Background & Client Overview
The University of London appointed Maxwell Stephens to recruit an experienced Head of Building Services to provide strategic and technical leadership across its extensive estate.
Reporting to the Director of Facilities Management, the role carried responsibility for engineering maintenance, energy management, sustainability and project services, ensuring the University’s buildings remained safe, efficient, compliant and capable of supporting a complex academic environment.
The successful candidate needed to combine deep technical expertise with strong commercial judgement, project leadership and stakeholder-management skills, while helping the University improve building performance, reduce energy consumption and deliver long-term value across its estate.
The Challenge
The Head of Building Services role was broad, highly technical and strategically important.
The University required a senior engineering professional capable of overseeing complex building systems across multiple sites while also contributing to sustainability, capital projects, maintenance planning and procurement.
Key requirements included:
Engineering & Building Services Leadership
Providing technical leadership across mechanical and electrical systems, engineering maintenance and wider building-services operations.
Multi-Site Maintenance Management
Overseeing engineering and maintenance activity across a complex estate and ensuring assets were maintained effectively and reliably.
Energy Management & Sustainability
Identifying opportunities to reduce energy consumption, improve efficiency and support the University’s wider sustainability objectives.
Technical Appraisals & Innovation
Evaluating new technologies, engineering solutions and potential improvements to determine their suitability, performance and long-term value.
Project Management
Leading complex engineering and building-services projects from initial appraisal through procurement, delivery and completion.
Contract & Procurement Management
Managing service contracts and procurement activity while ensuring suppliers delivered appropriate quality, performance and value for money.
Compliance & Technical Assurance
Maintaining appropriate engineering and compliance reporting and providing expert mechanical and electrical advice across the estate.
Budget Management
Managing significant engineering, maintenance and project budgets while maintaining a strong focus on financial control and whole-life value.
Stakeholder Management
Working closely with Facilities Management colleagues, academic departments, professional services teams and other internal stakeholders.
Our Recruitment Approach
Maxwell Stephens worked closely with key University stakeholders to build a detailed understanding of the role’s technical requirements, leadership expectations and strategic priorities.
Given the complexity of the appointment, our search focused on senior engineering and Building Services professionals with proven experience operating across large, technically demanding and multi-site estates.
Candidates were assessed on their experience in:
- engineering and building-services leadership
- mechanical and electrical systems
- complex maintenance operations
- energy management and sustainability
- major project delivery
- contract and procurement management
- budgetary control
- technical compliance
- stakeholder engagement
- leadership within changing or ambiguous environments
Particular emphasis was placed on candidates capable of combining technical depth with strategic thinking.
The University needed someone who could make informed engineering decisions, communicate effectively with non-technical stakeholders and lead improvement across a complex estate.
Following a rigorous assessment and selection process, Maxwell Stephens successfully placed an experienced Head of Building Services.
Outcome & Impact
The successful appointment provided the University of London with a senior technical leader capable of strengthening both operational building performance and longer-term estate strategy.
Stronger Engineering Leadership
The Head of Building Services brought extensive experience managing complex multi-site engineering operations, providing greater technical oversight across the estate.
Improved Maintenance Strategy
Strong maintenance-planning expertise supported a more structured approach to engineering services and asset performance.
Greater Focus on Energy Efficiency
The successful candidate brought the technical knowledge required to support energy-reduction initiatives and identify opportunities to improve building efficiency.
Enhanced Sustainability Capability
By combining engineering knowledge with an understanding of energy markets and emerging technologies, the candidate was well positioned to support the University’s wider sustainability objectives.
Stronger Project Delivery
Extensive project-management experience helped strengthen the planning and delivery of engineering and building-services projects across the campus.
Improved Commercial Control
Experience in procurement, contracts and significant budget management supported a continued focus on value for money and effective use of resources.
Enhanced Technical Assurance
The candidate’s engineering expertise strengthened technical appraisal, compliance reporting and the provision of specialist M&E advice across the organisation.
Stronger Stakeholder Engagement
Confident communication and leadership enabled the Head of Building Services to work effectively with a wide range of internal stakeholders while navigating complex technical and operational priorities.
Outcome
The successful placement gave the University of London a Head of Building Services capable of balancing engineering reliability, project delivery, energy performance, sustainability, compliance and commercial management across a complex higher-education estate.
The appointment demonstrates Maxwell Stephens’ ability to recruit senior technical Facilities Management professionals for environments where engineering expertise and strategic leadership are equally important.
Looking for an experienced Head of Building Services or senior engineering leader to strengthen your estate? Contact Maxwell Stephens to discuss your recruitment requirements.