Facilities Management Appointments for Derwent London

About Derwent London

Derwent London is the UK's largest Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) focused exclusively on central London commercial property. Known for a design-led approach to development, refurbishment and asset management, it owns and manages some of the capital's most distinctive office buildings, with more than 5.6 million square feet under management and a portfolio valued at over £5 billion. It works with leading architects, designers and engineering consultants, and puts sustainability, operational performance and customer experience at the centre of its projects.

Our work with Derwent London

• Head of Facilities Management
• Technical Services Manager
• Residential Facilities Manager
• Assistant Building Manager
• FM Project Manager, Property Management team

The first four were filled together, on an exclusive basis, after a restructure. The FM Project Manager appointment is covered in its own section below.

Four Facilities Management Appointments After a Restructure

Following a significant organisational restructure, Derwent London needed to strengthen its Property and Facilities Management function and appointed Maxwell Stephens exclusively to recruit four roles: Head of Facilities Management, Technical Services Manager, Residential Facilities Manager and Assistant Building Manager. Together they would support the central London portfolio across operational performance, customer service and technical standards, in both commercial and residential assets.

Speed mattered, because the business needed people in place to keep operations stable, but so did fit with Derwent London's collaborative culture. Running several searches at once also carries a particular risk: leadership, technical services, residential and building-level roles each draw on a different candidate pool and need their own assessment criteria.

We ran a targeted executive search rather than relying on advertising, combining headhunting, our specialist FM database, market mapping across London's commercial property sector, competency-based assessment, cultural fit evaluation and tight interview coordination. Because we already knew many of the strongest candidates personally, we could work to the timetable without lowering standards. Each candidate was assessed against the technical requirements of their role and for leadership, customer focus, commercial awareness and alignment with Derwent London's values.

All four positions were filled within two weeks. The appointees integrated quickly, strengthening the FM leadership team, adding technical and operational expertise and keeping operations stable through the restructure.

Candidate testimonials:

"I contacted Maxwell Stephens after seeing a job they were advertising. Within a week I had been interviewed and offered the position. They kept me informed throughout the entire process and made everything straightforward from start to finish. I would definitely recommend Maxwell Stephens."

"If you are looking for a Recruitment Agency that offers a professional & supportive experience from initial contact through to finding a job position, then working with Peter and the Maxwell Stephen’s team will be the perfect fit for you. I was made to feel prepared and comfortable throughout the whole process of job hunting and was put forward for interviews with companies offering amazing opportunities. Thank you Peter & team for all your hard work and dedication to finding the right job for me. You really made me feel at ease and confident."

FM Project Manager, Property Management Team

Derwent London also appointed us to recruit an FM Project Manager for its Property Management team, bridging development and operational Facilities Management across the prime central London portfolio. The role manages multiple refurbishment and improvement projects from concept to operational handover; works with development, asset management and property management teams; manages consultants, contractors, budgets, programmes and risk; reviews development proposals for maintainability; supports the mobilisation of new and refurbished buildings; ensures compliance with health and safety legislation including the CDM Regulations 2015; and supports Derwent London's sustainability and Net Zero Carbon objectives.

The combination is scarce. Project managers from construction tend to hand a building over and move on; facilities managers tend to inherit buildings once the decisions that shape running costs have been made. Someone who has sat on both sides of that handover is the exception.

We searched the commercial real estate and property sectors for people with project management experience across commercial portfolios, operational FM expertise, experience alongside development teams, knowledge of HVAC, electrical, fire and life safety, security and building management systems, commercial and contract management, and a practical approach to sustainability and Net Zero. Shortlisted candidates had a competency-based assessment covering technical capability, leadership, commercial understanding and running several complex projects at once.

We recruited an FM Project Manager with extensive experience of FM projects across high-profile commercial portfolios, who became an integral member of the Property Management team, overseeing projects from planning to handover.

Why it worked

Each role was defined and assessed on its own terms. In the restructure campaign that meant separate criteria for leadership, technical, residential and building-level posts, held firm under deadline pressure. For the FM Project Manager it meant treating the post as a genuine hybrid rather than a project management job with an FM label, and assessing both delivery discipline and operational understanding.

If you are planning several Facilities Management appointments at once, or a role that sits between development and operations, get in touch with our team.