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 Dudley
Dudley holds the distinction of being the second most populous town in the UK after Reading, and has a population larger than many UK cities. The town has applied for city status but has so far failed to be granted it. It’s probably fair to say that to the outside world it forms part of the Birmingham conurbation, nestling between the city proper, Wolverhampton and Stourbridge. The accents of two of its most famous children, Lenny Henry and Sam Allardyce, certainly attest to the Brummy link!
Historically, Dudley was a major player in the Industrial Revolution, and was home to a good deal of heavy industry like much of the Black Country – in fact Dudley was often called the Black Country’s capital. Evidence of this past remains in the shape of the extensive canal network, but the town does not have a great deal of industry any more. The population is served by plenty of big name shops, and the nearby Merry Hill Shopping Centre makes the area a good place to look for Head of Facilities jobs.
The town has several trading and industrial estates, such as Belfont, Long Lane, Primrose Hill, Vernon and Two Woods, each of which presents opportunities in logistics.
Popular locations
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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