Background
The Medical Defence Union (MDU) is one of the UK's leading medical defence organisations, supporting more than 200,000 healthcare professionals with medico-legal advice, professional indemnity and expert legal representation. As a respected organisation operating within the healthcare and legal sectors, the MDU requires a safe, compliant and efficiently managed workplace to support its members and employees.
To strengthen its Corporate Services function, the MDU partnered with Maxwell Stephens to recruit a Facilities Management Support Coordinator — an operational role responsible for the smooth day-to-day management of the organisation's workplace environment while supporting wider facilities projects and statutory compliance.
The Challenge
The MDU required a highly organised and technically capable facilities management professional who could support every aspect of workplace operations while maintaining the standards expected within a regulated professional services environment.
Reporting directly to the Facilities Manager, the successful candidate would become central to the delivery of facilities services, ensuring business continuity, workplace efficiency and statutory compliance across the organisation. The breadth of the role demanded someone who could balance operational priorities with longer-term improvement projects. Key responsibilities included:
- Supporting the day-to-day operation of the MDU's corporate offices.
- Managing planned and reactive maintenance activities.
- Coordinating office moves, workplace changes and departmental relocations.
- Managing contractor performance and supplier relationships.
- Maintaining Health & Safety compliance and statutory records.
- Supporting fire safety, emergency procedures and business continuity planning.
- Managing CAFM systems and facilities administration.
- Maintaining AutoCAD drawings and workplace layouts.
- Coordinating maintenance of mechanical and electrical services.
- Monitoring building compliance documentation.
- Supporting procurement and facilities projects.
- Responding to urgent facilities issues, including out-of-hours incidents when required.
The successful candidate needed to combine technical competence with strong organisational skills, clear communication and the ability to work well within a fast-paced corporate environment. Coordinator-level roles that pair CAFM and AutoCAD competence with hands-on maintenance coordination are harder to fill than the grade suggests: many candidates have one side or the other, and the systems skills in particular are rarely evidenced clearly on a CV.
Our Approach
Maxwell Stephens worked closely with the Medical Defence Union to gain a detailed understanding of both the operational requirements of the role and the culture of the organisation. Drawing on our specialist facilities management network, we carried out a targeted search focused on professionals with experience supporting complex corporate workplaces and regulated environments.
Our search prioritised candidates with:
- Corporate facilities management experience.
- Strong Health & Safety knowledge.
- CAFM system expertise.
- AutoCAD and workplace planning experience.
- Contractor and supplier management capability.
- Mechanical and electrical building services knowledge.
- Office relocation and workplace project experience.
- Strong organisational and communication skills.
- A proactive, customer-focused and solutions-driven approach.
Each shortlisted candidate underwent a detailed assessment of their technical knowledge, operational capability and cultural fit, so that whoever was appointed could add value quickly within the organisation.
The Outcome
Maxwell Stephens appointed an experienced Facilities Management Support Coordinator who brought a good balance of technical knowledge, operational capability and customer service expertise. The successful candidate integrated quickly into the facilities team, becoming a trusted operational resource responsible for supporting workplace services across the organisation. In post, they have:
- Improved workplace operations by strengthening the day-to-day management of workplace services, so that facilities issues were resolved efficiently while service levels for employees and visitors were maintained.
- Enhanced compliance and risk management through robust processes for monitoring statutory compliance, Health & Safety documentation and maintenance records, strengthening governance across the estate.
- Made contractor management more efficient through proactive supplier coordination and performance monitoring, improving service delivery and operational reliability.
- Delivered workplace projects, coordinating office moves, departmental relocations and workplace improvements efficiently, minimising disruption to business operations while supporting organisational growth.
- Strengthened facilities administration through effective management of CAFM systems, AutoCAD records and maintenance documentation, improving operational visibility, reporting accuracy and long-term asset management.
Why This Placement Worked
The appointment strengthened the Medical Defence Union's facilities management function by providing dedicated operational support across workplace services, compliance, contractor management and facilities administration. By combining technical expertise with strong organisation and customer service, the successful candidate has helped maintain a safe, efficient and well-managed workplace that supports the MDU's work on behalf of healthcare professionals.
The assignment reflects Maxwell Stephens' experience of recruiting facilities management professionals for regulated corporate environments where operational resilience, compliance and workplace standards are essential. If you are recruiting a facilities coordinator or support role that needs systems competence as well as practical delivery, we can help you define the brief and reach the candidates who cover both. Get in touch with our team.