Background
The University of Cambridge's Department of Physics, home to the Cavendish Laboratory, is one of the world's leading centres for scientific research. Its legacy includes 32 Nobel Prize winners, and the department continues to advance scientific understanding through research, teaching and collaboration.
As the department prepared for its future relocation to the Ray Dolby Centre, a research facility designed to support the next generation of scientific discovery, the University needed an experienced Soft Facilities Manager to support day-to-day operations and help deliver a major period of organisational transition. Maxwell Stephens was engaged to lead the search.
The Challenge
The Department of Physics needed a capable facilities professional to lead the delivery of soft facilities services across a complex and operationally demanding research environment: a diverse estate of offices, laboratories, workshops, teaching spaces and event facilities, all supporting world-leading research.
The successful candidate would be responsible for:
- Managing soft facilities services across the department, including reception, concierge and front-of-house operations
- Managing cleaning, catering and security contracts
- Supporting laboratories, workshops and specialist research environments
- Driving sustainability initiatives and environmental performance improvements
- Ensuring compliance with health, safety and fire safety requirements
- Supporting business continuity planning and operational resilience
- Managing facilities budgets and service level agreements
- Advising on facilities requirements for new developments and refurbishment projects
- Supporting the department's transition to the Ray Dolby Centre
The role therefore called for a facilities leader who could balance operational delivery with strategic planning inside one of the world's most respected academic institutions. Research estates add a further layer of difficulty for soft services: cleaning, security and front-of-house teams work around laboratories with their own access and safety rules, and a service failure can interrupt experiments rather than simply inconvenience an office.
Our Approach
Understanding the Environment
Maxwell Stephens worked closely with the University to develop a detailed understanding of both the operational requirements of the role and the particular culture of the Department of Physics. The successful candidate would need strong facilities management expertise, but also the ability to operate within a complex stakeholder environment involving academics, researchers, operational teams, contractors and senior university leadership.
Specialist Search
Drawing on our facilities management network, we conducted a targeted search for professionals with experience across soft facilities management, higher education, research and laboratory facilities, science and technology estates, corporate and public-sector facilities operations, contract and supplier management, health, safety and compliance, and sustainability and environmental initiatives.
Particular emphasis was placed on candidates who could show experience of managing complex facilities services while maintaining high standards of customer service, operational performance and stakeholder engagement.
Candidate Assessment
Candidates were assessed against a range of technical and leadership competencies:
- Soft services management
- Contractor and supplier performance management
- Strategic planning and service improvement
- Budget management and commercial awareness
- Health, safety and compliance knowledge
- Stakeholder engagement and communication
- Change management and organisational transition
The process was designed to identify someone who could support both the department's immediate operational needs and its long-term strategic objectives.
The Outcome
Following the search and selection process, Maxwell Stephens appointed an experienced Soft Facilities Manager who closely matched the department's technical, operational and cultural requirements. The successful candidate brought extensive facilities management experience, strong leadership capability and a collaborative approach to service delivery.
Their key strengths included:
- Extensive soft facilities management expertise
- Strong contract and supplier management capability
- Experience operating within complex estates and stakeholder environments
- Excellent leadership and communication skills
- A proactive approach to service improvement and operational efficiency
- A strong understanding of compliance, health and safety and business continuity
Since joining the Department of Physics, they have taken responsibility for the management of critical soft facilities services while supporting preparations for the department's transition to the Ray Dolby Centre. The appointment gives the University a facilities leader capable of supporting a world-leading research environment while helping to shape the future workplace and facilities strategy of one of the most respected scientific institutions in the world.
Candidate Feedback
“Hi Peter, words cannot express my utmost gratitude for helping me land this role. I could not be happier!”
Why This Placement Worked
Soft services appointments in research institutions are often approached as generic office-management hires. The department's brief was broader: contract management, compliance, business continuity and an impending relocation, all within a stakeholder group that ranges from senior academics to security contractors. Assessing candidates against change management and stakeholder engagement, not just service delivery, is what separated those who could run the estate from those who could also carry it through the transition.
Maxwell Stephens supports universities, research institutions and other complex operational environments with soft facilities, estates, workplace, health and safety and compliance appointments at operational and strategic level. If you are planning a similar appointment, get in touch with our team.