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Soft Services Leadership: Cleaning, Catering and Front of House

By
Peter Forshaw
Managing Director
Last reviewed
20 Oct 2026
Soft Services Leadership: Cleaning, Catering and Front of House
In brief

Lead soft services as three distinct businesses that share one purpose: the daily experience of the building. Appoint accountable leaders, measure what occupiers actually feel, treat frontline pay and dignity as a performance issue, and manage contractors on outcomes rather than activity sheets.

Soft Services Leadership: Cleaning, Catering and Front of House cover

Soft Services Leadership: Cleaning, Catering and Front of House is a practical guide for FM and estates leaders on managing the services that shape how occupiers and visitors experience a building. It treats cleaning, catering and front of house as three distinct disciplines with one shared purpose.

The guide covers structure, standards, contractor management, measurement, pay and retention, and the hiring of soft services leaders. It takes clear positions and gives tests, checklists and decision points that senior readers can apply immediately.

What the guide covers

  • Why soft services need an accountable leader
  • How cleaning, catering and front of house differ
  • Leading dispersed and early-morning teams
  • Running catering as a business inside the building
  • Managing outsourced soft services contracts on outcomes
  • Pay, dignity and retention for frontline colleagues
  • Hiring and developing soft services leaders

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Who this resource is for

FM, estates and workplace leaders, plus HR and finance directors responsible for soft services budgets and contracts.

Talk to Maxwell Stephens

Maxwell Stephens is a specialist Facilities Management recruitment consultancy. If you are planning an FM, estates or workplace appointment, contact us for a confidential conversation, or read our case studies to see how comparable searches were run.