Soft Facilties Operations Manager

Service Care; London Borough of Harrow; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Service Care Solutions is recruiting an experienced Facilities Operations Manager (Soft FM) to lead cleaning, catering, security and hub management across the Harrow borough. This senior role oversees service teams, manages large operational budgets, and coordinates with external contractors to keep council buildings safe and efficient.

You will travel across sites, ensure statutory compliance, and report to senior leaders on performance metrics, using Concerto FM data to drive improvements.

Qualifications

• Degree in Facilities Management or related discipline required.
• Professional accreditation with IWFM and IOSH preferred.
• Experience managing large-scale Soft FM services in a complex organisation.

Responsibilities

• Lead operational delivery of cleaning, catering, security and hub management across the council estate.
• Provide strategic direction to service leads and frontline teams; drive performance and service excellence.
• Ensure compliance with health and safety, COSHH, food hygiene and security standards.
• Oversee training, risk assessments and safe systems of work across teams.
• Manage soft facilities contracts and monitor external providers against SLAs.

Skills

Team leadership

Stakeholder management

Health & safety

Budget management

Contract management

IWFM accreditation

IOSH accreditation

Education

Degree in Facilities Management

Tools

Concerto FM system

Job description

Facilities Operations Manager (Soft FM) Location: Harrow – Borough-wide travel required Pay: £36.07 per hour PAYE | £47.10 per hour Umbrella inc Holiday Hours: 35 hours per week Contract: Temporary - 6 months

About the Role

Service Care Solutions are recruiting for an experienced Facilities Operations Manager specialising in Soft FM to lead the delivery of cleaning, catering, security and facilities hub management services across a local authority estate. Based in the Harrow region, this is a senior management position where you will oversee multiple frontline service areas, ensuring high standards of service delivery, statutory compliance and customer satisfaction. You will lead established service teams, manage significant operational budgets and oversee external contractors, working closely with senior management to ensure council buildings remain safe, welcoming and operationally efficient.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the operational delivery of cleaning, catering and hospitality, security and access, and hub management services across the council's estate.
• Provide strategic direction and day-to-day oversight to service leads and frontline management teams, driving performance and service excellence.
• Ensure compliance with health and safety legislation, COSHH, food hygiene requirements, security standards and relevant statutory regulations.
• Oversee mandatory training, risk assessments and safe systems of work, ensuring frontline teams maintain the required qualifications and certifications.
• Manage soft facilities management contracts and monitor external providers against agreed service levels and performance standards.
• Oversee multi-million-pound revenue budgets, including large-scale payroll costs, consumables and equipment procurement, ensuring value for money.
• Lead workforce planning, rota management, staff engagement and performance management across multiple service areas.
• Monitor service quality, building readiness and customer satisfaction, identifying opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Maintain accurate operational records and performance data within the Concerto facilities management system.
• Work collaboratively with senior stakeholders and technical facilities management colleagues to coordinate services across the council's estate.
• Provide operational advice and management information to senior leaders, supporting effective estate management and strategic decision-making.
• Undertake regular site visits across the borough and participate in the emergency on-call rota when required.

Essential Requirements

• Degree or professional qualification in Facilities Management or a related discipline.
• Professional accreditation with IWFM and IOSH.
• Substantial experience managing large-scale Soft FM services, including cleaning, catering or security, within a complex organisation.
• Proven experience leading multi-tiered frontline teams and managing service leads.
• Strong technical knowledge of food safety, physical security, environmental health, COSHH and health and safety legislation.
• Demonstrable experience managing multi-million-pound revenue budgets, including significant payroll expenditure.
• Experience in workforce planning, employee relations and frontline performance management.
• Strong commercial awareness, including contract management, supplier performance and procurement.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to advise senior leaders and engage effectively with frontline staff.
• Experience working within a political environment and advising Cabinet members or Portfolio Holders.

Additional Requirements

• Willingness to travel regularly between sites across the borough.
• Ability to participate in an emergency on-call rota.
• Commitment to ongoing professional development and maintaining relevant professional accreditation.