Background
University College London (UCL) was founded in 1826 and is one of the world's leading universities, consistently ranked among the top higher education institutions globally. Home to more than 42,000 students and 13,000 staff representing over 150 countries, UCL operates one of the largest and most complex university estates in the UK.
Its property portfolio spans the historic Bloomsbury campus, specialist institutes, teaching hospitals, research facilities, the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park campus and international operations, which makes for a demanding estates and facilities management environment.
Having previously worked together on a number of senior facilities management recruitment assignments, UCL again appointed Maxwell Stephens on an exclusive basis to recruit a Facilities Manager.
The Challenge
The successful candidate would take responsibility for the operational management of a designated portfolio of academic and administrative buildings, delivering consistent facilities management services across a busy and complex university environment.
This was a highly visible role. It required someone able to balance operational delivery, customer service, contractor management and statutory compliance while supporting thousands of staff, students and visitors every day. Responsibilities included:
- managing the day-to-day delivery of facilities management services across multiple buildings
- acting as the primary point of contact for building users
- coordinating maintenance, security, cleaning and waste management services
- managing contractors and directly employed operational teams
- monitoring service standards, budgets and contractor performance
- ensuring compliance with health & safety legislation and statutory requirements
- resolving operational issues quickly and effectively
- supporting continuous service improvement across the estate
The breadth of services under the Facilities Manager's responsibility included:
- planned and reactive maintenance
- cleaning services
- security operations
- portering and logistics
- waste and recycling
- mail services
- grounds maintenance
- car parking management
- catering support services
That service list is the reason building-level facilities manager posts in higher education are harder to fill than the grade implies. The role is a generalist one in an environment full of specialists, and the postholder has little formal authority over the academic departments whose buildings they run. Influence has to be earned through reliability, because a manager who cannot get a lecture theatre back in service before the next timetabled session will not be given the benefit of the doubt a second time.
Given the size and complexity of UCL's estate, the organisation needed an experienced Facilities Manager able to operate confidently within a technically demanding, customer-focused environment.
Our Approach
Drawing on our long-standing relationship with UCL and our specialist expertise in the higher education sector, Maxwell Stephens ran a targeted executive search for candidates with the right blend of technical knowledge, operational leadership and stakeholder management skills.
Our search focused on professionals with:
- significant facilities or estates management experience
- operational leadership within complex, multi-building environments
- experience managing both contractors and directly employed teams
- strong customer service and stakeholder management skills
- sound knowledge of statutory compliance and health & safety legislation
- experience working within higher education, healthcare or similarly complex estates
- the ability to balance operational priorities with consistent service delivery
Every candidate was assessed rigorously, not only for technical competence but for leadership style, communication skills and the ability to build working relationships across a large and diverse organisation.
The Outcome
Maxwell Stephens delivered a Facilities Manager who closely matched UCL's technical, operational and cultural requirements.
The successful candidate brought extensive experience managing facilities management operations within complex estates, along with the leadership, organisation and customer focus needed to support one of the UK's leading universities.
Since joining UCL, the Facilities Manager has helped strengthen service delivery across their designated portfolio by:
- maintaining consistently high operational standards
- managing contractors and internal service teams effectively
- building strong relationships with academic departments and building users
- ensuring full compliance with statutory and health & safety requirements
- driving continuous improvements across facilities management services
- supporting the University's commitment to delivering a strong environment for teaching, research and student life
Candidate Testimonial
"Maxwell Stephens have always provided me with a brilliant service. Every member of the team has taken the time to understand exactly what I was looking for and kept me fully informed throughout the entire recruitment process. Their interview preparation was excellent and I would thoroughly recommend them."
Why This Placement Worked
Exclusive, repeat assignments are a different exercise from a one-off search. Knowing the estate, the service model and the way decisions are made allowed the brief to be set accurately from the first conversation, and allowed candidates to be told honestly what the job involves rather than what the job description says.
This appointment further strengthened Maxwell Stephens' long-standing relationship with University College London and reflects our ability to deliver facilities management professionals for one of the UK's largest and most complex university estates. Through our specialist facilities management recruitment and executive search work, and our understanding of higher education environments, we continue to help leading universities recruit the operational leaders who keep their institutions running.
If you are recruiting a Facilities Manager for a university estate or another complex multi-building portfolio, get in touch with our team to discuss the brief.