Background
Rokos Capital Management (RCM) is one of the world's leading global macro investment management firms. Founded in 2015 and managing more than $13 billion in assets, the business employs over 180 professionals across its offices in London, New York and Washington D.C.
Operating within the highly demanding financial services sector, RCM places significant emphasis on operational standards, discretion and workplace performance. Its London headquarters supports a fast-paced trading environment where the reliability, presentation and resilience of the workplace are fundamental to the business.
To strengthen its Workplace and Facilities function, Rokos Capital Management launched a competitive multi-agency executive search for an experienced Facilities Manager, appointing Maxwell Stephens to support the assignment.
The Challenge
The successful candidate would take responsibility for the day-to-day management of RCM's London headquarters, keeping the workplace running without interruption while delivering a high standard of experience for employees, visitors and stakeholders.
This was a broad and highly visible role, requiring an experienced facilities management professional capable of balancing operational leadership with strategic oversight across multiple service disciplines. Responsibilities included:
- Managing the maintenance and presentation of the office environment.
- Overseeing HVAC and critical building services.
- Managing facilities service providers, including cleaning, catering, security and building management.
- Ensuring full compliance with health and safety legislation.
- Supporting office refurbishment projects, fit-outs and workplace moves.
- Managing supplier performance, budgets and service contracts.
- Leading front-of-house, reception, security and workplace support teams.
- Building strong relationships with landlords, managing agents and internal stakeholders.
Working within a hedge fund environment demanded absolute professionalism, discretion and the ability to respond calmly and effectively in a business where operational downtime simply was not an option. In trading environments, a building services fault is not an inconvenience to be logged and scheduled; it is a live risk to the firm's ability to operate, and the facilities manager is expected to have anticipated it.
Our Approach
Maxwell Stephens undertook a targeted executive search focused on experienced client-side Facilities Managers with backgrounds in financial services and premium corporate environments. Our search concentrated on professionals who possessed:
- A minimum of eight years' facilities management experience.
- Significant client-side corporate facilities management expertise.
- Experience managing prestigious multi-tenanted commercial buildings.
- Strong knowledge of landlord and managing agent relationships.
- Expertise in health & safety, statutory compliance and contractor management.
- Experience supporting office moves, refurbishments and workplace projects.
- Outstanding communication and stakeholder management skills.
Technical expertise alone would not be enough. RCM needed someone capable of thinking ahead, solving problems before they surfaced and maintaining exceptionally high standards in an environment where attention to detail and service quality were critical. Throughout the process we assessed candidates for leadership capability, commercial awareness, professionalism and cultural fit alongside their technical competencies.
A multi-agency search also changes the recruiter's job. Speed matters, but the firm sees every agency's shortlist side by side, so the differentiator is the quality of assessment behind each introduction rather than the volume of CVs sent.
The Outcome
Following a comprehensive executive search, Maxwell Stephens introduced a Facilities Manager who closely matched RCM's demanding operational and cultural requirements. The successful candidate brought extensive experience managing premium corporate workplaces and demonstrated strong capability across workplace operations, contractor management, compliance and stakeholder engagement.
Since joining Rokos Capital Management, the Facilities Manager has helped keep the firm's London headquarters running smoothly by:
- Maintaining high workplace standards across the office environment.
- Managing multiple specialist service providers and contractors.
- Supporting workplace improvement and office fit-out projects.
- Ensuring full compliance with health and safety legislation.
- Building strong relationships with internal stakeholders and external partners.
- Delivering a proactive, solutions-focused approach to facilities management.
Their ability to anticipate operational issues before they arise, coupled with strong communication and leadership skills, has made them a valuable member of the wider Workplace team.
Why This Placement Worked
Recruiting facilities management professionals for hedge funds and investment firms requires an understanding of environments where operational resilience, discretion and service quality are business critical. Candidates who have only worked in more forgiving settings often struggle with the pace and the expectation that nothing visibly goes wrong.
Through specialist facilities management recruitment expertise, executive search capability and a rigorous assessment process, Maxwell Stephens delivered a high-calibre Facilities Manager capable of supporting one of the world's leading investment management firms.
Candidate Testimonial
"I was fortunate enough to be introduced to Maxwell Stephens at the beginning of my career and they have continued to support my professional development ever since. They have consistently sourced opportunities that offered genuine career progression and an excellent cultural fit. I would highly recommend them."
If you are recruiting a Facilities Manager for a financial services or other high-expectation corporate environment, Maxwell Stephens can help you define the brief and reach the candidates who will meet it. Get in touch with our team.