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 Farnborough
Aviation enthusiasts will know straight away where Farnborough is, as it is the site of a world-famous air show. Every two years aviation companies from the defence and civil sectors descend on the town’s airport to demonstrate their wares and sign billion-dollar deals, and the general public are treated to aerobatics displays and low flypasts by the fastest and largest flying machines in the sky.
The town of Farnborough wraps around the north and east of the airport complex, located at the north-eastern tip of Hampshire. To its south is Aldershot, home to the famous barracks, and 14 miles (23 km) to the north west is Reading. The centre of London is 32 miles (50 km) north east. The M3 passes to Farnborough’s north as it connects Southampton with the M25. The town also has several railway stations connecting the aforementioned towns and cities.
Farnborough has a busy retail sector and some notable business parks, such as Farnborough Aerospace Centre and IQ Farnborough. The latter is a work in progress, but already hosts a BMW dealership, AgustaWestland, Autodesk, Bluhalo, Blue Coat Systems and Defence Strategy & Solutions among others. It’s a businesslike town that is well connected and affluent, so could well harbour Head of Facilities jobs as it goes about its work.
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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