Background
Crédit Agricole CIB is an investment bank with a London presence. It asked Maxwell Stephens to recruit a Technical Services Coordinator in its Property and Corporate Services department, reporting to the Facilities Operations Manager.
The office-based role oversees the mechanical and electrical systems at the bank’s main London site and its business continuity site, working with an outsourced M&E provider and its subcontractors.
Success depends on keeping essential building systems reliable for the bank, its staff and its dealing room support teams, with contractors held to a high standard.
The Challenge
In a regulated financial services environment, plant failure is a business risk. The coordinator monitors the M&E contractor on helpdesk and planned maintenance work, schedules works to minimise disruption, runs inspection tours, audits the contract and tracks spend through purchase orders and invoices. The role also covers energy saving initiatives, smart building monitoring, project work such as fit-outs and upgrades, and liaison with the landlord's technical team.
The person has to review risk assessments and permit to work systems with confidence, be available for emergencies and critical plant failures, and hold an HND or above in a mechanical or electrical discipline plus IOSH or NEBOSH. Knowledge of BMS and lighting controls was an advantage. Technical credibility and contractor management skill rarely sit together.
Because the bank’s dealing room and other critical areas depend on uninterrupted services, the client needed someone who would be taken seriously by both the contractor and the business, and who could keep the contractor accountable on cost as well as quality.
Our Approach
- We took a detailed brief on the M&E contract, the two sites and the out-of-hours expectations.
- We searched among building services engineers, technical coordinators and M&E contract managers in financial services and other critical environments.
- We screened for technical depth, command of RAMS and permit to work, and the ability to manage a contractor without being their engineer.
- We managed interviews, references and the offer so the bank could appoint with confidence.
The Outcome
Maxwell Stephens made the appointment.
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