Background
Maxwell Stephens partnered with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) to recruit an experienced Head of Engineering Services. The RSC, known for bringing Shakespeare's work to diverse audiences, operates a substantial estate: three theatres, administrative offices, costume workshops, gardens and multiple residential properties in Stratford-upon-Avon, together with rehearsal rooms and offices in London. An estate of that range needs careful maintenance and strategic development if it is to support the RSC's mission of inspiring audiences through exceptional theatre.
The Challenge
The RSC wanted a leader who could manage this extensive estate effectively while ensuring compliance with safety standards and environmental regulations. The ideal candidate needed:
- Extensive experience in building or engineering services management
- Strong leadership and interpersonal skills
- A strategic mindset, to align engineering services with the RSC's artistic vision and business objectives
- The ability to manage large budgets and oversee major capital projects
The role also demanded a proactive approach to problem-solving, excellent communication skills, and the ability to inspire and lead a diverse team.
Engineering leadership in a producing theatre organisation is a distinctive brief. The estate is not a single building type: performance venues, workshops, offices, residential property and gardens each carry different services, different statutory obligations and different users, and the theatres themselves run to a production calendar that the maintenance programme has to work around rather than dictate. Candidates from a purely commercial or industrial background often have the technical depth but not the instinct for working alongside an artistic organisation; candidates from arts venues often have the reverse. The RSC needed both.
Our Approach
Maxwell Stephens ran a careful selection process against the RSC's criteria. Beyond confirming the depth of each candidate's building and engineering services experience, we looked for evidence of the strategic mindset the role called for: people who could explain how an engineering function supports an organisation's wider objectives, not just how it keeps plant running. Budget and capital project responsibility were tested directly, as were the leadership and communication qualities needed to run a diverse team across two locations.
The Outcome
Following that process, Maxwell Stephens placed a well-qualified candidate as Head of Engineering Services. The appointee brought substantial experience in engineering services management, a strong understanding of quality systems, and proven leadership skills. Their proactive and organised approach, combined with a positive attitude and excellent communication abilities, made them a strong fit for the role and for the organisation.
Why This Placement Worked
The search took the RSC's own framing seriously: this was a leadership appointment for an unusual estate, not a maintenance manager with a grander title. Assessing for strategic alignment, budget and capital project capability and team leadership alongside technical experience produced a candidate suited to the whole role rather than one part of it.
If you are recruiting an engineering or estates lead for a cultural, heritage or multi-site estate, Maxwell Stephens can help you define the brief and reach candidates with the right combination of technical and leadership experience. Get in touch with our team.