Background & Client Overview
Deckers, a global footwear and apparel organisation, appointed Maxwell Stephens to recruit an experienced Health & Safety and Facilities Manager to oversee operations across its EMEA portfolio.
The role combined regional Facilities Management with responsibility for health and safety, maintenance, workplace projects, sustainability and stakeholder management across multiple countries.
Deckers required a professional who could maintain consistently high operational standards while adapting to different local requirements and supporting the organisation’s wider corporate objectives.
The successful candidate needed to combine Facilities expertise, health and safety leadership, commercial awareness, people management and strong communication skills within a complex international environment.
The Challenge
The Health & Safety and Facilities Manager position carried a broad regional remit and required someone capable of balancing operational delivery with strategic improvement.
Regional Facilities Management
The successful candidate needed to oversee Facilities and maintenance operations across multiple EMEA locations, ensuring workplaces remained safe, efficient and professionally managed.
Health & Safety Leadership
A core responsibility was developing, implementing and maintaining effective health and safety policies and procedures while ensuring compliance with relevant local requirements across different countries.
Stakeholder Management
The role involved working with a broad range of internal departments, senior stakeholders, suppliers and external partners.
Strong communication, influencing and negotiation skills were therefore essential to balance competing requirements and maintain productive relationships.
Team Leadership
The successful candidate would lead a small Facilities team, providing clear direction, support and development while ensuring projects and operational responsibilities were delivered effectively.
Project Delivery
Facilities-related projects needed to be carefully planned and coordinated across the region, requiring strong organisational and project-management capability.
Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability
Deckers also wanted the role to support the development and implementation of corporate responsibility and sustainability initiatives, ensuring regional activity remained aligned with wider global objectives.
Our Recruitment Approach
Maxwell Stephens conducted a targeted search for experienced Facilities and Health & Safety professionals with the capability to operate across an international, multi-site portfolio.
Given the breadth of the role, our assessment focused on candidates who could demonstrate:
- regional or multi-site Facilities Management experience
- strong health and safety knowledge
- experience managing maintenance operations
- international stakeholder engagement
- supplier and contractor management
- team leadership and development
- workplace project delivery
- commercial and cost-management awareness
- sustainability and corporate responsibility experience
- the ability to operate effectively across different cultures and regulatory environments
Cultural fit was equally important.
Deckers required someone capable of building trusted relationships across the organisation while bringing a proactive, collaborative and improvement-focused approach to Facilities Management.
Following a detailed search and assessment process, Maxwell Stephens successfully placed a highly experienced Health & Safety and Facilities Manager.
Outcome & Impact
The successful appointment strengthened Facilities Management and health and safety performance across Deckers’ EMEA operations.
Improved Facilities Operations
The new manager introduced a more streamlined approach to Facilities Management, helping improve operational efficiency while maintaining high standards across the regional portfolio.
Stronger Health & Safety Management
Robust policies and procedures strengthened workplace safety and helped ensure operations remained aligned with relevant local health and safety requirements.
Improved Cost Efficiency
Closer oversight of Facilities activity and service delivery helped identify opportunities to reduce unnecessary expenditure while protecting service quality.
Enhanced Stakeholder Relationships
Strong communication and relationship-management skills improved collaboration between Facilities, internal departments, suppliers and external stakeholders.
Stronger Team Performance
Clear leadership and ongoing support helped empower the Facilities team, strengthen accountability and encourage a culture of continuous improvement.
Greater Sustainability Focus
The successful candidate championed environmental and corporate responsibility initiatives, helping align EMEA Facilities operations with Deckers’ wider sustainability objectives.
Better Regional Consistency
A coordinated approach to Facilities and health and safety management helped create greater consistency across different EMEA locations while still recognising local operational requirements.
Outcome
The successful placement provided Deckers with a regional leader capable of combining Facilities Management, health and safety, stakeholder engagement, team leadership and sustainability across an international portfolio.
The appointment demonstrates Maxwell Stephens’ ability to recruit senior Facilities professionals for complex regional roles where operational performance must be balanced with compliance, commercial efficiency and corporate responsibility.
Looking for an experienced regional Facilities or Health & Safety leader to oversee an international portfolio? Contact Maxwell Stephens to discuss your recruitment requirements.