Client Overview
Exemplas Group, an organisation supporting businesses and public-sector clients, appointed Maxwell Stephens to recruit an experienced Facilities Manager to oversee services across its estate, with particular responsibility for BioPark.
The role required someone capable of operating effectively within a specialist science and technology environment, where reliable facilities services, strong stakeholder relationships and careful commercial management were essential.
The successful candidate needed to combine technical Facilities Management knowledge, contract-management expertise, financial control and strong interpersonal skills while supporting tenants, contractors and internal teams across a complex site.
The Challenge
Exemplas required a Facilities Manager who could quickly integrate into the BioPark environment and take ownership of a broad range of operational responsibilities.
The role demanded someone comfortable working within a scientific or technical setting and capable of balancing day-to-day service delivery with longer-term commercial and stakeholder priorities.
Key requirements included:
Experience in Scientific or Technical Environments
A strong background managing facilities within science, laboratory, technical or similarly specialist environments was highly desirable.
Contract & Supplier Management
The ability to negotiate, manage and review commercial contracts covering services such as maintenance, waste and recycling, ensuring suppliers delivered appropriate quality and value.
Stakeholder Management
Strong communication skills were essential for building productive relationships with tenants, contractors, internal teams and the University of Hertfordshire’s Facilities Management team.
Budget Management
The successful candidate needed to manage Facilities Management expenditure carefully, maintain financial control and identify opportunities to improve value for money.
Operational Management
Responsibility for ensuring everyday facilities services were coordinated effectively and that the BioPark environment remained safe, functional and well maintained.
Reception & Team Management
The role included responsibility for on-site reception staff, requiring confident people management and clear operational oversight.
Emergency Support
The Facilities Manager also needed to provide appropriate out-of-hours support and act as an emergency contact when required.
Our Recruitment Approach
Maxwell Stephens developed a targeted search strategy focused on professionals with relevant experience across Facilities Management, scientific environments, contract negotiation and stakeholder engagement.
Our recruitment process centred on three key areas.
Targeted Search
We focused on candidates who had worked within science, laboratory, technical or other complex operational environments where Facilities Management needed to support specialist users and services.
Detailed Assessment
Candidates were assessed on more than technical FM knowledge.
We examined their ability to:
- manage complex supplier relationships
- negotiate and oversee service contracts
- control facilities budgets
- communicate with tenants and senior stakeholders
- manage on-site teams
- operate effectively in a specialist environment
- respond calmly to urgent or out-of-hours issues
Close Client Collaboration
We worked closely with Exemplas to refine the brief and ensure the selected candidate matched both the technical requirements of the role and the culture of the organisation.
This helped create a clearer understanding of the priorities specific to BioPark and improved alignment throughout the selection process.
Outcome & Impact
Maxwell Stephens successfully placed a highly qualified Facilities Manager who met Exemplas’ operational, commercial and stakeholder requirements.
The successful candidate brought relevant experience within a scientific environment together with strong contract-management and budget-control capability.
Stronger Facilities Management
The appointment provided BioPark with experienced leadership across day-to-day Facilities Management services, helping maintain a safe, reliable and well-managed working environment.
Improved Contract Management
The candidate’s commercial experience strengthened the management and negotiation of service contracts, supporting better supplier performance and value for money.
Greater Budget Control
Effective financial oversight helped ensure Facilities Management expenditure remained controlled and aligned with operational priorities.
Stronger Stakeholder Relationships
The candidate developed effective relationships with tenants, contractors, internal teams and external partners, helping improve communication and coordination across the site.
Effective Team Leadership
Management of reception and on-site support staff helped create clearer accountability and more consistent service delivery.
Improved Operational Resilience
The candidate’s ability to respond to operational issues and provide out-of-hours support strengthened continuity and helped ensure urgent matters could be dealt with quickly.
Outcome
The successful placement demonstrates Maxwell Stephens’ ability to recruit Facilities Management professionals for specialist scientific and technical environments, where standard FM knowledge must be combined with strong commercial judgement, stakeholder management and operational flexibility.
The appointment gave Exemplas a Facilities Manager capable of balancing service delivery, contract performance, financial control and tenant experience within the distinctive BioPark setting.
Looking for an experienced Facilities Manager to lead a specialist science, technical or multi-tenant environment? Contact Maxwell Stephens to discuss your recruitment requirements.