Head of Facilities Management

Job Description Head of Facilities Management (6 Month Contract)Circa 63,000 + Generous Package Essex Maxwell Stephens is partnering with an educational establishment to appoint a Head of Facilities Management for an initial 6 Month contract, a senior leadership role within a complex, multi-campus estate.This position leads all facilities services, including outsourced soft services, catering, porterage and front-of-house operations, ensuring high-quality, compliant, and cost-effective delivery that directly supports the student experience.You will take full ownership of performance, budgets, service improvement and stakeholder engagement, ensuring safe, compliant and well-maintained environments for students, staff and visitors.This role has every opportunity to progress into a long term permanent position. Key responsibilities include:Providing strategic leadership for the facilities function, ensuring best practice, innovation and continuous improvementLeading, motivating and developing multi-disciplinary teams and senior managersManaging and optimising outsourced service contracts, including procurement, tendering and performance managementDeveloping and controlling significant operational budgets, including identifying income-generation opportunitiesProducing robust management information, KPI reporting and service reviews to support informed decision-makingEnsuring full compliance with health & safety, food safety, environmental and statutory legislationBuilding strong relationships with internal stakeholders across Estates and the wider UniversityDeputising for the Director Representing on committees, working groups and professional networksThis role requires regular travel between campuses and occasional out-of-hours and weekend working in response to operational needs and emergencies.The PersonWe are seeking a confident, credible and commercially astute facilities leader with experience operating at scale.You will ideally bring:Significant senior-level experience managing facilities services within a large, multi-site organisationProven experience of strategic planning and service transformationStrong background in contract procurement and management, including frameworksDemonstrable experience managing and setting substantial budgetsExperience leading and developing high-performing teamsStrong analytical capability, with experience reporting against KPIsExcellent stakeholder management and communication skillsQualifications / Professional Standing:Degree or relevant professional qualificationMembership of IWFM (formerly BIFM)NEBOSH General Certificate (or equivalent)MSc Facilities Management (desirable)Higher education sector experience (desirable, not essential)Why This Role?This is not a maintenance-led FM role. It is a visible, influential leadership position within a progressive educational environment, offering genuine scope to shape services, improve performance and enhance the campus experience.If you are a strategic FM leader who thrives in complex environments and wants to operate at senior level within education, this role will stretch and reward you.For further details or a confidential discussion, please contact Maxwell Stephens.

Created: 2026-03-12