Background
Camelot Group is one of the UK's most recognised organisations, responsible for operating large-scale, business-critical operations across a nationwide property portfolio. Supporting thousands of employees, sophisticated technology infrastructure and highly secure environments, Camelot needs a facilities management function that guarantees operational resilience, regulatory compliance and a high-quality workplace experience.
To support these demanding operational requirements, Camelot partnered with Maxwell Stephens to recruit an experienced Property & Facilities Manager to lead its national facilities function.
The Challenge
Camelot needed a senior facilities management professional capable of providing strategic leadership across its property portfolio while keeping highly secure, business-critical facilities running smoothly. The successful candidate would oversee facilities operations, property management, health & safety compliance and major capital projects, while leading a multidisciplinary team and supporting the organisation's long-term property strategy.
The responsibilities included:
- Leading facilities management operations across multiple UK locations.
- Managing health, safety and statutory compliance.
- Providing strategic property advice aligned to long-term business objectives.
- Ensuring the resilience and operational readiness of business-critical facilities, including data centres.
- Managing major refurbishment, fit-out and workplace improvement projects.
- Overseeing physical security systems across the estate.
- Leading lease negotiations and landlord relationships.
- Managing outsourced service providers and facilities contracts.
- Developing and controlling facilities, property and support services budgets.
- Supporting sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
- Driving continuous operational improvement across the property portfolio.
The appointment called for someone who could combine strategic thinking with strong operational leadership inside a highly regulated and fast-moving environment. Estates that include data centres and secure sites narrow the field considerably: a candidate with a strong corporate office background may have little exposure to business-critical infrastructure, where the consequences of a facilities failure are measured in downtime rather than inconvenience.
Our Approach
Maxwell Stephens worked closely with Camelot's leadership team to develop a detailed understanding of the organisation's operational priorities, technical requirements and corporate culture.
Using our specialist facilities management network, we ran a targeted executive search focused on experienced senior professionals with expertise across corporate real estate, workplace operations and multi-site facilities management. The search prioritised candidates with:
- Senior facilities management leadership experience.
- National property portfolio management expertise.
- Strong Health & Safety and compliance credentials.
- Property, lease and landlord management experience.
- Capital project and refurbishment delivery.
- Data centre and business-critical environment knowledge.
- Commercial contract negotiation and supplier management expertise.
- Budget ownership and financial management capability.
- Strong stakeholder engagement and leadership skills.
Each shortlisted candidate went through a comprehensive assessment covering technical competence, leadership capability, commercial awareness and cultural fit.
The Outcome
Maxwell Stephens appointed an experienced Property & Facilities Manager with a strong blend of technical expertise, commercial acumen and strategic leadership. The successful candidate quickly took responsibility for Camelot's national facilities operation, providing strong governance across workplace services, property management, compliance and capital projects.
- Strategic property leadership. The appointment strengthened oversight of Camelot's property portfolio, supporting long-term estate planning while ensuring facilities continued to meet evolving business requirements.
- Operational performance. The successful candidate introduced improvements across facilities operations, contractor management and service delivery, increasing efficiency across multiple locations.
- Compliance and risk management. Robust management of Health & Safety, statutory compliance and physical security ensured continued operational resilience across Camelot's nationwide estate.
- Project delivery. Major refurbishment, fit-out and workplace improvement programmes were delivered effectively, supporting business growth while maintaining operational continuity.
- Financial and supplier management. Strong commercial oversight improved budget control, supplier performance and contract management, delivering greater value while maintaining high service standards.
Why This Placement Worked
The appointment strengthened Camelot's facilities management function by providing experienced leadership across property, workplace operations and business-critical infrastructure. By combining strategic property expertise with disciplined operational management, the successful candidate has helped keep Camelot's workplaces safe, compliant, efficient and aligned with the organisation's long-term business objectives.
The search worked because the brief was treated as three roles in one, property strategist, operational facilities lead and guardian of business-critical infrastructure, and candidates were assessed against all three rather than the one that happened to dominate their CV. It reflects Maxwell Stephens' experience in recruiting senior facilities management and property professionals for complex corporate environments where operational resilience, compliance and strategic leadership are all essential.
If you are recruiting a Property & Facilities Manager or senior FM leader for a national, multi-site or business-critical estate, Maxwell Stephens can help you define the brief and reach candidates who cover the full breadth of it. Get in touch with our team.