Facilities manager

Facilities managers are responsible for the management of services and processes that support the core business of an organisation

As a facilities manager, you'll ensure that best practices are followed within an organisation, to achieve maximum efficiency and the most suitable working environment for its employees and their activities.

This is a diverse field with a range of responsibilities, which are dependent on the structure and size of the organisation. You'll be involved in strategic planning and day-to-day operations, particularly concerning buildings and premises. Likely areas of responsibility include:

• building and grounds maintenance
• cleaning
• catering and vending
• health and safety
• procurement and contract management
• security
• space management
• utilities and communications infrastructure.

Responsibilities

As a facilities manager, you'll need to:

• prepare documents to put out tenders for contractors
• project manage, supervise and coordinate the work of contractors
• investigate the availability and suitability of options for new premises
• calculate and compare costs for required goods or services to achieve maximum value for money
• plan for future development in line with strategic business objectives
• manage and lead change to ensure minimum disruption to core activities
• direct, coordinate and plan essential services such as reception, security, maintenance, mail, archiving, cleaning, catering, waste disposal and recycling
• ensure buildings meet health and safety requirements and that facilities comply with legislation
• keep staff safe
• plan best allocation and utilisation of space and resources for new buildings, or re-organising of current premises
• check that agreed work by staff or contractors has been completed satisfactorily and follow up on any deficiencies
• coordinate and lead one or more teams to cover various areas of responsibility
• use performance management techniques to monitor and demonstrate achievement of agreed service levels and to lead on improvement
• respond appropriately to emergencies or urgent issues as they arise and deal with the consequences.

Salary

• Graduate/assistant facilities manager salaries range from £27,000 to £45,000.
• As an experienced facilities manager, you can expect to earn in the region of £38,000 to £65,000.
• Senior managers can earn more than £60,000, and at director level there is potential to rise to £100,000. Salary variations are usually due to the sector, function and location of an organisation.

Additional benefits often include a pension scheme, private healthcare, performance-related bonuses, company car or car allowance and profit share or share-save schemes.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

Standard working hours are generally between 38 to 40 hours per week, but longer hours may be required on occasion to meet project deadlines or to cover emergencies.

Some facilities management roles involve shift work, to cover 24-hour operations.

What to expect

• Opportunities exist all over the UK in all sectors.
• You may be required to work at different premises and absence from home overnight is sometimes necessary.
• Long-term projects may demand flexibility or relocation.
• The work can be pressured at times, particularly when working to tight budgets or when emergencies arise.
• There are good opportunities for overseas work for those with experience.

Qualifications

You don't need to have a specific degree to enter this role, but the following subjects may improve your chances:

• building management
• business studies
• construction
• engineering and building services engineering
• facilities management
• hospitality
• management
• surveying
• property.

Entry with an HND or foundation degree is also possible, particularly with subjects such as facilities management, business studies or management.

Entry without a degree or HND is possible for those with the right combination of skills and experience. This could be gained from a similar role, such as management, administration or hospitality.

The Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM) and Institute of Leadership and Management offer a range of facilities management qualifications and apprenticeships. These are available from level 2 (entry) to level 7 (strategic level/postgraduate).

Some larger organisations run graduate development programmes, and these typically offer a combination of work placements and training. If you manage to get on one of these schemes, you may have the opportunity to specialise in a particular field, such as security or retail. Competition is keen and most firms ask for a minimum 2:1 degree, while some may also require an IWFM qualification.

Skills

You'll need to demonstrate:

• interpersonal, relationship-building and networking skills
• procurement and negotiation skills
• the ability to multitask and prioritise your workload
• confident decision making
• time management skills
• project management skills
• the ability to draw information from various sources, including people
• clear and concise writing skills and the ability to handle long and complex documents
• teamwork skills and the ability to lead and motivate others
• IT skills
• a practical, flexible and innovative approach to work.

A full driving licence may be required if the role involves travelling between sites.

Work experience

Pre-entry experience is desirable and a placement year in industry from a relevant degree can be useful for gaining skills and building a network of contacts.

Look for opportunities to gain experience in areas such as:

• administration
• building
• business
• construction
• engineering
• management.

Having some previous experience in the hospitality sector is also valuable, as you'll need strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work with a range of people.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

Facilities managers are found in virtually every kind of business in the public, private and non-profit sectors.

The diversity of the work is reflected in the range of job titles. For example, you could be known as an operations manager, estates manager, technical services manager or an asset or property manager.

Larger organisations are more likely to require a facilities manager with a strategic overview of a range of functions and supporting services.

Typical employers include:

• business consultancies
• facilities management providers
• industrial facilities and factories
• large public buildings, including museums and libraries
• local councils
• offices
• prisons
• private and NHS hospitals - information is available from the Health Estates and Facilities Management Association (HefmA)
• schools, colleges and universities - for information about the universities sector, contact the Association of University Directors of Estates (AUDE)
• scientific laboratories
• shops and business parks
• specialist facilities management consultancies
• stadiums.

Look for job vacancies at:

• Career Structure
• FM World Jobs - official job board for the IWFM
• i-FM
• Property Week 4 Jobs

Specialist recruitment agencies, such as Michael Page and Macdonald and Company, handle vacancies.

Professional development

Most organisations provide on-the-job training, and you can supplement this by taking professional qualifications.

For example, the IWFM offers a full suite of professional qualifications in facilities management (levels 2 to 7) ranging from operational and support level through to senior management.

For some roles, it's necessary to gain qualifications offered by the:

• Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH)
• National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH)

If you have an undergraduate or postgraduate degree accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) you can become a chartered surveyor within the RICS Facilities Management (FM) faculty. To do so you must successfully complete the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC), which is a structured training programme lasting two years.

You're expected to undertake continuing professional development (CPD), usually made up of external short courses and in-house training. Common areas of training include health and safety, legislation and regulation, as well as practical and business skills training.

Membership of IWFM and other relevant professional organisations, such as CIOB (The Chartered Institute of Building) and CIBSE - Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), can be helpful for networking, training and finding CPD opportunities. Membership to the IWFM includes access to its Community groups forum, which includes special interest groups (SIGs) and regional groups.

Career prospects

It's likely you'll start your career in an assistant manager role, focused on one operation such as cleaning, catering or maintenance. You may then progress to manager of the department and subsequently move into general management where you would oversee all the operations.

After this, the usual route is through area, regional and sector management roles before potentially reaching director level.

If you work in a small organisation, career progression may be dependent on moving to a larger company that has more managerial positions. Facilities managers are also well placed to take up other general management jobs within their organisations or in different sectors.

Another possibility is to specialise in consultancy and eventually go on to set up your own consultancy business.