Facilities Manager Recruitment for Amadeus

Background

Amadeus is one of the world's leading technology companies serving the global travel and tourism industry. Its software powers airlines, airports, hotels, travel agencies and rail operators across more than 190 countries, supporting every stage of the traveller journey — from booking and ticketing through to check-in, departure and customer experience.

As part of its continued investment in workplace operations, Amadeus set out to appoint a Facilities Manager for its London Heathrow office. Although the company initially intended to engage several recruitment agencies, following a recommendation and an initial consultation it chose to appoint Maxwell Stephens exclusively to manage the search.

The Challenge

Amadeus needed an experienced Facilities Manager capable of leading workplace operations within a complex, fast-paced technology environment. The successful candidate would be responsible for ensuring the Heathrow office operated safely, efficiently and in line with the operational standards expected by a global technology organisation.

Key responsibilities included:

• Leading all day-to-day facilities management operations.
• Managing planned and reactive building maintenance.
• Overseeing hard and soft facilities management services.
• Managing supplier relationships and service contracts.
• Ensuring compliance with health & safety legislation.
• Developing facilities risk management strategies.
• Managing operational budgets and procurement activities.
• Supporting workplace projects and office improvements.
• Driving service quality and customer satisfaction.
• Building strong relationships with internal stakeholders across the business.

The role called for an experienced leader with strong commercial awareness, sound technical knowledge and the ability to support a fast-moving, technology-driven workplace. Facilities leaders in businesses of this kind are judged as much on how the workplace feels to a demanding, mobile workforce as on how well the building runs, and the search had to reflect both.

Our Approach

Following detailed consultation meetings with Amadeus, Maxwell Stephens developed a thorough understanding of the organisation's culture, operational requirements and long-term workplace objectives. Using our specialist facilities management network, we carried out a targeted executive search focused on professionals with experience of managing complex corporate environments.

Our recruitment process included:

• Executive search and targeted headhunting.
• Comprehensive competency-based interviews.
• Technical assessment against the role requirements.
• Evaluation of leadership capability and stakeholder management.
• Cultural fit assessment.

We presented a shortlist of seven carefully selected candidates, all of whom progressed to an initial telephone interview. Five candidates were then invited to face-to-face interviews, and the finalists completed further interview stages, including presentations and assessment exercises, before one candidate was appointed.

The Outcome

Maxwell Stephens recruited an experienced Facilities Manager who combined strong technical expertise with sound leadership and stakeholder management skills. The successful candidate brought extensive experience of managing facilities management services within complex corporate environments and quickly established themselves as a valued member of the organisation.

Since joining Amadeus, they have:

• Strengthened facilities management operations across the Heathrow office.
• Enhanced contractor performance and supplier management.
• Improved operational resilience and compliance.
• Delivered workplace improvements supporting employee experience.
• Maintained high standards of health & safety and risk management.
• Supported business growth through effective workplace leadership.

Candidate Testimonial

"Maxwell Stephens was everything I would hope for from a recruitment partner. They understood my experience and introduced me to a role I may not have considered myself. Throughout a lengthy recruitment process they kept me fully informed, provided excellent advice and successfully negotiated the final package on my behalf. I would highly recommend Maxwell Stephens to any Facilities Management professional looking to progress their career."

Why This Placement Worked

Recruiting facilities leaders for international technology businesses requires more than technical knowledge. It demands commercial awareness, stakeholder management skills and the ability to support constantly evolving workplaces. The consultation at the start of this search meant those requirements were built into the brief, and a structured, multi-stage process gave Amadeus the confidence to appoint on the strength of a single exclusive partner. The appointment showed what is involved in recruiting senior facilities management professionals for global technology organisations, where operational performance and customer experience matter equally.

Maxwell Stephens combines sector knowledge with a rigorous executive search process to find leaders who improve both operational performance and workplace experience. If you are recruiting a facilities leader for a corporate or technology workplace, get in touch with our team.