Background
Kingston First is an organisation that works on behalf of its members to keep Kingston town centre clean, green, attractive and welcoming. It needed a Place Operations Manager, a permanent role reporting directly to the Chief Executive.
The post carries two distinct responsibilities. The first is a programme of town centre services and projects, including additional deep cleaning, extra greenery and Christmas lighting. The second is the day-to-day management of the Ancient Market Place, the civic heart of the town centre.
The Challenge
This is not a conventional facilities role, and that made it harder to fill. The postholder had to combine project delivery with service management and relationship building, working with members, council officers, police, community groups and suppliers, often at the same time.
On the market side, the work is closer to commercial property management: trader licences and compliance, rent collection and reviews with the finance function, income targets and reporting to the local authority. The role also involved setting KPIs, tendering and managing external suppliers, and planning budgets. Few candidates have that spread, and fewer have a real interest in town and city centres.
The person also had to fit a small, agile and creative team where the role could be shaped, which calls for resilience, pace and a taste for variety. They would need to build networks locally, regionally and nationally to stay aware of new ideas in place management, and to maintain a town centre continuity plan alongside resilience planning. A flexible, can-do attitude mattered as much as technical experience.
Our Approach
- We took a detailed brief on how the two halves of the role fit together and what the Chief Executive needed from the postholder.
- We searched beyond building services, looking at public realm, place management, markets and multi-supplier service delivery as well as facilities management.
- We screened for evidence of simultaneous project delivery, budget ownership, tendering and stakeholder influence, not just job titles.
- We managed the process through interview to offer so that the right candidate was committed before the close.
The Outcome
Maxwell Stephens made the appointment.
If you are recruiting for a place, estates or operations leadership role, talk to Maxwell Stephens about how we would run the search.
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