Operations Manager Recruitment for the University of Cambridge's Shared Facilities Hub

Background

The University of Cambridge is one of the world's oldest and most internationally recognised universities. It was founded in 1209 and has built a reputation for academic quality, pioneering research and innovation, ranking consistently among the leading higher education institutions globally.

As part of its West Cambridge Masterplan, the University invested in the creation of the Shared Facilities Hub, a development designed to change the way researchers, academics, students and visitors interact across the expanding campus.

Following a competitive tender process, Maxwell Stephens was appointed as the exclusive recruitment partner to deliver the search for an Operations Manager to lead the facility.

The Challenge

The Shared Facilities Hub was a new concept for the University. Rather than providing another academic building, it was designed to become the social, operational and collaborative heart of the West Cambridge development, bringing together departments, researchers, students and visitors in one place.

The Operations Manager would play a pivotal role in launching and running it, and would be responsible for the standards expected of one of the world's leading universities. The role called for someone capable of:

• leading the day-to-day operation of the Shared Facilities Hub
• creating a strong customer experience for staff, students and visitors
• managing multiple soft and hard facilities management services
• building relationships across numerous University departments
• coordinating contractors and service partners
• managing operational budgets and service performance
• driving continuous improvement and innovation
• supporting the University's long-term vision for the West Cambridge campus

Finding the right candidate was difficult because technical facilities management experience alone would not be enough. The University needed someone who combined operational expertise with strong interpersonal skills, confidence, commercial awareness and the ability to become the public face of the new development.

Opening roles of this kind are a distinct discipline. There is no established service history to inherit, no baseline of user expectations and no settled relationship with the departments who will use the building. The postholder has to set the operating model and the service culture at the same time as running the building, and has to do it in full view of the people who funded it. Facilities managers who have only taken over mature operations often find the absence of precedent harder than the workload.

Our Approach

Given the profile of both the University and the opportunity, we expected significant interest from the market. The campaign attracted a high volume of applications from experienced facilities management professionals across the UK.

Rather than relying on CVs alone, Maxwell Stephens ran a structured assessment process so that only the strongest candidates progressed. Our strategy included:

• extensive market mapping and targeted advertising
• direct executive search of passive facilities management professionals
• initial screening interviews with more than 130 applicants
• dual-consultant interviews to keep assessment consistent, reduce unconscious bias and give a balanced view of each candidate
• detailed competency-based interviewing
• careful evaluation of leadership style, stakeholder management capability and cultural fit

A response of that size is a problem as much as an asset. A well-known employer name and a high-profile building attract applications from people drawn to the setting rather than to the job, and the screening burden falls on the search rather than the client. Running it through two consultants rather than one is what keeps the standard consistent across that volume.

Throughout the process we worked closely with the University so that every shortlisted candidate matched not only the technical requirements of the role but the thinking behind the Shared Facilities Hub.

The Outcome

The campaign resulted in the appointment of an Operations Manager with the combination of operational expertise, leadership capability and customer focus the development required. The successful candidate demonstrated:

• extensive facilities management and operational leadership experience
• strong stakeholder engagement and relationship-building skills
• a proactive and highly collaborative leadership style
• sound commercial and operational awareness
• the confidence and professionalism to represent the University in a highly visible, public-facing environment
• a genuine commitment to workplace and visitor experience

Since joining the University, the Operations Manager has played an important role in supporting the operation of the Shared Facilities Hub, helping establish it as a welcoming and efficiently managed environment that reflects the University's commitment to innovation, collaboration and research.

Why This Placement Worked

Recruiting senior operational professionals for globally recognised institutions takes more than matching qualifications to a job description. It takes an understanding of organisational culture, of leadership behaviour, and of which candidates are capable of shaping a complex environment rather than maintaining one.

Combining rigorous assessment, executive search and specialist facilities management knowledge, Maxwell Stephens delivered an Operations Manager who has helped support one of the more significant developments within the University of Cambridge's long-term estate strategy.

If you are recruiting an operations or facilities lead for a new building, a campus development or another high-profile launch, get in touch with our team to discuss the brief.