Head of Building & Facilities Management The London Library

Peridot Partners; London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent cultural institution in London seeks a Head of Building & Facilities Management to oversee the strategic use of its historic premises. The role includes managing health and safety, delivering capital projects, and leading a team to ensure a sustainable environment for its members and visitors. Ideal candidates will have strong project management skills and a passion for heritage preservation. This position offers a competitive salary and the opportunity to contribute to significant building projects.

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of health, safety, and compliance requirements.
• Proven record in delivering capital works and building projects.
• Experience in managing budgets, procurement, and contract negotiations.

Responsibilities

• Oversee facilities function and ensure safety and sustainability.
• Lead health and safety protocols for the library.
• Deliver an ambitious programme of capital projects.

Skills

Health and safety compliance

Budget management

Project management

Team leadership

Sustainable practices

Education

Relevant professional qualifications

Job description

Home / Roles / Head of Building & Facilities Management | The London Library

Head of Building & Facilities Management The London Library

Join one of the world’s greatest literary institutions and oversee the care, development, and strategic use of our iconic home in St James’s Square as we continue to inspire and support readers, writers and thinkers from across the globe.

• Location: St James’s Square, London (on-site, occasional remote working)
• Salary: £60,000 - £65,000, depending on skills and experience

About us

Founded in 1841, The London Library is a thriving hub of inspiration, discovery and creativity. With a collection of over one million books and a proud history of nurturing literary talent, it remains a cornerstone of the UK’s cultural and intellectual life.

We are an independent, subscription-based library and registered charity that offers members access to an unparalleled collection, beautiful working spaces in central London, and an extensive programme of events and learning opportunities. Our members come from all walks of life and include readers, researchers, emerging and established writers, and anyone with a passion for the written word.

About the role

This is a unique opportunity to take ownership of the strategic and operational estates management of our historic building, ensuring it remains safe, sustainable, and fit for purpose while preserving its historic character. Reporting to the Director of Finance and Resources, you will lead the facilities function, oversee all aspects of health and safety for the Library, and deliver an ambitious programme of capital projects. You will also provide expertise to Trustees and colleagues, contributing to estate strategy and risk management. As a key member of the management team, you will play a vital role in enhancing the experience of everyone who steps through our doors, from members and staff to visitors and event partners.

Who we are looking for

We are seeking a highly skilled and collaborative leader with experience in facilities and building management, ideally within a heritage or multi-use setting. You will bring:

• Strong knowledge of health, safety, and compliance, with relevant professional qualifications
• A proven record in delivering capital works, maintenance, and improvement projects
• Experience in managing budgets, procurement, and contract negotiations
• The ability to lead, mentor, and inspire multi-disciplinary teams
• A passion for preserving heritage buildings while embracing modern, sustainable practices

If you are ready to take on a role that blends operational excellence, strategic leadership, and stewardship of one of the UK’s most distinctive cultural spaces, we’d love to hear from you.

To access the job information pack for this position, please follow the instructions on the ‘How to Apply’ page.Following this, should you like to have an informal conversation, you can email our advising consultant at Peridot Partners to arrange a call:

If you would like to know more about this role please contact James Hunt

Welcome from Chris Gilbert, Director of Finance & Resources

Dear Candidate,

Thank you for your interest in The London Library and the Head of Building & Facilities Management position.

The London Library exists to inspire and support reading, writing and scholarship. We have an unparalleled lending collection, tremendous online resources and a wonderful range of study spaces located in a magnificent, listed building in St James’s Square, London. Our history spans over 180 years, and we have provided essential services to many great names in literature, from Charles Dickens to Kazuo Ishiguro, Virginia Woolf to Muriel Spark.

This is an exciting time to join the Library as we begin a £7m building project to develop some of the Library’s existing spaces. These new spaces will improve our facilities (delivering a members’ café and roof garden) and provide greater scope for events and outreach activities that will enable us to reach much wider audiences. This is our biggest building project for decades and will have a huge impact on the Library, but we will remain open throughout the work, so we also need to ensure our existing spaces and member offer remain at the highest quality.

The London Library is an exceptional and much-loved place with an incredible history and exciting future. As Head of Building & Facilities Management, you will play a central role in safeguarding and operating one of the world’s most treasured literary institutions. We are looking for a talented individual to oversee the care, development, and strategic use of our complex, quirky, challenging and yet also delightful home. The role requires not just comprehensive technical knowledge but great communication skills to be able to talk to colleagues, contractors and trustees alike.

If you are enthusiastic about the challenge of leading our Building & Facilities Management, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Please continue through this recruitment site and contact Peridot Partners to discuss the opportunity in more detail. I look forward to meeting with you at interview stage.

Chris Gilbert
Director of Finance & Resources, The London Library

About The London Library

The London Library is one of the world’s great lending libraries, with an amazing collection of over 1 million books, and an equally extraordinary 184-year history. Our Grade II-listed building overlooking St. James’s Square has 17 miles of open access bookshelves, many beautiful spaces for members to work and study, and a range of back-office facilities. The Library moved here in 1845, and the building has been extended and developed extensively since then. We have some unique architecture, and there are many interesting challenges in looking after this unique literary oasis in the heart of London.

Founded to share knowledge and to inspire the creation of new ideas, the impact of the Library has been substantial. It has inspired and supported writers, thinkers, scholars and artists in the creation of some of the world’s most famous books, scripts and ideas that have, in turn, touched the lives of many millions. Just as importantly, the Library has facilitated the personal creativity and intellectual journeys of many tens of thousands of individuals who have enjoyed the collection and the spaces to study within the Library.

Our membership has grown in each of the last seven years and now stands at over 7,500. We open six days a week for browsing and borrowing, and also provide a programme of regular events which are open to the public as well as Library members. The venue is also used for private hire and occasional filming, and we sometimes collaborate with other charities to deliver activities, including work with school groups. There are two tenanted properties on our estate, and we share curtilage with nearby residential blocks.

We are improving our facilities with a £7m building project. The plans include delivering a new multi-purpose meeting space and classroom to host learning and participation events with both members and non-members. This room will be able to operate during normal opening hours and will have AV facilities and be adaptable for workshops, seminars, presentations, exhibitions, speaker events and panel discussions.

The second phase of our building project will see a renovation of the 6th floor, to provide a new catered space where our members can meet, share ideas or take a break. At the same time, we will also create a garden roof terrace with views of the treetops of St James’s Square and beyond. In addition, we are aiming to install a new lift. The combined effect of these new facilities will be to encourage and support greater use of the Library and our continued growth in membership, helping to ensure the Library’s long-term sustainability.

The Library is a registered charity, and despite receiving no regular government or statutory funding, has remained self-financing throughout its history thanks to our members and the generosity of many individuals and grant-giving organisations.

To access a full job description and application details,
please fill out the form below.

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Peridot Partners is supporting The London Library on this recruitment campaign. We are an executive search recruitment business that transforms leadership and inspires change with organisations with a social purpose.

For an informal conversation about this opportunity, you can email our advising consultant at Peridot Partners to arrange a call: James Hunt|[e-mail] | 07711 405444

To formally apply, please submit a CV and supporting statement letter that is ideally no more than 4 pages max (2 sides of A4 each). Your letter should clearly outline your suitability for the role against the criteria, including your interest and motivationin applying. We kindly ask you to share this in MS Word format, together in one document.

Please ensure the following is inserted into the subject field: “Application – The London Library, Head of Building & Facilities Management”. Please also include your completed Equal Opportunities Monitoring form (accessible below).

The Library is committed to equal opportunities. To help them monitor this, please complete the form below and send it with your application. The information you provide is used for no other purpose and will be treated as strictly confidential. This form will be separated from your application upon receipt, before selection of candidates takes place, and will be fully anonymised. Download the Equal Opportunities Form .

Timetable

Closing date: 9 a.m. Monday 20th October 2025
Candidates informed of outcome: By COB Friday 24th October 2025
First stage interviews (in person): Tuesday 28th October 2025
Second stage interviews (in person): Wednesday 5th November 2025

As a sector-leading executive search consultancy, we know the importance of creating recruitment processes that are fair, inclusive, and free from bias. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a process that values differences. If you require any job information in an alternative format (e.g. large print), please contact us. Please also let us know if you would like to submit your application in an alternative format.

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The attached notice explains what personal data (information) the Library will hold about you, how they collect it, and how the Library will use and may share information about you during the application process.