Background
Kingston Smith, a leading professional services firm advising entrepreneurial businesses, appointed Maxwell Stephens to recruit an experienced Premises and Facilities Manager to oversee its property and Facilities Management function.
The role carried responsibility across seven premises, and needed a professional who could balance day-to-day operational delivery with longer-term property strategy, compliance, financial management and workplace improvement. The successful candidate had to combine Facilities Management expertise with commercial awareness, project-management capability and a detailed understanding of property and health and safety responsibilities.
The Challenge
Kingston Smith needed a Premises and Facilities Manager who could take full responsibility for a multi-site estate: maintaining reliable workplace operations while improving cost control, strengthening compliance and supporting the organisation's wider property requirements. Key responsibilities included:
- Multi-site Facilities Management. Overseeing the day-to-day operation and maintenance of seven premises and ensuring consistent service standards across the estate.
- Planned preventive maintenance. Implementing and managing a robust Planned Preventive Maintenance (PPM) regime to support asset reliability and reduce the risk of unexpected maintenance issues.
- Property management. Managing leasehold and freehold interests and advising on property matters including space utilisation, market conditions and lease arrangements.
- Lease negotiation. Supporting and negotiating lease terms to ensure the organisation's property interests were managed effectively.
- Health & safety compliance. Maintaining compliance with health and safety legislation, carrying out regular reviews and ensuring corrective actions were implemented where required.
- Financial management. Preparing and monitoring capital and maintenance budgets while identifying opportunities to improve procurement and control Facilities expenditure.
- Projects and workplace change. Coordinating office layouts, internal moves and refurbishment projects to support operational requirements and make better use of workplace space.
The combination is the difficulty. In a professional services firm the facilities function is usually small, so the same person who signs off a boiler service is also expected to hold a view on a lease renewal and sit across a refurbishment. Facilities managers with genuine leasehold and freehold experience are a minority, and those who also run a disciplined PPM regime and a budget are fewer still.
Our Approach
Maxwell Stephens conducted a targeted search for Facilities Management professionals with proven experience across multi-site premises management, property, compliance and project delivery.
The role required a broader skill set than conventional day-to-day Facilities Management, so candidates had to show they could manage both operational services and longer-term property considerations. Our assessment therefore focused on professionals with experience in:
- multi-site Facilities Management
- planned and reactive maintenance
- leasehold and freehold property matters
- health and safety compliance
- capital and maintenance budgeting
- procurement and cost control
- office moves and refurbishments
- space planning and workplace improvement
Through our specialist FM recruitment network and a detailed assessment process, we identified a candidate whose experience closely matched Kingston Smith's operational and strategic requirements.
The Outcome
Maxwell Stephens placed a highly skilled Premises and Facilities Manager with Kingston Smith. The appointment strengthened the organisation's approach to property and Facilities Management across its seven premises:
- Stronger multi-site operations. The successful candidate provided structured oversight of daily Facilities Management and maintenance activity across the estate, bringing greater consistency to service delivery.
- Improved maintenance planning. The introduction of a robust PPM regime provided a more proactive framework for maintaining buildings and workplace assets.
- Better property management. The candidate brought closer oversight of Kingston Smith's leasehold and freehold interests, with informed advice on property matters, space utilisation and lease arrangements.
- Stronger health & safety compliance. Regular reviews and corrective actions helped maintain compliance with health and safety responsibilities across the portfolio.
- Improved financial control. Close management of capital and maintenance budgets, combined with more effective procurement, supported stronger cost control and identified opportunities for savings.
- Effective workplace projects. The Premises and Facilities Manager coordinated office layout changes, relocations and refurbishment activity so that workplace changes supported operational requirements.
The appointment gave Kingston Smith a Facilities Management professional able to combine property expertise, operational management, compliance, financial control and project delivery across a multi-site estate, supporting improvements in operational efficiency and cost management while strengthening the organisation's wider approach to property and workplace performance.
Why This Placement Worked
The brief was written for the job as it actually operates — part operational, part property, part project — and the search was assessed against all three rather than defaulting to the maintenance side. That is how Maxwell Stephens identifies Facilities Management professionals who can take responsibility for both the day-to-day performance and the longer-term development of a property portfolio.
If you are looking for an experienced Premises or Facilities Manager to oversee a multi-site estate, Maxwell Stephens can help you define the brief and reach candidates who cover the property side as well as the operational one. Get in touch with our team.