Background
MTV Networks International is a globally recognised media brand with a Central London office. It appointed Maxwell Stephens to find a Head of Facilities, also described as a Director of FM, to run the facilities function for a site of approximately 1,000 people. The engagement covered the broader building services and facilities leadership.
The Challenge
The post is strategic and operational at once. The Head of Facilities owns risk management, including incident preparedness, response and business continuity planning, and sets and communicates the overall FM strategy, including service reviews and roll-out. Performance measures have to stay aligned with how the business actually operates, working closely with the senior leadership team.
The span of services is wide. It covers fit-out projects with their budgets, legal and licensing issues, soft services such as front of house, hospitality, AV, cleaning, security, archiving, post room, couriers and taxis, and hard services including building fabric, audits and planned preventative maintenance schedules. Procurement includes tender preparation for FM providers, and fire and health and safety recommendations are part of the remit. The work runs under the client's ISO environmental and safety accreditation.
The ideal candidate held a recognised health and safety qualification, such as NEBOSH or British Safety Council, with substantial risk and budget management experience and a track record with ISO management systems. They also had to lead the facilities team, influence internal and external clients and work independently in a demanding multi-agency environment. The client expected strong interest in the position.
Our Approach
- We took a detailed brief on the client's space, the services in scope and the expected strategic change.
- We searched for heads of facilities and workplace directors from large corporate, media and creative offices in London.
- We screened for risk and continuity leadership, ISO systems experience, health and safety qualifications and the ability to lead a large multi-supplier model.
- We shortlisted with full CVs and our interview notes, then ran the offer process with the client.
The Outcome
Maxwell Stephens made the appointment.
If you are appointing a senior facilities leader for a large workplace, talk to Maxwell Stephens about how we would approach the search.
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