Head of Facilities Management Operations

The Francis Crick Institute; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 85,000 - 114,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

UK visa sponsorship

Pension scheme

GP/health services

Annual leave & wellbeing support

On-site restaurant & social spaces

Discounts & employee programmes

Job summary

The Francis Crick Institute is recruiting for a Head of Facilities Management Operations to lead a diverse FM portfolio within a world-class research environment. You will oversee budgets, service providers and compliance across Hard and Soft FM to deliver exceptional facilities for researchers.

This role combines strategic leadership with hands-on operations, ensuring maintenance, utilities and catering meet the highest standards in a state-of-the-art smart building.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in a scientific/research environment.
• Proven leadership across in-house and contracted teams.
• Working knowledge of building operations in a biomedical facility.
• Experience mobilising/managing major FM service contracts.
• Experience with complex building services systems including HVAC, CHP, critical environments, autoclaves, MV power generation/distribution.
• Experience managing Soft FM services including catering, cleaning, AV, Laundry, front of house, events.
• A detailed understanding of specialist building systems including BMS, fire safety and security, CAFM usage.
• Experience managing multi-million pound budgets.

Responsibilities

• Deliver effective and optimal services from Hard FM, ME workshop, SEC, Soft FM (catering, cleaning, AV, laundry).
• Coordinate with stakeholders to establish service levels and deliver Hard/Soft FM in steady state.
• Lead operations and contract governance for Crick, ensuring SOW, SLAs and KPIs compliance.
• Manage day-to-day contract performance of all Hard and Soft FM providers and review KPIs and costs.
• Manage the overall Hard and Soft FM budget including operations, maintenance and utilities.
• Develop and implement maintenance strategies for Hard and Soft FM.
• Ensure work complies with SOW and regulatory requirements.
• Lead incident investigations to determine root cause and lessons learned.
• Liaise with customer groups and internal/external stakeholders to build relationships.

Skills

Leadership

Scientific environment

FM contracts

Building services

HVAC systems

Soft FM services

BMS & safety systems

CAFM systems

Budget management

Job description

Working pattern: This is a full-time permanent hybrid position (4 days a week in the office) on Crick Terms and Conditions of Employment.

Salary: Circa £99,500 with benefits, subject to skills and experience

Application closing date: 11th of October 2026 at 23.59

About us

The Francis Crick Institute is Europe’s largest biomedical research institute under one roof. Our world-class scientists and staff collaborate on vital research to help prevent, diagnose and treat illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, infectious diseases and neurodegenerative conditions.

The Crick is a place for collaboration, innovation and exploration across many disciplines. A space where the brightest minds can pursue big and bold ideas and discover answers to crucial scientific questions. We support them in a dynamic environment which fosters excellence with state-of-the-art infrastructure, cutting-edge facilities, and a creative and curious culture. We’ve removed traditional boundaries of departments, divisions and disciplines and instead have an open approach that supports every researcher. This gives us the freedom to take risks and carry out high-quality, pioneering research. Creating a space for discovery without boundaries helps us to turn our science into benefits for human health and the economy.

About the role

We are recruiting for a Head of Facilities Management Operations to take overall responsibility for the leadership, governance and delivery of a diverse facilities management portfolio within our complex and innovative research environment.

Combining strategic leadership with hands on operational oversight, you will manage significant budgets, oversee key service provider partnerships, and ensure the highest standards of compliance, safety and performance across our state-of-the-art smart building.

You will be responsible for ensuring that every aspect of the facilities operations, from maintenance to utilities to catering, delivers an exceptional experience for our scientific and operational communities.

This is an outstanding opportunity for a highly engaging and collaborative facilities leader with experience of complex R&D, life sciences, pharmaceutical or similarly sophisticated environments to make a lasting impact and help create the conditions for world class science to flourish.

What you will be doing:

• Operational leadership and service delivery -
• Deliver effective and optimal services from the Hard FM, ME workshop, SEC, Soft FM (catering, cleaning, AV, laundry) functions which enable world class science and support world class facilities and infrastructure.
• Coordinate with all relevant stakeholders to establish and deliver the required service levels and lead the effective delivery of all Hard and Soft FM services in steady state operations.
• Lead the operations and contract governance processes for the Crick, ensuring effective delivery of Hard and Soft FM Services in compliance with the relevant Specification of Works (SOW), all service level agreements and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
• Team and contract/supplier management -Manage day-to-day contract performance of all Hard and Soft FM service providers and undertake robust contract governance processes to review performance, KPIs and costs.
• Budget management - Manage the overall Hard and Soft FM budget including operations, maintenance and utility costs.
• Strategy, planning and continuous improvement - Act as the intelligent client in developing and implementing maintenance and operational strategies for Hard and Soft FM,
• Risk, compliance & safety - Ensure all work undertaken by the Hard and Soft FM teams is in accordance with the operational requirements / SOW and in compliance with all relevant legislative and regulatory requirements.
• Incident management and issue resolution - Lead the investigation of complex building related incidents to determine root cause and lessons learned.
• Stakeholder and relationship management - Liaise closely with customer groups and relevant internal and external stakeholders, to build positive working relationships.

About you

You will have:

• Significant experience in a relevant role(s), a number of which must have been gained within a scientific/research environment
• Proven leadership experience of leading, motivating and delivering through in house and contracted out technical teams
• A working knowledge of building operations in a biomedical research facility
• Experience of mobilising and/or managing major FM service contracts within these types of facilities*
• Experience of the maintenance and operation of complex building services systems and assets including HVAC, CHP, critical environments, autoclaves, and MV power generation/distribution systems*
• Experience of managing best in class Soft FM services including catering, cleaning, AV, Laundry, front of house, and high-profile events*
• A detailed understanding of specialist building systems including BMS, fire safety and security systems, the buildings engineering aspects of ICT infrastructure, and the effective utilisation of CAFM systems to manage FM operations*
• Experience of managing multi £m operational budgets

About Working at the Crick

Our values

Everyone who works at the Crick has a valuable role to play in advancing the Crick’s mission and shaping our culture.

• We are bold. We make space for creative, dynamic and imaginative ideas and approaches. We’re not afraid to do things differently.
• We are open. We’re highly collaborative and interactive, and make sure our activities are visible to the outside world.
• We are collegial. We show respect for one another, work cooperatively and support the wider community.

At the Francis Crick Institute, we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential to driving innovation and scientific discovery. We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to succeed, regardless of their background, identity, or personal circumstances. We actively encourage applications from individuals of all genders, ethnicities, abilities, and experiences. We are a Disability Confident: Committed employer and want to ensure that everyone can apply and be part of our recruitment processes and so we'll make reasonable adjustments if you need them - just let us know when you apply.

What will you receive?

At the Francis Crick Institute, we value our team members and are proud to offer an extensive range of benefits to support their well-being and development:

• Visas: Applicants for this role will be eligible for sponsorship to work in the UK
• Generous Leave: 28 days of annual leave, plus three additional days over Christmas and bank holidays.
• Pension Scheme: Defined contribution pension with employer contributions of up to 16%.
• 24/7 GP consultation services.
• Occupational health services and mental health support programs.
• Eye care vouchers and discounted healthcare plans.
• Work-Life Balance:
• Childcare support allowance.
• Annual leave purchase options.
• Crick Networks offering diverse groups’ support, community and inclusive social events.
• Discounted gym memberships, bike-to-work scheme, and shopping discounts.
• Subsidised on-site restaurant and social spaces for team interaction.

Please note you must meet the essential criteria listed within the Role Profile, to have your application reviewed.

We reserve the right to withdraw this advert at any given time due to the number of applications received.