Background
The United Reformed Church (URC) is one of the UK's largest Christian denominations, supporting approximately 56,000 members across more than 1,500 churches spanning the length of the country, from Orkney to Cornwall.
Its national administrative headquarters, Church House in central London, is the operational centre for the organisation. It accommodates around 60 employees and provides meeting and conference facilities used regularly by church committees, trustees and visitors.
Following an unsuccessful in-house recruitment campaign, the URC appointed Maxwell Stephens exclusively to recruit a Facilities Manager to oversee the operation, maintenance and continual improvement of that headquarters.
The Challenge
As the organisation's sole facilities management professional, this was a broad and highly autonomous role carrying responsibility for every aspect of the building's operational performance.
The successful candidate would oversee the day-to-day management of Church House while keeping the premises safe, compliant, welcoming and financially efficient. Key responsibilities included:
- Managing all building maintenance and facilities management services.
- Ensuring compliance with health & safety and statutory legislation.
- Managing planned and reactive maintenance programmes.
- Coordinating third-party contractors and service providers.
- Managing relationships with commercial and residential tenants.
- Supporting committee meetings and event space operations.
- Overseeing building appearance and workplace standards.
- Managing facilities budgets and operational expenditure.
- Identifying opportunities to generate additional commercial income through space utilisation.
- Recommending and delivering building improvements.
- Providing a good experience for staff, visitors and building users.
Standalone appointments of this kind are harder to fill than the job title suggests. In a single-person function there is no team to absorb gaps: the postholder has to be credible on compliance and contractor performance, comfortable with budgets, and willing to deal with the practical running of an occupied building on the same day. Candidates from larger FM teams are often strong on one of those and untested on the others.
The role therefore needed someone equally comfortable operating strategically and practically, across a wide-ranging remit, without support.
Our Approach
Working closely with the senior leadership team at the URC, Maxwell Stephens built a detailed understanding of the organisation's operational requirements, culture and long-term objectives before approaching the market.
Our executive search focused on experienced facilities professionals who had managed diverse commercial or charitable buildings with responsibility for compliance, contractor management, customer service and operational leadership. We prioritised candidates with experience in:
- Standalone facilities management roles.
- Commercial property and building operations.
- Health & safety management.
- Contractor procurement and supplier management.
- Budget management and financial control.
- Hospitality and meeting room operations.
- Building compliance and statutory regulations.
- Stakeholder engagement across varied user groups.
Professional qualifications such as IWFM, IOSH, NEBOSH or equivalent facilities management credentials were treated as highly desirable. In a sole-charge role they matter more than they would in a larger team: there is no in-house specialist to check the postholder's judgement on statutory compliance.
Alongside technical expertise, we looked for candidates with clear communication skills, commercial awareness, sound judgement and the confidence to work independently while building trusted relationships across the organisation.
The Outcome
Following a full executive search and assessment process, Maxwell Stephens identified and placed a Facilities Manager for Church House.
The appointed candidate brought the breadth of operational expertise needed to lead every part of the facilities management function while providing oversight of maintenance, compliance and workplace services.
Since joining the organisation, they have:
- Strengthened operational management across Church House.
- Improved contractor performance and supplier management.
- Enhanced health & safety compliance and governance.
- Delivered high standards of customer service for staff, tenants and visitors.
- Supported commercial opportunities through effective space utilisation.
- Maintained a safe, welcoming and efficient working environment.
The appointment gave the URC an experienced facilities professional able to support both the day-to-day operation and the long-term stewardship of its national headquarters.
Client Testimonial
"I would like to thank Maxwell Stephens for the hard work and professionalism shown throughout this recruitment campaign. The entire process was efficient, well managed and resulted in an excellent shortlist of high-quality candidates."
Why This Placement Worked
Recruiting facilities leaders for charitable and membership organisations asks for more than technical expertise — it demands professionalism, integrity, commercial awareness and a genuine commitment to service.
Framing the search around sole-charge experience, rather than around the size of the buildings a candidate had worked in, was what made the difference here. It kept the shortlist to people who had already carried the whole function on their own.
If you are recruiting a standalone Facilities Manager, or replacing a campaign that has not produced the right shortlist, Maxwell Stephens can help you define the brief and reach the people who fit it. Get in touch with our team.