Background
Arch Insurance is a leading global insurance organisation with a strong presence in the London market. As the business continued to develop its UK operations, it needed a capable Facilities Operations Manager to support its London office and wider UK facilities function.
With an office relocation under way and increasing demands across its facilities operations, Arch needed someone who could bring structure, coordination and confidence to a busy, fast-moving environment. Arch Insurance approached Maxwell Stephens to run the search.
The Challenge
The brief was for a Facilities Operations Manager who could support both day-to-day facilities delivery and key strategic projects, including the relocation of the London office. It was a broad operational role requiring strong facilities coordination experience, excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple stakeholders, systems and suppliers at once.
The successful candidate would be responsible for:
- Supporting the planning and coordination of the London office relocation.
- Liaising with contractors, vendors and internal stakeholders.
- Managing facilities systems including Smartsheet, iOffice, Arch Pay and Smart Lockers.
- Handling UK-wide facilities requests through ServiceNow.
- Building effective relationships with property management teams across the UK.
- Managing access permits and global access systems.
- Supporting the rollout of Smart Lockers across UK sites.
- Assisting with regional office construction and workplace projects.
- Coordinating vendor appointments, audits and supplier relationships.
- Supporting the Facilities Health, Safety and Environment programme.
Arch needed someone who combined practical facilities knowledge with project coordination, systems capability and a service-focused approach. That combination is harder to find than it looks. Many facilities coordinators are strong on supplier liaison and reactive requests but have never worked through a relocation, and many who have done a move have not run a ticketing system or a locker rollout. In a corporate insurance environment, the standard of professionalism expected in every interaction raises the bar further.
Our Approach
Maxwell Stephens ran a targeted search across our specialist facilities management network, focusing on candidates with experience in corporate facilities operations, relocation support, supplier coordination and workplace systems. We looked for professionals who could demonstrate:
- Facilities coordination and operational support experience in a corporate setting.
- Office moves, relocations or workplace projects, with a clear account of what they personally handled.
- Supplier and vendor management skills, including audits and performance oversight.
- Communication and stakeholder engagement capability across internal teams and external property managers.
- Confidence with facilities management systems and reporting tools.
- A proactive, organised and detail-focused working style.
- The ability to operate effectively in a corporate insurance environment.
Because the role leaned so heavily on systems, we tested for that directly rather than taking a list of software names on a CV at face value.
The Outcome
Maxwell Stephens identified and placed a Facilities Operations Manager who quickly became a valued member of Arch Insurance's facilities team. The successful candidate supported the London office relocation, improved day-to-day coordination across UK sites and strengthened facilities processes through effective use of systems, reporting and stakeholder communication.
Their contribution included:
- Supporting a smooth and well-coordinated office relocation.
- Improving the management of facilities requests through ServiceNow.
- Strengthening communication with building management teams.
- Supporting the rollout of access and Smart Locker systems.
- Assisting with regional office projects and construction activity.
- Improving vendor coordination and supplier performance oversight.
- Supporting Health, Safety and Environment initiatives across the facilities function.
The appointment gave Arch Insurance a highly organised and proactive facilities professional able to support both operational delivery and wider workplace change.
Why This Placement Worked
Facilities operations roles in corporate environments are often under-specified: the job description lists the systems and the suppliers, but the real requirement is someone who can hold a relocation, a ticket queue and a vendor audit in their head at the same time without dropping any of them. This search treated coordination under pressure as the core competency and assessed for it.
If you are recruiting a facilities operations or coordination role where relocation, systems, supplier management and stakeholder coordination are central, Maxwell Stephens can help you define the brief and reach the candidates who can make an immediate difference. Get in touch with our team.