Background
The Society of London Theatre (SOLT), based in Covent Garden, sits at the centre of the theatre sector, supporting producers, managers, owners and operators. Its mission is to champion theatre and nurture thriving members within a dynamic and sustainable theatre landscape, and a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion runs through every part of its operations.
SOLT engaged Maxwell Stephens to fill two roles central to how the organisation runs its buildings and its workplace: an Operations Manager and an Interim Building Refresh Project Manager.
The Challenge
The two briefs were different in nature and had to be approached as separate searches.
Operations Manager
The Operations Manager would oversee IT, building management, health & safety and operational support across SOLT's offices and its TKTS Leicester Square building. That is a broad remit for one manager: IT and building management alone usually attract different backgrounds, and responsibility across more than one site adds to the load. The search needed someone genuinely comfortable across all four areas rather than a specialist in one with a working knowledge of the rest.
Interim Building Refresh Project Manager
The interim appointment was to lead a property refresh of a central London building, aligning its spatial strategy with SOLT's cultural and employee engagement objectives. Interim project roles of this kind need someone who can take ownership immediately: shape the strategy, run supplier selection, procurement and tendering, and hold timelines and risks together while working across internal teams. The pool of interim project managers with that combination of property, procurement and stakeholder experience is small, and availability at the right moment is never guaranteed.
Our Approach
Maxwell Stephens drew on its network of facilities, operations and property project professionals rather than waiting for advertising response, and treated the two briefs as distinct assignments:
- Two distinct candidate profiles. An operations generalist with building, IT and health & safety credibility for the first role; a property project specialist with procurement and tendering experience, available on an interim basis, for the second.
- Fit with SOLT's mission. Both roles serve an organisation whose purpose is cultural and whose values around diversity, equity and inclusion are explicit. We looked for candidates whose interest in that purpose was genuine rather than professed at interview.
- Assessment against the work itself. Candidates were assessed on how they had handled comparable remits: multi-site operational responsibility for the Operations Manager, and refresh projects carried from conception to completion for the interim role.
The Outcome
We identified and placed candidates whose expertise and motivation matched SOLT's vision.
The Operations Manager integrated quickly into SOLT's operations, taking ownership of sustainable building management and IT optimisation and championing health & safety initiatives. Their leadership brought smooth day-to-day operations, proactive maintenance and a more resilient IT infrastructure.
The Interim Building Refresh Project Manager developed a spatial strategy that gave SOLT's central London premises new life. They led supplier selection, procurement and tendering, collaborated across teams, monitored timelines and mitigated risks, carrying the project from conception to completion and creating a modern, engaging environment in keeping with SOLT's cultural aspirations.
Together, the two appointments produced tangible results for SOLT. Streamlined processes and proactive maintenance improved workspace functionality and operational efficiency, and the property refresh gave SOLT a revitalised, inclusive environment that supports creativity and collaboration.
Candidate Testimonial
One of the candidates we placed said:
I’m very happy to recommend Maxwell Stephens. I have found them to be knowledgeable, approachable and diligent when acting on my behalf in sourcing suitable interim senior FM roles.
Why This Placement Worked
Organisations often bundle an operational hire and a project hire into a single search on the basis that both are "facilities". They are not the same profile. An operations manager is judged on consistency over the long term; an interim project manager is judged on delivery against a fixed scope and timeline. Treating SOLT's two briefs as distinct, with distinct assessment criteria, is what allowed both appointments to succeed.
If you are recruiting for a similar combination — an operations lead, an interim project manager for a building refresh, or both — Maxwell Stephens can help you define each brief and reach the right people. Get in touch with our team.
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