Head of Projects for the Royal College of Music

Background

The Royal College of Music (RCM) embarked on an ambitious programme to revitalise its main campus, with the aim of creating modern, purpose-built facilities for its students, staff and visitors. Maxwell Stephens was asked to find the person to lead it: a Head of Projects capable of carrying a transformative capital programme from inception to completion.

The RCM's plan was to enhance its South Kensington campus by redeveloping the open courtyard space, creating new social areas, performance venues, and technologically advanced spaces for rehearsals and exhibitions. Alongside the new work, the programme would refurbish existing buildings, establish new connections within the campus, and ensure compliance with statutory regulations.

The Challenge

A programme of this breadth asks a great deal of one appointment. The Head of Projects would need the professional qualifications and construction experience to be credible with designers, contractors and cost consultants, and the judgement to guide the College through decisions that would shape its campus for decades. Three things made the search demanding:

• A live campus. Capital works at a conservatoire take place around teaching, rehearsal and performance that cannot simply stop. Performance and rehearsal spaces also carry technical and acoustic requirements that general commercial project managers rarely encounter, so sequencing, noise and access all have to be planned with the institution's daily life in mind.
• Breadth of scope. New social and performance spaces, the refurbishment of existing buildings, new connections between them and statutory compliance across the whole are different kinds of project, each with its own procurement and risk profile. The appointee would need to hold all of them at once.
• The range of stakeholders. The role would sit between internal leadership and users on one side and external consultants and contractors on the other, and would need the authority to give strategic guidance to both.

Our Approach

Maxwell Stephens conducted an extensive search for a Head of Projects with the skills, experience and qualifications to lead a programme of this significance. Candidates were assessed not only on their record of delivering complex construction projects but on their grasp of the RCM's requirements and their commitment to what the College was trying to achieve. Through a careful and thorough recruitment process, we identified a candidate who met those requirements and shared the RCM's vision for the project.

The Outcome

The appointed candidate was a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS) and had extensive experience managing complex construction projects exceeding £50 million. Their expertise covered developing project specifications, managing procurement processes and ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations. Chartered status of this kind matters on a programme like the RCM's: it signals someone who can manage cost, procurement and contract administration with rigour rather than relying entirely on external advisers.

As Head of Projects, the candidate took a central role in overseeing every aspect of the RCM's transformational projects. They led a multi-disciplinary team, liaised with internal and external stakeholders, and provided strategic guidance from project inception to completion. Their responsibilities covered project management, stakeholder engagement, financial monitoring, risk management and compliance assurance.

Under the leadership of the Head of Projects, the RCM revitalised its campus, realising the vision of the "More Music: Reimagining the RCM" campaign. The redeveloped courtyard space became a lively hub for creativity and collaboration, and existing buildings were refurbished to modern standards. Through effective project management and close attention to detail, the RCM achieved its goal of providing the facilities its community deserved.

Why This Placement Worked

The search was defined by the programme rather than the job title. Head of Projects roles are often filled with strong construction project managers who have never led a portfolio on an occupied, specialist estate; here, the assessment gave equal weight to professional standing, experience of complex projects at scale, and the ability to work with an institution's own people throughout. That is what produced an appointee able to see the programme through.

If you are planning a capital programme and need a senior projects lead to deliver it, Maxwell Stephens can help you define the appointment and reach candidates with the right professional and practical background. Get in touch with our team.