Soft Services Manager

Mitie Cleaning & Hygiene Services; Oxford; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 61,000; Full time

Job summary

Mitie Cleaning & Hygiene Services is seeking a Soft Services Manager for Westgate Oxford. This high-impact role leads Security and Cleaning teams, shaping strategy and embedding accountability, excellence and continuous improvement.

You will develop teams, manage budgets, and drive performance with data and client reporting tools, while engaging clients and stakeholders to ensure compliant service delivery across the estate.

Qualifications

• Leadership experience in soft services with security and cleaning familiarity.
• Strong people leadership and team development record.
• Commercial awareness with budget management experience.
• Confident communicator with stakeholder management skills.
• Data-driven mindset with operational systems and performance metrics.
• Excellent organisational skills in fast-paced environments.

Responsibilities

• Provide hands-on leadership to Security and Cleaning teams, fostering a high-performance culture.
• Coach and develop direct reports, set objectives, conduct reviews, support progression.
• Build succession through coaching and mentoring; manage workforce planning and recruitment.
• Own and deliver best-in-class soft services with clear standards and governance.
• Translate strategy into delivery plans; align teams to business goals.
• Drive data-led performance using Merlin, Workplace+ and reporting tools.
• Manage KPIs, SLAs and service standards; ensure safety and compliance.
• Oversee budgets and identify efficiencies to improve value.

Skills

People leadership

Budget management

Stakeholder management

Data-driven

Communication skills

Organisational skills

IOSH qualification desirable

Tools

Merlin

Workplace+

Job description

Better places, thriving communities.

Better places, thriving communities.

Soft Services Manager

Location: Westgate Oxford

Contract: Full-time (40 hours, including weekends and flexibility as required)

Salary: Up to £55,000

Reporting to: Area Manager

About The Role

This is a high-impact leadership role responsible for driving a high-performing, engaged and customer-focused Security and Cleaning function within a key retail destination. You will lead from the front, developing your teams, shaping strategy and embedding a culture of accountability, excellence and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & People Management

• Provide visible, hands-on leadership to Security and Cleaning teams, fostering a high-performance, values-led culture.
• Lead, coach and develop direct reports, setting clear objectives, conducting performance reviews and supporting career progression.
• Build a strong succession pipeline through coaching, mentoring and talent development.
• Ensure effective workforce planning, recruitment and retention aligned to business needs and diversity goals.
• Champion Mitie One Code and Elevate principles, embedding them into everyday behaviours.

Operational Leadership & Strategy

• Own and deliver best-in-class soft services through clear standards, governance and continuous improvement.
• Translate strategic objectives into operational delivery plans, aligning teams to wider business goals.
• Drive a proactive, data-led approach to performance using systems such as Merlin, Workplace+ and client reporting tools.
• Ensure consistent, compliant service delivery across all areas of the estate, both internal and external.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Build strong, credible relationships with clients, contractors and stakeholders across the estate.
• Act as a key representative for soft services, confidently leading audits, inspections and performance reviews.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (QHSE, ESG, H&S, HR) to deliver aligned outcomes.

Performance & Compliance

• Take full ownership of KPIs, SLAs and service standards, holding teams accountable for delivery.
• Lead a culture of safety and compliance, ensuring adherence to all statutory, ISO and British Standards.
• Proactively manage risk, including H&S, fire safety and operational compliance.

Financial & Commercial Accountability

• Manage operational budgets (service charge and non-recoverable), ensuring cost-effective delivery without compromising quality.
• Identify efficiencies and value-add opportunities to enhance service delivery and asset value.

Customer Experience & Innovation

• Champion a best-in-class guest experience through engaged, service-driven teams.
• Drive innovation in service delivery, sustainability and technology adoption.
• Continuously review and improve processes to enhance efficiency and experience.

What We're Looking For

• Proven leadership experience in soft services, with Security and Cleaning experience desirable.
• A strong people leader with a track record of building high-performing, engaged teams.
• Commercially astute with experience managing budgets and driving performance outcomes.
• Confident communicator with strong stakeholder management skills.
• Data-driven mindset with experience using operational systems and performance metrics.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to prioritise and lead in a fast-paced environment.
• IOSH qualification desirable.

Our market-leading offering provides you with benefits that suit your lifestyle.

We have a virtual GP on hand for you and members of your household. So you can get expert advice by video or phone without having to leave your home. We offer financial wellbeing assistance through our Salary Finance scheme. For example, you could access 50% of your earned pay before payday for a small fee. Salary Finance also offers competitive loans.

When you join us, we'll give you a link to our flexible lifestyle benefits platform, Choices. You might choose to purchase up to five extra days' holiday each year. You might buy critical illness insurance, seek dental treatment or buy technology products at an affordable cost. There are many choices!

We give you access to high street discounts from thousands of well-known retailers, gyms and more through our MiDeals platform. And we have a cycle-to-work scheme. Life cover of up to four times your salary is available. We also offer enhanced pension contributions, a save-as-you-earn scheme, and a Mitie Matching Share Plan (you could even be awarded free shares in Mitie).

We award our employees with Mitie Stars as recognition for their hard work. There are cash prizes up for grabs each month and at the end of the year there's a chance to scoop a top prize of £10,000!

Our success is a direct result of the experience and quality of our people. Progressing your career is therefore a top priority for us. We offer a diverse variety of training and development avenues via a wide selection of learning resources to suit you.

Since 1987, Mitie's 84,000 employees have been maintaining companies globally. We are the UK's leading facilities management and professional services company, and our clients range from household names in banking, critical government sites as well as hospitals and schools.

Join our Mitie Team.

Together our diversity makes us stronger.

Our market-leading offering provides you with benefits that suit your lifestyle.

We have a virtual GP on hand for you and members of your household. So you can get expert advice by video or phone without having to leave your home. We offer financial wellbeing assistance through our Salary Finance scheme. For example, you could access 50% of your earned pay before payday for a small fee. Salary Finance also offers competitive loans.

When you join us, we'll give you a link to our flexible lifestyle benefits platform, Choices. You might choose to purchase up to five extra days' holiday each year. You might buy critical illness insurance, seek dental treatment or buy technology products at an affordable cost. There are many choices!

We give you access to high street discounts from thousands of well-known retailers, gyms and more through our MiDeals platform. And we have a cycle-to-work scheme. Life cover of up to four times your salary is available. We also offer enhanced pension contributions, a save-as-you-earn scheme, and a Mitie Matching Share Plan (you could even be awarded free shares in Mitie).

We award our employees with Mitie Stars as recognition for their hard work. There are cash prizes up for grabs each month and at the end of the year there’s a chance to scoop a top prize of £10,000!

Our success is a direct result of the experience and quality of our people. Progressing your career is therefore a top priority for us. We offer a diverse variety of training and development avenues via a wide selection of learning resources to suit you.

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to all. If you have a disability or long-term condition (for example dyslexia, anxiety, autism, a mobility condition or hearing loss) and need us to make any reasonable adjustments, changes or do anything differently during the recruitment process, please let us know by emailing at .

Since 1987, Mitie’s 84,000 employees have been maintaining companies globally. We are the UK's leading facilities management and professional services company, and our clients range from household names in banking, critical government sites as well as hospitals and schools.

Join our Mitie Team.

Together our diversity makes us stronger.

Looking to move roles but not leaving the Mitie family? Why not share your experience with others about life at Mitie?