Facilities Manager (12-month fixed-term contract)

The Howard de Walden Estate•London, CA

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Howard de Walden Estate (HdWE) is embarking on a business-wide modernisation programme, to revitalise ways of working, data, systems and processes. Project Elevate has been initiated to replace the current Property Management and Accounting system (MRI Platform X), in place for nearly three decades. This role is specifically concerned with providing expertise and knowledge to the business during Phase One of Project Elevate, which is expected to last around 12 months starting in April 2026. The postholder will support the Facilities Management (FM) team in delivering best practice standards, ensuring compliance with current regulations and legislation across the Estate. The Facilities Manager will take ownership of maintaining the highest standards of property management and service delivery for occupiers, while collaborating closely with the Property & Asset Management teams to meet Company objectives. In addition, the postholder will act as an FM Subject Matter Expert and contribute to Project Elevate, alongside other colleagues in the FM team. The interests of the FM function need to be represented in the project, to ensure that operational requirements, statutory compliance needs, asset data structures, and ways of working are correctly reflected in the future software solution and supporting processes.

Requirements

5+ years’ experience in facilities management, delivering combined hard and soft services.
IOSH and/or NEBOSH.
Technical knowledge of maintenance methods, operating requirements, and safety precautions related to facilities management.
Confident in budget management, service charges and financial interpretation.
Knowledge of current compliance and health and safety regulations.
Able to prioritise and organise workload and work collaboratively as part of a team to solve problems with professionalism and service focused approach.
Strong administrative background with knowledge using Microsoft Office and property/CRM databases.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills for determining and discussing building needs and communicating this with colleagues, contractors, and tenants.
Experience liaising with a range of stakeholders and effectively dealing with high pressure situations.
Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to think laterally.
Interest in emerging technologies, including AI, autonomous agents, and automation.

Nice To Haves

Experience in working on technology implementation projects would be an advantage.

Responsibilities

Ensure the on-site management of the building(s) is undertaken in accordance with HdWE polices, processes and procedures. Identify gaps in processes and seek to improve them to ensure best practice.
Manage properties within the Estate throughout their lifecycle prioritising safety, compliance, maintenance, and improvements, to create a secure and functional environment for the business, colleagues, tenants, and other stakeholders.
Ensure the collection and monitoring of O&M manuals, warranties, PPM schedules, asset registers, and other documentation required to ensure maintenance is delivered to the required standards.
Lead the FM team in the delivery of hard and soft services across the Estate, with a sound understanding of the purpose and general operation of mechanical and electrical equipment within properties.
Engage with tenants, offering assistance and guidance in connection with the day-to-day operation of the building(s), in support of occupier matters.
Understand the principal terms of lease agreements, their effect on delivery of FM activities in the property, and HdWE's obligations to provide services, including communal services and mixed-use buildings.
Be available to attend the building(s) during emergencies and adhere to HdWE's escalation and out-of-hours processes. Follow incident reporting protocols as required.
Support the financial management of the Estate, ensuring alignment with HdWE objectives and meeting quantified targets, through preparation and reconciliation of service charge budgets, monitoring and allocation of spending, raising work orders and processing invoices, as applicable.
Maintain a high level of current Health and Safety knowledge and collaborate with the Health and Safety department to ensure accurate completion of compliance activities. Actions raised are instructed, recorded, and completed utilising Dynamics 365 (D365).
Work closely with the Sustainability department to support HdWE’s environmental, social and governance objectives, assisting with compliance and aiming for a net-zero carbon future.
Collaborate with Procurement in the onboarding of suppliers and services within the Estate in accordance with HdWE’s procurement policy. Regularly review accredited contractors, tender as required and implement contracts and framework agreements as needed.
Manage external service providers to ensure a professional delivery for the best value. Monitor contractor performance against agreed standards/KPIs to ensure the highest standards for the best price. Hold progress monitoring meetings, review service agreements as appropriate and ensure the correction of under-performance issues.
Review quotations and manage minor works to ensure value for money, obtaining approval, when necessary, before work is instructed. Ensure works are completed safely, on schedule and to the required quality and cost.
Visit sites and inspect properties according to agreed operational requirements. Ensure any actions identified are raised, recorded, and addressed in a timely manner.
Liaise with and assist the Project department on refurbishments or major works as they affect site operations and maintenance.
Support due diligence enquiries on lettings, acquisitions, and disposals from a facilities perspective.
Assist in monitoring vacant/void properties in conjunction with HdWEs insurance and H&S policies.
Work with the Insurance department to submit claims and manage the completion of required works, in accordance with HdWE’s insurers and insurance procedures.
Collaborate with all HdWE departments to ensure a high level of management in all areas, raising any matters for improvement.
Contribute to making HdWE the preferred property partner by demonstrating our values and remaining collaborative, supportive, and solution focused, embracing diversity and inclusion, and respecting others.
Undertake further role-specific training and continuous professional development.
Act as an FM representative in Project Elevate workshops and working sessions, ensuring that FM operational needs are understood and reflected in future ways of working.
Champion the programme’s preference to adopt standard capability and best practice, and support disciplined decision‑making on when change is best achieved through process simplification, data improvement or training, rather than system alteration.
Help distinguish must‑have FM needs (e.g., statutory compliance obligations) from nice‑to‑have preferences, ensuring focus on safety, compliance, operational continuity and tenant experience.
Ensure the future solution and supporting processes enable effective FM delivery of hard services (e.g., M&E, building fabric, fire/life safety systems) and soft services (e.g., cleaning, security, waste, landscaping), consistent with our operational approach & recognised service categories.
Bring strong statutory compliance awareness into the programme, supporting the definition of compliant processes for inspection, scheduling, evidence capture, escalation and auditability.
Use knowledge of relevant regulations, statutory compliance obligations, professional body codes and the UK (including Westminster) legal and regulatory landscape to inform discussions on system requirements, controls, evidence capture and auditability.

Benefits

25 days holiday per year, plus statutory holidays and 3 discretionary days to cover the Christmas office closure.
Private medical insurance with Bupa.
Defined contribution pension scheme with 12.5% employer contributions.
Life assurance at 7x salary.
Group income protection scheme.
Interest free season ticket loan.
Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and wellbeing app “Help@hand”.
Cycle to work scheme.
Onsite gym with 7 weekly classes and 2 Wattbikes.
Regular staff socials and an annual company away day.
Free fruit and breakfast cereals.
Enhanced maternity, paternity and shared parental leave policies (12-month qualifying period).
Hybrid working arrangements -minimum of 155 days in the office per year with minimum of 2 days (not fixed) per week in the office.