Office & Facilities Manager Recruitment for Hampshire Trust Bank

Background

Hampshire Trust Bank (HTB) is a specialist UK bank providing savings accounts and specialist lending solutions to businesses and individuals. Operating within a highly regulated financial services environment, the bank places significant emphasis on operational resilience, workplace efficiency and regulatory compliance.

To support its continued growth, Hampshire Trust Bank partnered with Maxwell Stephens to recruit an experienced Office & Facilities Manager to oversee the day-to-day management of its corporate headquarters and ensure the delivery of high-quality workplace services.

The Challenge

Hampshire Trust Bank needed an Office & Facilities Manager able to manage all workplace services within a regulated banking environment. The successful candidate had to balance day-to-day service delivery with strict compliance, keeping the workplace safe, efficient and aligned with regulatory requirements.

Key responsibilities included:

• Managing all workplace services, including maintenance, security, cleaning, utilities and office support.
• Procuring and managing facilities contracts and supplier relationships.
• Acting as the primary liaison with the landlord and managing agents.
• Leading health & safety, fire safety and statutory compliance activities.
• Developing and maintaining Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery plans.
• Managing office moves, workplace changes and departmental relocations.
• Supporting employee onboarding and workplace setup.
• Monitoring facilities budgets and driving value for money.
• Maintaining high workplace standards for employees and visitors.

The role called for an experienced facilities manager with strong organisational skills, commercial awareness and a proactive approach to service delivery. In a regulated bank, the facilities function also carries responsibilities that a general office manager rarely sees: business continuity and disaster recovery planning are audited, not optional, and the person running the workplace needs to be comfortable with documentation, testing and evidence.

Our Approach

Maxwell Stephens worked closely with Hampshire Trust Bank to build a detailed understanding of the role, the culture of the organisation and the technical requirements of the appointment. Drawing on our specialist facilities management network, we ran a targeted search for professionals with experience in corporate and financial services environments.

Our assessment focused on candidates who demonstrated:

• Corporate facilities and office management experience.
• Strong contractor and supplier management capability.
• Health & safety and statutory compliance expertise.
• Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery knowledge.
• Budget management and commercial awareness.
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills.
• A proactive, customer-focused approach.

Each shortlisted candidate went through a full assessment covering both technical competence and cultural fit.

The Outcome

Maxwell Stephens appointed an experienced Office & Facilities Manager who quickly became a key member of Hampshire Trust Bank's operational leadership team. Bringing extensive workplace management experience, the successful candidate took responsibility for all facilities operations while strengthening governance, supplier performance and workplace efficiency. The appointment delivered:

• Well-run workplace operations. Consistent delivery of all workplace services, maintaining a safe, efficient and productive working environment.
• Stronger compliance and governance. Health & safety, fire safety and statutory compliance procedures were strengthened, reducing operational risk and supporting continued regulatory compliance.
• Improved business continuity. Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery plans were developed, maintained and regularly tested to improve organisational resilience.
• Better supplier performance. Effective management of contractors and service providers improved service quality, accountability and value for money across the facilities function.
• Smoother workplace change. Office moves, departmental changes and reconfigurations were delivered with minimal disruption, supporting business growth.

The appointment gave Hampshire Trust Bank experienced leadership across facilities management, compliance, supplier management and business continuity. By providing a safe, efficient and well-managed working environment, the successful candidate allowed the organisation to focus on its core banking operations while maintaining the standards expected within the financial services sector.

Why This Placement Worked

Banks and other regulated institutions need facilities professionals who treat compliance and continuity as core parts of the job rather than paperwork attached to it. Searching specifically within corporate and financial services backgrounds, and testing for business continuity knowledge alongside the usual hard and soft services experience, produced a candidate who could take on the full remit from the start.

If you are recruiting a facilities or workplace manager for a bank, financial institution or other regulated corporate environment, Maxwell Stephens can help you define the brief and reach candidates who already understand what that setting demands. Get in touch with our team.