Background
Greystar is one of the world's largest real estate companies, specialising in the investment, development and management of high-quality residential communities. Operating across multiple international markets, Greystar is known for the resident experience it delivers through professional property management and consistent service standards.
To support the continued success of its Sailmakers development, Greystar appointed Maxwell Stephens to recruit a Facilities Manager — a leadership role responsible for maintaining the building's technical infrastructure, leading the on-site facilities team and delivering a high-quality living environment for residents.
The Challenge
The Facilities Manager would play a central role in supporting the Community Manager while ensuring the smooth day-to-day operation of one of Greystar's premium residential developments. The successful candidate needed to combine strong technical facilities expertise with leadership and customer service skills, balancing operational efficiency with the resident experience.
Key responsibilities included:
- Managing all hard services, building maintenance and technical infrastructure.
- Overseeing mechanical, electrical and plant equipment.
- Developing and managing Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) programmes.
- Leading, mentoring and developing the on-site facilities team.
- Managing contractors and supplier performance.
- Ensuring statutory compliance across all building services.
- Working closely with local authorities, fire services and regulatory bodies.
- Supporting budget planning and financial performance.
- Responding quickly to resident maintenance issues and service requests.
- Maintaining high standards of health, safety and operational compliance.
Greystar needed a proactive leader able to maintain a premium residential environment while delivering good customer service to residents and stakeholders alike. Residential facilities roles of this kind differ from corporate ones in an important way: the building is people's home, so maintenance issues are felt immediately and personally, and the facilities manager is judged on responsiveness as much as on technical competence.
Our Approach
Working closely with Greystar's leadership team, Maxwell Stephens developed a detailed understanding of the technical requirements of the role, the operational demands of the Sailmakers development and the organisation's customer-first culture.
Our search focused on professionals with experience managing premium residential, build-to-rent, hotel or corporate accommodation environments, where service standards are fundamental. We targeted candidates with expertise in:
- Residential facilities management.
- Building services and technical operations.
- Mechanical and electrical systems.
- Health & safety and statutory compliance.
- Contractor and supplier management.
- Team leadership and staff development.
- Budget management.
- Resident and customer engagement.
Each shortlisted candidate was assessed on technical competence, leadership capability, commercial awareness and cultural alignment, to be confident they could represent the Greystar brand to residents.
The Outcome
Maxwell Stephens appointed an experienced Facilities Manager who quickly established themselves within the Sailmakers development, bringing extensive technical expertise, strong people management skills and a proactive, customer-focused approach that matched Greystar's service standards. The appointment brought improvements across several areas:
- Operational performance. Building services and maintenance programmes were streamlined, so that mechanical, electrical and plant equipment operated efficiently, with reduced downtime and improved service reliability.
- Compliance and safety. Structured management of statutory compliance, health & safety and fire safety strengthened operational governance and kept the development in line with regulatory requirements.
- Team leadership. The Facilities Manager recruited, developed and motivated the on-site maintenance team, creating a collaborative and capable facilities function.
- Resident experience. Proactive communication and rapid issue resolution improved resident satisfaction, reinforcing Greystar's reputation for customer service.
- Financial performance. Careful management of maintenance budgets, contractors and supplier performance helped control costs while maintaining the standards expected across the development.
The appointment strengthened the operational performance of the Sailmakers development, helping Greystar continue to deliver a safe, efficient and well-run residential environment.
Why This Placement Worked
In premium residential, build-to-rent and mixed-use developments, technical capability, leadership and customer service carry equal weight, and a candidate strong in only one of them will struggle. Assessing all three from the outset, with a clear picture of how the role supports the Community Manager, is what produced a Facilities Manager who fitted the way Sailmakers actually operates.
If you are recruiting a Facilities Manager for a residential or mixed-use development where the building is someone's home, Maxwell Stephens can help you define the brief and reach candidates who combine the technical and the personal. Get in touch with our team.