EOI: Soft Services Manager (Penang)

CBRE Group, Inc.; Penang; On-site; MYR 100,000 - 167,000; Full time

Job summary

CBRE Soft Services Manager in Penang leads daily soft services and workplace experience, ensuring safe, consistent delivery of concierge, reception, meeting and pantry services, transport, mail, and admin support.

You will drive vendor governance, RBA compliance and audit readiness, partner with Facilities, Engineering and HR to enhance employee experience, engagement and productivity across the site.

Qualifications

• Experience managing Soft Services and Workplace Experience operations.
• Knowledge of RBA, audit readiness and vendor compliance.
• Strong stakeholder management and leadership abilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day Soft Services and Workplace Experience delivery.
• Manage vendor performance, SLAs/KPIs and compliance documentation.
• Coordinate audits, RBA activities and CAPA tracking with vendors.
• Support workplace events, engagement activities and reporting.
• Ensure safety, quality and continuous improvement across site.

Skills

Soft Services leadership

Vendor governance

Stakeholder management

Audit readiness

Employee engagement

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

MS Office

Job description

CBRE is the global leader in commercial real estate services and investments. With services, insights and data that span every dimension of the industry, we create solutions for clients of every size, in every sector and across every geography. CBRE is the place where talented people who want to do impactful work can realize potential in every dimension.

CBRE Global Workplace Solutions (GWS)

As one of CBRE's core global businesses, Global Workplace Solutions (GWS) provides end-to-end services to occupier clients across the entire lifecycle of a building.

Our teams help companies improve their operations and reduce costs, through expert facilities management, project management, real estate and energy and sustainability services. Our dedicated teams work across all industries, and support clients ranging from the Fortune 500 global companies to single, iconic buildings.

About the Role:

As a CBRE Soft Services Manager, you will be responsible for leading employees and service partners overseeing the delivery of Soft Services and Workplace Experience at the Penang site. Services may include Concierge, Reception, Meeting & Event Management, food and pantry services, transportation, mail distribution, workplace amenities, employee engagement activities, and administrative office support.

This role forms part of the Workplace Experience function and is responsible for providing world-class customer service and a safe, welcoming, engaging and high-performing workplace for employees, clients and visitors.

The Soft Services Manager will be a visible and trusted workplace partner, combining operational service excellence, vendor governance and Workplace Enhancement Experience to continuously improve workplace quality, community, employee well-being, engagement and productivity.

Working closely with Facilities, Engineering, EHS, Security, HR, Procurement and business stakeholders, the role will also support Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) requirements, audit readiness and vendor compliance, ensuring service partners maintain the required documentation, practices and preparedness to support client and site audits.

What You’ll Do:

Soft Services Operations & Service Excellence

• Lead the day-to-day delivery of Soft Services and Workplace Experience, ensuring services are delivered safely, consistently and in accordance with agreed service levels and standards.
• Support and manage escalations arising from employee and end-user feedback or complaints regarding soft services, ensuring timely resolution and appropriate service recovery.
• Perform regular site audits, workplace inspections and service quality reviews to identify gaps, risks and improvement opportunities.
• Coordinate and manage the team’s daily activities, including work schedules, task allocation, cross-training, deadlines, mentoring and coaching.
• Provide formal supervision to employees, including training and development, performance evaluation, coaching, recruitment and onboarding.
• Manage work orders and service requests, delegating requirements to appropriate vendors and tracking actions through to satisfactory closure.
• Manage time, workload and resources to achieve predetermined service levels, KPIs and workplace experience expectations.
• Identify recurring issues and drive continuous improvement and strategic solutions to improve service quality and operational efficiency.
• Support administration, finance, contracts, procurement, purchase requests, invoice validation, budgeting and operational reporting.
• Ensure appropriate processes, SOPs, service standards, safety requirements and governance controls are implemented, maintained and continuously improved.

Workplace Enhancement Experience & Community

• Develop an active and visible Workplace Experience Team that is proactive, responsive, dynamic, engaging and agile.
• Create and continuously enhance a workplace environment that promotes employee experience, community, collaboration, wellness, well-being and sense of belonging.
• Serve as a visible workplace ambassador and key point of contact for employees, visitors and client stakeholders.
• Build strong relationships with stakeholders across all levels and remain attuned to evolving employee and business requirements.
• Ensure effective communication and reporting to client stakeholders regarding operational matters, service performance and Workplace Enhancement initiatives.
• Develop and deliver a Workplace Enhancement Experience Roadmap identifying initiatives and operational improvements that uplift the overall workplace and employee journey.
• Develop programs that strengthen community engagement, employee connection, collaboration and participation.
• Support employee engagement activities, workplace events, town halls, wellness initiatives, celebrations and community-building programs.
• Gather employee feedback and workplace insights to identify opportunities for continuous workplace enhancement.
• Ensure Workplace Enhancement initiatives are measurable and outcome-driven, using participation, satisfaction, feedback and service-performance indicators to demonstrate impact.

Vendor Governance, RBA & Audit Readiness

• Manage soft-service vendors and service partners to ensure compliance with contractual, operational, safety and client requirements.
• Support the site’s Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) compliance and audit-readiness activities within the Soft Services and vendor-management scope.
• Coordinate with EHS, HR, Procurement, Facilities, Engineering and relevant client stakeholders to support RBA assessments, internal reviews and client or external audits.
• Ensure vendors understand applicable RBA, workplace, labour, health & safety, ethical and client compliance expectations relevant to their contracted services.
• Maintain vendor readiness by ensuring required licenses, insurance, employee records, training records, risk assessments, method statements, statutory documentation and other compliance evidence are current, organised and readily available for review.
• Conduct periodic vendor compliance and document-readiness checks ahead of scheduled audits and elevate identified gaps to the appropriate stakeholders.
• Coordinate vendors during audit preparation and support the timely provision of requested documentation, evidence and operational records.
• Track audit observations, vendor compliance gaps and agreed corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) through to closure within established timelines.
• Work with vendors to develop appropriate recovery or improvement plans where deficiencies are identified.
• Ensure deployed vendor personnel receive appropriate site induction, safety training and required competency training before commencing relevant activities.
• Monitor vendor performance against agreed KPIs, SLAs, quality, safety and compliance standards and implement improvement actions where required.
• Maintain structured vendor governance records to support traceability, audit readiness and continuous compliance.
• Develop collaborative vendor partnerships that encourage service improvement, compliance ownership, operational efficiency and appropriate cost optimisation.

Stakeholder, Governance & Continuous Improvement

• Work closely with Facilities, Engineering, EHS, Security, HR, Finance, Procurement and business stakeholders to provide an integrated workplace experience.
• Assess technology, process and training needs for Workplace Experience teams and recommend improvements where appropriate.
• Analyse service performance, employee feedback, workplace trends, audit findings and recurring operational issues to identify improvement opportunities.
• Develop and implement practical initiatives that enhance quality, efficiency, compliance, workplace satisfaction and employee experience.
• Provide regular reporting on service performance, vendor compliance, workplace insights, risks, audit actions and improvement opportunities to client leadership.
• Support budgeting and cost optimisation while ensuring initiatives do not compromise employee experience, safety, compliance or service quality.
• Lead by example and demonstrate behaviours consistent with CBRE RISE values, influencing stakeholders and service partners to achieve positive outcomes.

What You’ll Need:

• Bachelor's Degree preferred with 3-5 years of relevant experience in Workplace Experience, Facilities Management, Soft Services, Hospitality, Corporate Services or a related environment.
• Experience managing Soft Services and Workplace Experience operations, preferably within a corporate, manufacturing or similarly regulated operational environment.
• Demonstrated experience managing vendors, service partners, SLAs/KPIs, compliance documentation and service-quality performance.
• Exposure to RBA, supplier/vendor compliance, EHS, audit readiness or similar governance frameworks within a manufacturing environment would be advantageous.
• Ability to coordinate vendor documentation and support internal, client and external audit activities.
• Strong understanding of vendor governance, documentation control, corrective-action tracking and continuous improvement.
• Strong stakeholder-management and relationship-building capabilities across employees, vendors and client stakeholders.
• Ability to manage escalations, competing priorities and service-recovery situations professionally.
• Strong leadership, organisational, communication, analytical and problem-solving skills.
• In-depth knowledge of Microsoft Office products, including Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint.
• Commitment to maintaining appropriate safety, compliance, operational and workplace standards while delivering an exceptional workplace experience.

Why CBRE

When you join CBRE, you become part of the global leader in commercial real estate services and investment that helps businesses and people thrive. We are dynamic problem solvers and forward-thinking professionals who create significant impact. Our collaborative culture is built on our shared values - respect, integrity, service and excellence - and we value the diverse perspectives, backgrounds and skillsets of our people. At CBRE, you have the opportunity to chart your own course and realize your potential. We welcome all applicants.

Applicant AI Use Disclosure

We value human interaction to understand each candidate's unique experience, skills and aspirations. We do not use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to make hiring decisions, and we ask that candidates disclose any use of AI in the application and interview process.