Head of Building Operations (Retail)

ISS Facilities Services; Greater London; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading facilities management company is seeking a Head of Building Operations to oversee UK Retail engineering teams in London. This role involves delivering operational excellence, ensuring compliance with safety standards, and fostering relationships with stakeholders. Candidates should possess significant experience in engineering operations, excellent leadership skills, and be NEBOSH or IOSH certified. This position includes a commitment to diversity and inclusion, promoting a zero-accident culture and continuous improvement across locations.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5+ years’ experience managing engineering operations across multi-site locations.
• Conversant with current Health and Safety legislation and safe working practices.
• Proactive approach with excellent leadership and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical and operational leadership to engineering teams.
• Prioritise health and safety, promoting a zero-accident culture.
• Manage vendor relationships and oversee supply chain reviews.

Skills

Leadership

Vendor management

Risk management

Health and Safety knowledge

Stakeholder management

Budget management

Education

Engineering discipline qualification

NEBOSH or IOSH certification

Job description

Head of Building Operations (Retail)

Location: London, E14 5HP

Hours of work: 40 hours per week

Contract Type: Permanent

We are looking for an experienced and proactive Head of Building Operations to lead and support our UK Retail engineering teams. This senior leadership role focuses on delivering operational excellence, ensuring compliance with governance and safety standards, and driving continuous improvement across multi‑site locations. You will build strong relationships with stakeholders, manage risk and incident processes, and oversee vendor and supply chain strategies to ensure world‑class service delivery.

Job Description

As Head of Building Operations, you will provide technical and operational leadership to the UK Retail engineering teams, ensuring adherence to ISS processes and procedures. You will act as the interface with the Global Risk Team and UK Corporate operations, managing key risk control documentation and compliance. The role involves overseeing reactive engineering spend, managing vendor relationships, and implementing governance frameworks to achieve 100 % uptime and compliance. You will also lead initiatives to enhance ISS self‑delivery capability and contribute to succession planning and team development.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide technical and operational leadership to engineering teams, ensuring effective service delivery and compliance
• Prioritise health and safety, promoting a zero‑accident culture and continuous improvement in safety standards
• Implement governance processes and procedures to maintain high operational standards
• Manage vendor relationships and oversee annual supply chain reviews, aligning with budget expectations
• Oversee risk control measures and support incident management processes
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including ISS Integrated teams and clients
• Drive continuous improvement and identify opportunities to enhance ISS self‑delivery capability
• Ensure compliance with all contractual KPIs and SLAs

Professional and Personal Competencies / Qualifications

• Suitably qualified in an engineering discipline
• Minimum 5+ years’ experience managing engineering operations across multi‑site locations
• Strong commercial experience and vendor management expertise
• Proactive approach with excellent leadership and stakeholder management skills
• Conversant with current Health and Safety legislation and safe working practices
• NEBOSH or IOSH certification
• Proven ability to manage budgets and align spend with financial expectations

The Company

ISS is a world‑leading workplace and facility management company, connecting people and places to make the world work better. Working with customers day by day, side by side, we understand every aspect of the user experience. Through a unique combination of intelligent solutions, high standards and people who care, we help our customers achieve their purpose, whether it’s hospitals healing patients, businesses producing the next great innovation, or airports bringing passengers home to their families. ISS is committed to doing business the right way, taking its corporate responsibility very seriously. Our passion is people.

ISS is proud to be a diverse and inclusive employer.

ISS welcomes all applicants regardless of age, disability, gender identity or gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race (including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin and caste), religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation or educational background.

We are a Disability Confident Committed (Level 2) employer, proudly supporting and promoting inclusive hiring practices in line with the UK government’s Disability Confident scheme.

Our passion for inclusivity and diversity makes ISS a more creative, productive and happy place to work.

If you have any further queries regarding this role, please contact the Resourcing Team by emailing [e-mail].