Technical Services Manager

The British Museum; Greater London; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The British Museum is seeking a high‑calibre Technical Services Manager to lead maintenance and compliance across its Grade I listed estate. You will provide expert technical advice, oversee the external facilities supplier, and coordinate with contractors and internal stakeholders.

You will shape continuous improvement, sustainability and operational resilience while managing the Assistant Technical Services Manager and guiding technical projects and documentation standards.

Qualifications

• Degree or professional FM qualification or equivalent strategic experience in facilities management.
• Experience in technical services and facilities management within heritage or complex built environments.
• Detailed understanding of building services, operation, maintenance and statutory compliance.
• Knowledge of working with Grade I/II listed buildings and managing third‑party FM suppliers.
• Confident, collaborative leader capable of managing outsourced teams and stakeholders.
• Clear communication of complex technical matters and prioritisation in a fast‑moving environment.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical services expertise across the estate and advise on building services and compliance.
• Oversee external facilities management suppliers and manage service levels, audits and NEC4 communications.
• Review proposals and scopes to ensure sound, compliant and value-for-money outcomes; oversee project handover.
• Lead line management and drive continuous improvement, sustainability, energy management and emergency response.

Skills

Facilities management

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Communication

Education

Degree in a relevant subject or professional FM qualification

Tools

NEC4 contracts

CEMAR

Job description

About the role

This is an exciting opportunity to take a leading role in the management of technical services across the British Museum’s complex Grade I listed estate. As the Museum’s technical services expert, you will ensure that our buildings and systems are maintained effectively, remain compliant with statutory requirements and support the needs of a world‑leading cultural institution.

You will provide authoritative technical advice, oversee the performance of the Museum’s third‑party facilities management supplier and act as a key interface between the Museum, contractors, consultants and internal stakeholders. You will also contribute technical expertise to maintenance, infrastructure and capital projects, while helping to modernise processes, strengthen documentation and address backlog maintenance.

The role includes line management of the Assistant Technical Services Manager and offers the opportunity to shape continuous improvement, sustainability and operational resilience across the Museum’s technical services.

About you

• Educated to degree or professional qualification level in a relevant subject, or with equivalent experience at a strategic level in Facilities Management with membership of relevant professional bodies (CIBSE, BIFM, IET etc.)
• Experience in technical services and facilities management within a heritage, cultural or similarly complex built environment.
• Have a detailed understanding of building services, including their design, operation and maintenance, together with strong knowledge of statutory compliance, building regulations, health and safety and fire safety requirements.
• Knowledge of working with Grade I or Grade II listed buildings and experience managing third‑party facilities management suppliers and contracts.
• You will be a confident and collaborative leader, able to manage outsourced teams, build effective stakeholder relationships and influence senior colleagues.
• You will be able to communicate complex technical matters clearly, take ownership of problems and manage competing priorities independently in a fast‑moving environment.

Key areas of responsibility

• Act as the Museum’s technical services expert, providing advice on building services, statutory compliance, maintenance, operational risks and the technical requirements of infrastructure and capital projects.
• Ensure effective planned preventative and reactive maintenance across the estate, including the identification of critical infrastructure and the monitoring of statutory inspections and remedial works.
• Manage the performance of the hard facilities management supplier through service levels, key performance indicators, audits, customer feedback and NEC4 contractual communications, using CEMAR where required.
• Review technical proposals, project briefs and scopes of work to ensure they are technically sound, compliant, strategically aligned and provide value for money; oversee the technical approval and handover of completed projects.
• Lead and support the development of technical services through effective line management, continuous improvement, sustainability initiatives, energy management and an appropriate response to emergencies and urgent operational issues.

The Masterplan

The British Museum is undertaking its biggesttransformationsince its founding nearly 300 years ago. This physical and intellectual transformation includes large scale building and gallery transformation, new ways of connecting with audiences and different ways of working. As we look towards this exciting future, we remain guided by the words of our founder Hans Sloane - who dreamed of a museum connecting all arts and sciences, which would be accessible to everyone, everywhere.