Background
The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland is the national membership organisation for anaesthetists at every stage of their career. With more than 11,000 members and a team of 35 staff, the Association represents the specialty, influences health policy, supports professional development and raises public awareness of the anaesthetist's role.
As part of its long-term strategy, the Association was focused on strengthening operational support across the organisation. Its priorities included becoming fully digital, improving efficiency, adopting a more commercial approach to income generation, reducing running costs, improving premises, strengthening procurement processes and supporting greener ways of working.
To help deliver that strategy, the Association appointed Maxwell Stephens exclusively to recruit a newly created Facilities, Contracts and ICT Manager.
The Challenge
This was a broad appointment, combining responsibility for facilities management, building maintenance, security, ICT coordination, office management, procurement, hospitality services and supplier performance. The successful candidate would keep the Association's premises and support services running effectively while contributing to the longer-term improvements the strategy called for.
Key responsibilities included:
- Premises. Managing building maintenance, repairs and development, and maintaining planned maintenance schedules to support budget forecasting.
- Security and front of house. Establishing and overseeing building security procedures, and managing front-of-house services and the visitor experience.
- Hospitality. Overseeing catering and conference facilities.
- Health and safety. Ensuring compliance with health and safety legislation, developing and reviewing health and safety policies, and supporting staff training on safety procedures.
- Environment. Managing waste, recycling and environmental improvements.
- Procurement and suppliers. Reviewing and improving procurement processes, managing third-party suppliers and monitoring contract performance.
- ICT. Procuring ICT equipment including phones, photocopiers and hardware, and managing the relationship with the Association's external IT provider.
- Strategy. Supporting senior management and board members with long-term property strategy.
The role required a rare combination of practical facilities knowledge, commercial awareness, ICT understanding, supplier management, health and safety expertise and the ability to work confidently with senior stakeholders. Roles like this are common in membership bodies and professional associations, where the scale of the organisation means one person carries what a larger employer would split across estates, procurement and IT, and has to be credible with the board on strategy in the morning and with a contractor on site in the afternoon.
The candidate profile
The Association needed a capable, self-motivated and organised professional who could operate both strategically and hands-on. The ideal candidate needed experience across facilities management, building and premises management, procurement and contract management, budget management, people management, hospitality or conference services, ICT supplier coordination, and health, safety and environmental compliance.
In addition, they needed a strong working knowledge of health and safety legislation, good IT systems awareness and the ability to communicate effectively across the organisation. A degree-level education and a relevant facilities management qualification were essential, and IOSH certification was highly desirable. Just as importantly, the candidate needed strong negotiation skills, the ability to lead and motivate others, and the willingness to roll up their sleeves on practical operational tasks when required.
Our Approach
Maxwell Stephens worked closely with the Association to understand the purpose of the newly created role, the organisation's long-term strategy and the breadth of skills required. With no incumbent to benchmark against, agreeing what "good" looked like at the outset mattered more than usual.
We then ran a focused search across our facilities management and operational support networks, identifying candidates who could combine strategic thinking with practical delivery. Our assessment focused on:
- Breadth of facilities and operational experience
- Supplier and contract management capability
- Understanding of health and safety legislation
- ICT coordination experience
- Commercial and budget awareness
- Communication style and cultural fit
- Ability to support organisational change
The Outcome
Maxwell Stephens recruited a Facilities, Contracts and ICT Manager who brought the right balance of facilities expertise, operational discipline, supplier management experience and hands-on practicality.
The appointment gave the Association a dedicated professional, practical, commercially aware and service-focused, capable of improving day-to-day operations while supporting its longer-term objectives around digital transformation, premises improvement, procurement, cost control and sustainability, in line with its future strategy.
In the candidate's own words:
"I've just started a new role which was offered to me via Maxwell Stephens. This was my first time working with Maxwell Stephens and I have to say it was a very good experience. From start to finish they were on the ball with everything, always making sure to follow up with me after meetings and interviews etc. The team at Maxwell Stephens are very knowledgeable and have a very good attitude. Nothing is too much trouble! I would be very happy to work with Maxwell Stephens in the future."
Why This Placement Worked
Multi-functional roles of this kind fail when they are recruited against one strand of the job, usually facilities, and the procurement, ICT and strategic elements are assumed to follow. This search assessed candidates across every strand and weighted communication and cultural fit as heavily as technical knowledge, because in an organisation of this size the post holder is visible to everyone from the board to front of house.
If you are recruiting for a complex, multi-functional facilities role where technical knowledge, commercial judgement, communication skills and cultural fit all matter equally, Maxwell Stephens can help you define the brief and find the people who genuinely cover it. Get in touch with our team.