also extended to energy management, landlord liaison and cost-saving initiatives. Our task was to identify a candidate able to handle the complexities of healthcare facilities management, where a lapse in compliance or maintenance carries more serious consequences than it would in a conventional office, and to do so on an interim basis.
Our Approach
Maxwell Stephens drew on its established network within the facilities management sector and its knowledge of the interim market to identify suitable candidates. Rather than advertising and waiting for applications, we approached facilities professionals with demonstrable experience of running maintenance, compliance and contract functions, and assessed them on their ability to step into a live operation without an extended settling-in period.
We looked in particular for three things. Leadership capability, because an interim manager has to earn the confidence of an existing team quickly. A strategic mindset, because the remit included cost-saving initiatives and the client needed someone who would improve the function rather than simply keep it running. And hands-on maintenance experience, because a manager who understands the disciplines they oversee makes better decisions about contractors, priorities and risk.
The Outcome
We identified and placed a highly qualified interim Facilities Manager who demonstrated strong leadership skills, a strategic mindset and hands-on experience across maintenance disciplines — a close fit for the role as AAKSS had defined it.
On appointment, the manager took responsibility for negotiating contracts, managing maintenance services, overseeing compliance tasks and maintaining the integrity of safety and security protocols. They also took charge of energy management, landlord liaison and cost-saving initiatives.
Under their direction, AAKSS saw improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of its facilities management. The manager implemented cost-saving solutions, streamlined maintenance processes and strengthened safety measures, supporting the operational performance of the organisation as a whole.
Why This Placement Worked
Interim roles are often filled on availability rather than fit. This search treated the appointment as seriously as a permanent one: the brief was defined properly, the candidate was assessed against the real demands of a safety-critical estate, and the person placed had the practical grounding to take decisions from the outset.
If your organisation needs an interim or permanent Facilities Manager — particularly in a healthcare or other safety-critical setting — Maxwell Stephens can help you define the brief and reach candidates who can take ownership from day one. Get in touch with our team.