Head of Facilities Management in Manchester

Cobalt is delighted to be representing a leading UK residential property owner, developer, and operator in the search for a Head of Facilities Management. With a long-established market presence and a significant national development pipeline, this organisation is entering an exciting period of growth, creating a key opportunity for an experienced FM professional to shape and evolve the facilities management function across a large-scale build-to-rent portfolio.

Reporting into a senior operational leadership team, the successful individual will lead a national FM function covering a geographically diverse portfolio of residential assets. The role combines strategic leadership, technical expertise, operational oversight, and team development, with responsibility for driving consistency, compliance, service excellence, and commercial performance across the portfolio.

Supported by an established regional management structure, this position offers the opportunity to influence business-wide FM strategy, support the mobilisation of new developments, and drive improvements in procurement, contractor management, and ways of working as the portfolio continues to expand.

• Lead, mentor, and develop a national team of senior facilities management professionals across multiple regions.
• Act as the principal facilities management subject matter expert, providing technical guidance to operational, development, and asset management stakeholders.
• Drive strategic alignment of the FM function with wider business objectives and portfolio growth plans.
• Oversee statutory compliance, building safety, health & safety, and environmental management standards across the portfolio.
• Ensure effective delivery of planned preventative maintenance programmes, lifecycle planning, and asset management strategies.
• Collaborate with procurement teams to enhance contractor management frameworks, improve service delivery, and achieve cost efficiencies.
• Support the mobilisation, onboarding, and operational integration of newly developed and acquired assets.
• Manage hard and soft FM service delivery through external contractors, ensuring compliance with SLAs, KPIs, and contractual obligations.
• Oversee service charge budgets, expenditure forecasting, and maintenance planning to support commercial performance objectives.
• Lead emergency response planning and business continuity arrangements across the portfolio.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across FM operations, systems, reporting, and governance processes.
• Ensure CAFM systems, compliance records, and property databases are maintained and utilised effectively to support operational decision-making.
• Prepare and present operational and compliance reporting to senior leadership and governance committees.
• Work closely with internal stakeholders to maintain consistency of standards and service delivery across all regions.

Applications are welcomed from experienced facilities management leaders as well as high-calibre Senior Facilities Managers seeking a first head-of-function opportunity. Candidates may come from residential, build-to-rent, hospitality, commercial property, or other customer-focused property sectors where transferable operational and stakeholder management skills have been developed.

Strong leadership capability, experience managing geographically dispersed teams, commercial awareness, contractor management expertise, and a thorough understanding of compliance and building safety legislation will be essential. A recognised facilities management, building, engineering, or construction qualification is expected, alongside IOSH membership or equivalent professional accreditation; broader health and safety qualifications will be advantageous.