Head of Facilities
When a business has just one location, there’s always going to be a person whose job it is to ensure the building itself and all its functions are running properly. It might be an office manager, plant manager or such like. But businesses with multiple locations need a more strategic, joined-up and budgeted way to run the properties, and that task is fulfilled by the head of facilities.
The role will be a blend of planning the facilities for future needs, ensuring the books are balanced for all the locations and planning maintenance, cleaning, services, safety and so on – in summary, keeping the facilities functional, profitable, legal and sustainable.
Under the head of facilities, management usually acts on a hierarchical basis, more so in larger operations with multiple plants, offices, depots and storage facilities. That means the head of facilities will often be based in the head office and will delegate tasks and goals to facility managers at the locations, but there will also be regular attendance on-site within the region covered.
The skills required
Head of facilities jobs usually demand experience in overseeing multiple locations of an organisation, and successful candidates will be able to demonstrate a strong aptitude for delegation to, and communication with, the various location managers. The job will be a blend of strategic planning and more urgent decision-making – you could be where the buck stops when a location manager needs to troubleshoot a pressing issue and a potentially costly decision has to be made and then justified to the board.
For some positions, however, experience managing a single facility will be a sufficient qualification, as many of the budgetary and management skills scale up straightforwardly.
Head of Facilities Jobs in Coventry
Situated in the West Midlands and less than 20 miles from Birmingham, Coventry is a metropolitan borough and one of the top ten largest cities in England. Indeed, for those seeking Head of Facilities vacancies, Coventry will have a variety of employers to consider.
The history of the city goes back to a Bronze Age community that was settled by the Romans in the first century. By the 1500s, Coventry was at the centre of the cloth and textile trade and during the Middle Ages, it was one of the most influential locations in England.
As time passed, Coventry became known for manufacturing fine watches and clocks, while other technological innovations, such as the safety bicycle in the late 1800s, paved the way for the city to become one of the leading areas for car manufacture in the early 20th century.
During the same period, the city manufactured an array of other products, ranging from machine tools and aerospace components to electronics, telecoms equipment and man-made fibres.
Today, the economy in Coventry relies on finance, business services, logistics and leisure, more than on manufacturing. However, a number of car factories can still be found within city limits, such as LTI, the company that manufactures London's iconic black cabs, Jaguar, Rolls Royce and Peugeot. Meggitt Aircraft, a company that makes braking systems for the aerospace industry, is also located in Coventry.
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Heads of facilities use Cast UK
At Cast UK, we only deal with high calibre people and positions, so if you’re looking for a head of facilities for your business, please reach out, as we’ll be able to shortlist a superb selection of candidates for your role. If you want us to be your recruitment partner, call us on 0333 121 3345 and speak to one of our consultants.
If you’re looking to take a step up the ladder as a facilities manager and you’ve got the skills and experience, why not click the link below and register with us? We could have just the role for you.
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