Property and Facilities Manager for Thames Reach

Background

Thames Reach is committed to ending street homelessness and helping vulnerable individuals live in decent homes, build supportive relationships and lead fulfilling lives. Its property portfolio includes a variety of facilities: the Employment Academy, Elmfield House, Hudson House, multiple 1-bed flats under the Brokerage and Resettlement in Lambeth (BRiL) programme, Peer Landlord houses, Deptford Reach and Robertson Street Hostel. Keeping these properties well managed and compliant with health and safety regulations is central to the charity's mission.

Thames Reach asked Maxwell Stephens to recruit a Property and Facilities Manager to take responsibility for that estate.

The Challenge

The Property and Facilities Manager role at Thames Reach is pivotal: it exists to maximise income from the charity's properties while maintaining high standards of property management and health and safety compliance. Reporting to the Director of Finance and Central Services, the post holder is responsible for managing Thames Reach's property assets, leading compliance, managing contracts and supporting property transactions, and for managing a team that delivers efficient and responsive facilities and building services operations.

That combination is harder to find than it looks. In the charity and supported-housing sector, property roles often sit at the meeting point of two disciplines that rarely develop in the same career: the commercial management of an asset base, and the day-to-day compliance and building services work that keeps residents safe in hostels and supported accommodation. The reporting line into finance makes the commercial expectation explicit; the portfolio makes the compliance expectation unavoidable.

We therefore sought a candidate with:

• A recognised professional qualification in property maintenance or facilities management
• Substantial experience managing facilities in complex organisations
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Flexibility and strategic thinking
• A proven track record of managing and motivating teams

Our Approach

Maxwell Stephens ran a thorough recruitment process to identify the right person for Thames Reach. In practice that meant:

• Understanding the organisation. We took time to understand the specific needs and goals of Thames Reach, the shape of the portfolio and what the role needed to deliver for the finance and central services function.
• Sourcing against the brief. We sourced candidates whose qualifications and experience matched the requirement, with particular attention to those who had managed property and compliance in comparably complex organisations.
• Evaluating fit. Candidates were evaluated through rigorous interviews and assessments, testing technical capability alongside the interpersonal skills and values alignment that a mission-led organisation depends on.

The Outcome

The successful candidate brought a wealth of experience and a proactive, strategic approach to property and facilities management. With their leadership, Thames Reach expects to see continued high standards in property management, compliance and the efficient operation of its facilities, supporting the charity's overarching mission to end street homelessness.

"Working with Maxwell Stephens has been a seamless experience. Their expertise in facilities management recruitment ensured we found a candidate who not only met our technical requirements but also aligned with our mission and values. We are confident that our new Property and Facilities Manager will significantly contribute to our goals and help us continue our vital work." — Director of Finance and Central Services, Thames Reach.

Why This Placement Worked

Property roles in charities are sometimes recruited as if they were purely operational, and the income and asset management side of the job is then left uncovered. This search started from the role as Thames Reach had actually defined it, with the finance reporting line, the compliance responsibility and the team leadership all weighted properly, and assessed candidates against the whole of it.

If you are recruiting a property or facilities manager for a charity, housing or supported-accommodation estate, Maxwell Stephens can help you define the brief and reach candidates who combine the commercial, compliance and people skills the role demands. Get in touch with our team.