Supporting a Landmark Community Venue Through Facilities & Front-of-House Leadership

Background

St John's Waterloo is a historic community landmark on London's South Bank. Known locally as "the church by the roundabout", the Grade II* listed building serves as a place of worship, cultural destination, arts venue and community hub.

Since its extensive transformation and refurbishment, St John's has become a multi-use environment hosting community initiatives, performances, exhibitions, commercial events and public gatherings. Alongside its commitment to heritage preservation, the organisation has built a strong record on sustainability, achieving Gold Eco Church status through its environmental initiatives and responsible operational practices.

To support the ongoing management of both St John's Waterloo and its sister site, St Andrew's, the organisation asked Maxwell Stephens to recruit an experienced Facilities and Front of House Manager capable of overseeing estate operations, sustainability initiatives, visitor experience and compliance across a complex and varied operational environment.

The Challenge

St John's Waterloo needed a facilities professional who could balance the demands of heritage estate management with the operational requirements of a busy events, community and commercial venue. The successful candidate would be responsible for keeping both sites safe, compliant, welcoming and operationally effective while supporting a wide range of stakeholders: visitors, tenants, community groups, volunteers, event organisers and commercial partners.

Key areas of responsibility included:

• Facilities and estate management
• Planned and reactive maintenance coordination
• Contractor and supplier management
• Front-of-house operations and visitor experience
• Health, safety and compliance management
• Fire safety and security oversight
• Sustainability and environmental performance
• Utility and energy management
• Tenant and occupier liaison
• Event and venue support
• Budget management and operational planning
• Volunteer and staff coordination

The role called for someone who could work across multiple priorities while holding the balance between heritage stewardship, community engagement, commercial activity and environmental responsibility.

That balance is what makes venues of this kind hard to recruit for. A listed building imposes constraints on maintenance and alterations that a conventional workplace does not, an events programme means the building is in use at hours when most facilities teams are off site, and the front-of-house element puts the manager in direct contact with the public and with volunteers, who cannot be managed like contractors. Few facilities CVs cover all three.

Our Approach

Understanding the Requirement

Maxwell Stephens worked closely with the leadership team at St John's Waterloo to build a detailed understanding of the operational demands of the role and the organisation's wider mission. The successful candidate would need to show not only facilities management expertise but also a genuine commitment to sustainability, customer service and community engagement.

Specialist Search

Drawing on our specialist facilities management network, we ran a targeted search focused on candidates with experience across:

• Facilities management and multi-site operations
• Heritage and listed buildings
• Venue and events management
• Front-of-house operations
• Community and charitable organisations
• Health and safety management
• Sustainability and environmental performance
• Contractor and supplier management

We placed particular emphasis on individuals who could operate within complex stakeholder environments while maintaining a highly visible, customer-focused presence.

Candidate Assessment

Candidates were assessed against a range of technical, operational and behavioural competencies: facilities and property management expertise, health, safety and compliance knowledge, sustainability and environmental management, contractor management and procurement, customer service and front-of-house leadership, stakeholder engagement and communication, event support and operational planning, and problem-solving and organisational capability.

The assessment focused on finding a candidate who could combine sound operational management with the values and mission of the organisation.

The Outcome

Maxwell Stephens placed an experienced Facilities and Front of House Manager who brought a strong blend of facilities management expertise, operational leadership and customer service capability. The successful candidate quickly established themselves within the organisation, taking responsibility for facilities operations, front-of-house services and compliance activities across both sites.

Key strengths included:

• Extensive facilities and workplace management experience
• Strong health, safety and compliance knowledge
• Proven contractor and supplier management capability
• Experience supporting events and public-facing venues
• Commitment to sustainability and environmental improvement
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills
• A proactive, hands-on management approach

Working closely with internal teams, volunteers, tenants, contractors and commercial partners, the appointed manager helped strengthen operational performance while keeping the venues welcoming, compliant and aligned with their community mission.

The placement gave St John's Waterloo a facilities leader able to support both day-to-day operational requirements and the long-term success of a distinctive community and cultural destination.

Why This Placement Worked

Heritage venues often recruit for the building and forget the people, or the reverse. This brief put estate management, front of house and sustainability on an equal footing, and we searched for candidates who had already worked where those three meet: listed buildings with a public programme and a charitable purpose. Assessing against the organisation's values as well as its task list meant the appointment fitted the place, not just the job description.

Maxwell Stephens supports heritage organisations, charities, cultural institutions, community venues and commercial organisations with specialist recruitment across facilities, estate and workplace management, including heritage and listed buildings, venue and events operations, front-of-house leadership, health and safety, and sustainability and environmental management. If you are recruiting for a venue where heritage, community and commercial demands overlap, get in touch with our team.