Background
Mitchells & Butlers is one of the UK's largest hospitality operators, with a portfolio of more than 1,600 pubs, bars and restaurants across the country. Home to some of Britain's best-known brands, the business aims to deliver a strong customer experience while keeping its venues safe, compliant and attractive throughout an extensive estate.
Supporting a property portfolio of that size depends on building maintenance expertise in the field, which makes the recruitment of experienced Area Building Managers critical to protecting both the estate and the customer experience. As part of its continued investment in property maintenance, Mitchells & Butlers partnered with Maxwell Stephens to recruit two Area Building Managers for its Building Maintenance team.
The Challenge
Reporting to the Head of Building Maintenance, each successful candidate would take responsibility for a substantial regional portfolio stretching from Norfolk to Southend, with the majority of sites south of Cambridge. The role demanded experienced professionals who could manage multiple priorities across a geographically dispersed estate while keeping compliance, building condition and operational performance consistently high. Key responsibilities included:
- Managing planned and reactive building maintenance across a large regional portfolio
- Protecting the condition and long-term value of company assets
- Managing operational and maintenance budgets of approximately £5 million
- Ensuring compliance with all statutory building, health and safety regulations
- Managing contractors, consultants and specialist suppliers
- Maintaining accurate building data and asset information
- Supporting refurbishment and capital improvement projects
- Building strong relationships with Operations teams, contractors and senior stakeholders
Mitchells & Butlers wanted candidates with a strong background in building surveying or construction, ideally gained within retail, hospitality or other customer-facing property portfolios. Equally important were strong communication skills, commercial awareness and the ability to make sound decisions in a fast-moving operational environment.
Two things made this harder than a typical building surveyor search. First, hospitality estates trade through evenings and weekends, so maintenance decisions are made against live operations rather than around them; candidates from purely commercial or office portfolios often underestimate that. Second, recruiting two managers for the same team at once meant the appointments had to be consistent with each other as well as individually strong.
Our Approach
Maxwell Stephens ran a targeted recruitment campaign focused on experienced Building Managers and Building Surveyors with extensive multi-site property experience. The process included:
- A thorough client briefing. We built a detailed understanding of the operational requirements, reporting structure and regional responsibilities attached to each role.
- A specialist market search. We used our Facilities Management and Property network to identify professionals with experience of managing geographically dispersed commercial estates.
- Detailed candidate assessment. We evaluated candidates on technical knowledge, project management capability, contractor management, commercial awareness and their ability to work effectively within a large operational business.
- A quality shortlist. We presented Mitchells & Butlers with experienced candidates whose technical expertise and leadership capability closely matched the requirements of the business.
The Outcome
Maxwell Stephens recruited two Area Building Managers, both of whom brought significant experience in construction, building surveying and estate maintenance. The successful candidates established themselves quickly within the Building Maintenance team, contributing through:
- Operational standards. Maintaining high standards across their regional property portfolios while supporting the day-to-day operation of hundreds of hospitality venues.
- Compliance leadership. Keeping buildings compliant with statutory regulations, health & safety requirements and company standards.
- Commercial performance. Managing maintenance expenditure effectively while protecting the long-term condition of property assets.
- Project delivery. Supporting refurbishment programmes and capital works while minimising disruption to trading.
- Stakeholder management. Building strong relationships with operational managers, contractors, consultants and internal stakeholders across the business.
Their expertise, professionalism and commercial approach have strengthened Mitchells & Butlers' building maintenance capability, helping its nationwide estate continue to provide safe, efficient and welcoming environments for employees and customers.
Why This Placement Worked
Area building roles in hospitality sit between the surveying profession and the operations floor. Recruiting purely on surveying credentials produces technically sound appointments who struggle with the pace and the politics of a trading estate; recruiting purely on operational fit produces managers who cannot hold contractors to account. This search assessed for both, and measured both appointments against the same standard.
Maxwell Stephens recruits Building Management, Building Surveying and Area Facilities professionals for large, complex, multi-site property portfolios across the hospitality sector and beyond. If you are recruiting for a dispersed estate, get in touch with our team.