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 Norfolk
A county in the east of England, Norfolk is bordered by Lincolnshire, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire - the rest of it is surrounded by the North Sea.
There are a number of large communities in the region, which offer plenty of opportunities for those seeking Head of Facilities positions. These include Norwich, the county town, as well as Great Yarmouth, King's Lynn and Thetford.
During its early history, Norfolk was important militarily, as it was vulnerable to invasion. Therefore, many forts were built in the region to defend the coastline.
Norfolk's economy has largely been based in agriculture throughout its past, particularly in sheep farming and wool production. Cereals like wheat and barley, sugar beet and rapeseed are also commonly produced.
A number of large companies are based in Norfolk, or have large facilities here. Aviva is a multinational insurance company that was previously known as Norwich Union. Colman's is also based in Norwich - famous for its spicy English mustard, these days it also produces various sauces and gravies. Bernard Matthews Farms is also situated in the area.
The ports at Great Yarmouth and King's Lynn are both busy locations, particularly for bulk cargo and products like timber and steel. Meanwhile, the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership has been established to create an enterprise zone to aid new businesses in the green energy sector.
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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