Facilities and Health & Safety Manager for East Village London

Background

East Village London is one of the capital's most significant residential developments, recognised for its innovative approach to urban living and its commitment to creating a thriving, sustainable community. Managing a large and diverse estate of this kind calls for strong operational standards, clear governance and a proactive approach to facilities management.

To support the continued running of the development, East Village London asked Maxwell Stephens to recruit a Facilities and Health & Safety Manager: someone able to lead estate operations while keeping compliance, safety and service delivery at the standard residents and stakeholders expect.

The Challenge

This was a broad brief. The role demanded an experienced facilities professional who could oversee a wide range of operational and strategic responsibilities across a complex residential estate, providing leadership across facilities management, health & safety, contractor management and sustainability initiatives while keeping customer experience and day-to-day delivery firmly in view.

Key responsibilities included:

• Leading total facilities management operations across the estate
• Managing maintenance, security, cleaning and support services
• Overseeing outsourced service providers and contractor performance
• Ensuring compliance with health & safety legislation and best practice
• Conducting risk assessments and implementing safety programmes
• Managing minor works and estate improvement projects
• Developing and maintaining strong stakeholder relationships
• Driving environmental and sustainability initiatives
• Implementing waste management and carbon reduction strategies
• Supporting the long-term operational performance of the estate

Few candidates combine all of this. Facilities managers with strong contractor and hard-services backgrounds do not always carry health & safety leadership credentials, and those who do are not always comfortable in a resident-facing environment where service standards are judged every day. The role needed a blend of technical expertise, leadership capability and a proactive approach to maintaining a safe and efficient environment for residents, visitors and stakeholders.

Our Approach

Understanding the requirement

Maxwell Stephens worked closely with East Village London to build a detailed picture of the estate, its operational priorities and the leadership qualities the position required. Particular emphasis was placed on identifying candidates with:

• Strong facilities management experience
• Health & safety leadership credentials
• Contractor and supplier management expertise
• Experience within large-scale residential or mixed-use developments
• Project management capability
• Sustainability and environmental management knowledge
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills

Targeted search

Using our specialist facilities management network, we ran a focused search for professionals with proven experience leading facilities and health & safety functions within complex operational environments, rather than relying on advertising response. We prioritised candidates who demonstrated:

• Strong technical facilities management knowledge
• Health & safety compliance expertise
• Experience managing multi-disciplinary service providers
• A customer-focused approach
• The ability to balance operational delivery with strategic improvements

Candidate assessment

Shortlisted candidates were assessed on technical competence, leadership ability, project management experience and cultural fit, so that the client saw only people who matched both the technical brief and the way the estate operates.

The Outcome

We placed a Facilities and Health & Safety Manager with extensive experience in estate operations, compliance management, contractor oversight and sustainability. The successful candidate established themselves quickly, taking ownership of key operational functions while identifying opportunities to improve performance across the estate.

The role covered facilities operations, health and safety, project management, and contractor management.

Why This Placement Worked

Estate-level roles that combine facilities management with health & safety leadership are often recruited as one or the other, with the second discipline treated as a bolt-on. On a large residential development, where residents judge the estate daily and compliance failures are visible, that approach rarely holds. This search treated the two disciplines as equally weighted from the start and assessed candidates against both, alongside the contractor management and sustainability experience the estate needed.

If you are recruiting a facilities or health & safety leader for a complex residential or mixed-use development, Maxwell Stephens can help you define the brief and reach the candidates who genuinely cover it. Get in touch with our team.