Operations Manager for Paddington Works' West London Portfolio

Background

Paddington Works is a premium flexible workspace and property operator, creating design-led environments that bring together businesses, entrepreneurs and communities across West London. Combining coworking spaces, private offices, event facilities and residential accommodation, the organisation places significant emphasis on workplace experience, operational performance and community engagement.

As part of its continued growth, Paddington Works required an experienced Operations Manager to oversee a diverse mixed-use portfolio spanning commercial and residential assets, with responsibility for facilities management, customer experience and operational performance. Having worked with Paddington Works previously, Maxwell Stephens was engaged to run the search.

The Challenge

Paddington Works needed an Operations Manager to take ownership of the day-to-day management of multiple sites while supporting the organisation's commitment to a strong occupier experience. This was not a traditional facilities management role: the successful candidate had to combine operational leadership, property management expertise and stakeholder engagement within a customer-focused environment. Key areas of responsibility included:

• Multi-site operations management
• Facilities and property management
• Commercial and residential asset oversight
• Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) management
• Reactive maintenance coordination
• Contractor and supplier management
• Budget management and financial control
• Capital improvement and refurbishment projects
• Occupier experience and customer service delivery
• Health, safety and compliance management
• Space utilisation and workplace optimisation
• Community engagement

The role demanded someone who could balance strategic oversight with hands-on operational delivery while maintaining the standards expected across a premium mixed-use portfolio. Beyond technical capability, Paddington Works wanted someone who shared its values around wellbeing, sustainability and creating environments where people and businesses can thrive. Flexible workspace operators live or die on member experience, so cultural fit in this kind of role is a requirement rather than a preference.

Our Approach

Understanding the Requirement

Because Maxwell Stephens had worked with Paddington Works before, we understood the importance of securing a candidate who fitted both the technical requirements of the role and the culture of the organisation. Working closely with the leadership team, we developed a detailed understanding of the portfolio, the operational priorities and the personal qualities the role needed.

Specialist Search

Drawing on our Facilities Management and Property Management network, we ran a targeted search for candidates with experience across facilities management, property operations, mixed-use developments, flexible workspace environments, residential property management, contractor and supplier management, capital projects and refurbishments, health & safety compliance and workplace experience. Particular emphasis was placed on strong operational leadership, project management capability and a customer-centric approach.

Candidate Assessment

Candidates were assessed against a comprehensive range of technical, operational and behavioural competencies: multi-site operational management, facilities and property expertise, budget management and commercial awareness, contractor management, project delivery and refurbishment experience, health, safety and compliance knowledge, stakeholder engagement and communication, customer service and occupier experience focus, and cultural alignment with Paddington Works' values.

The Outcome

Maxwell Stephens appointed an experienced Operations Manager who brought a strong combination of facilities management expertise, commercial awareness and operational leadership, together with the technical capability, project management experience and customer-focused mindset needed to oversee a diverse mixed-use portfolio. Their key strengths included:

• Facilities and operations. Extensive facilities and operations management experience, with strong commercial and residential property knowledge.
• Contractors and suppliers. Proven contractor and supplier management expertise.
• Financial control. Effective budget management and financial control capability.
• Project delivery. Experience delivering refurbishment and improvement projects.
• Stakeholders. Strong engagement and communication skills, with a proactive, solutions-focused approach.
• Cultural fit. Strong alignment with Paddington Works' community-focused culture.

Following their appointment, the Operations Manager quickly integrated into the organisation and took responsibility for the operational performance of the portfolio. The benefits across Paddington Works' operations included stronger facilities and property management oversight, better coordination of planned and reactive maintenance, firmer contractor and supplier management, delivery of operational improvement projects, an improved occupier and resident experience, tighter budget control, stronger health, safety and compliance performance, and continued support for the organisation's growth and community-focused objectives.

Why This Placement Worked

The search was defined around how the role actually operates: multi-site, mixed-use, customer-facing and hands-on. Assessing candidates on cultural alignment alongside the technical and commercial competencies meant the appointee could deliver across both commercial and residential environments while supporting the organisation's ambition to create places where people want to work, live and collaborate.

Maxwell Stephens supports property owners, flexible workspace operators, commercial landlords and mixed-use developments with specialist recruitment across operations management, facilities management, property management, workplace operations, health & safety compliance, contractor management and strategic facilities leadership. If you are recruiting an operations lead for a portfolio of this kind, get in touch with our team.