Soft Services Manager in Hastings

ROLE OVERVIEW

• Company / division: MadiganGill Security & FM Services
• Environment: Shopping centre - site based
• Reports to: Account / Operations Manager and centre management team
• Team responsibility: Security and cleaning supervisors, officers and operatives
• Hours: 45 hours per week
• Pay: £15.00 per hour
• Working pattern: Location flexible to meet centre requirements, including early starts, late finishes, weekends, bank holidays, major trading periods and emergency cover as required. Work location is Hastings.

ROLE PURPOSE

To lead the integrated delivery of security and cleaning services within a busy shopping centre, ensuring a safe, secure, clean, welcoming and compliant environment for customers, retailers, contractors and colleagues. This is a visible, hands-on management role with accountability for daily service delivery, team performance, incident and emergency response, cleaning standards, client liaison, compliance, reporting, cost control and continuous improvement.

ROLE PRIORITIES

• Safe and secure centre: Proportionate risk controls, visible security, decisive incident response and strong protective security preparedness.
• Clean and welcoming environment: Consistently high cleaning and hygiene standards across public, tenant-facing and back-of-house areas.
• Engaged and capable teams: People are properly deployed, licensed, trained, supported, performance-managed and clear about expectations.
• Reliable contract performance: KPIs, SLAs, audits, reporting, cost control and improvement actions are delivered on time.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Integrated service leadership: Provide visible, hands-on leadership across both services, ensuring safe, customer-focused and consistent delivery throughout trading and non-trading hours. Plan rotas, deployment and daily priorities around footfall, events, tenant activity, risk, absence and budget; maintain contingency cover and effective shift handovers. Maintain and improve site-specific standard operating procedures (SOPs), assignment instructions, cleaning schedules, task cards, risk controls and escalation routes. Hold structured briefings and service reviews, communicate expectations clearly and ensure operational actions are owned and completed.
• Security, protective security and incident management: Manage patrols, access control, key control, service yards and loading bays, contractor and delivery access, lost property, retail crime, anti-social behaviour, vulnerable or missing persons, queue management and public safety. Ensure licensable activity is carried out only by appropriately licensed personnel; maintain SIA front line licence, training and competency records, including Public Space Surveillance (CCTV) licensing where applicable. Take initial command of incidents and emergencies: assess risk, protect life, deploy resources, communicate clearly, escalate appropriately and coordinate with centre management, police and other emergency services. Oversee investigations, contemporaneous logs, witness statements, CCTV or body-worn video retention where used, evidence preservation, debriefs and corrective actions in line with site procedures and data protection requirements. Coordinate responses to fire alarms, evacuation, invacuation or lockdown, suspicious items, bomb threats, major incidents and business continuity exercises, supporting designated Responsible Persons and competent dutyholders. Maintain proportionate counter-terrorism preparedness using ProtectUK and ACT good practice, and support the centre's preparations for the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 (Martyn's Law) as applicable and as duties come into force.
• Cleaning and environmental standards: Manage daily, reactive and periodic cleaning across malls, entrances, washrooms, food and retail areas, offices, back-of-house areas, service zones, car parks and external approaches as applicable. Complete regular quality inspections and documented audits; allocate remedial work, track actions and respond quickly to spills, contamination, complaints and high-footfall pressures. Ensure safe use, storage and dilution of chemicals, current safety data sheets (SDS), COSHH assessments, appropriate PPE, colour-coded systems, equipment checks and secure cleaning stores. Plan deep cleans, specialist tasks and out-of-hours works; coordinate contractors, permits and access while minimising disruption to centre operations. Control consumables, machinery, stock, waste segregation and recycling, and identify practical efficiency and sustainability improvements. Apply BICSc best-practice principles and Cleaning Professional's Skills Suite methodologies where trained.
• People leadership and capability: Recruit, induct, coach and develop security and cleaning colleagues, ensuring every person understands their role, standards, escalation routes and customer service expectations. Maintain an accurate training and competency matrix covering SIA licensing, site induction, SOPs, cleaning tasks, health and safety, emergency response, safeguarding and required refresher training. Manage attendance, timekeeping, conduct, capability, performance, welfare and engagement fairly and consistently, working with HR and senior management where required. Approve holidays, timesheets, overtime and agency use within agreed controls, and ensure payroll information is accurate and submitted on time. Deliver regular one-to-ones, team briefs and toolbox talks; recognise good performance and address poor standards promptly.
• Client, retailer and customer relationships: Act as a visible and professional point of contact for centre management, retailers, customers, contractors and partner agencies. Attend operational and client meetings, provide clear updates, present performance information and follow through on agreed actions. Resolve complaints and service failures promptly, using sound judgement, respectful de-escalation and a strong customer service approach. Build effective working relationships with police, the local business crime reduction partnership (BCRP), emergency services and local stakeholders where applicable.
• Compliance, health and safety and risk: Implement relevant health and safety arrangements, including risk assessments, dynamic risk assessment, COSHH, manual handling, lone working, work at height, PPE, slips and trips and fire safety controls. Ensure accidents, incidents, near misses and hazards are reported, investigated and closed out; support the responsible person with RIDDOR assessment and notification where required. Maintain audit-ready records for licences, training, inspections, equipment checks, cleaning schedules, chemical controls, incidents and corrective actions. Handle CCTV, incident information, personal data and confidential records in accordance with the UK GDPR, Data Protection Act 2018 and company procedures.
• Performance, reporting and cost control: Monitor agreed key performance indicators (KPIs), service-level agreements (SLAs), audit scores and service trends, implementing recovery plans where standards fall short. Produce accurate daily, weekly and monthly reports covering incidents, staffing, absence, training, audit results, complaints, risk, stock and improvement actions. Control labour, overtime, agency use, consumables, equipment and stock within authorised budgets while maintaining safe and effective service levels. Use data, feedback and post-incident learning to improve productivity, customer experience, resilience and service quality.

OPERATIONAL AUTHORITY

The postholder is expected to take prompt, proportionate action to protect life, property and service continuity, while escalating significant risk, legal, people or commercial matters through the agreed management structure.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

• Essential experience and capability: Significant, demonstrable management experience across both security and cleaning / soft services in a shopping centre, retail, mixed-use or comparable high-footfall public environment. Proven experience leading multi-skilled teams across extended operating hours, including rota planning, deployment, time and attendance, absence management and performance management. Strong incident management experience, including emergency response, scene control, escalation, evidence preservation, accurate report writing, debriefing and corrective action. Strong practical cleaning knowledge, including daily and periodic schedules, audit methodology, COSHH and SDS controls, machinery, chemicals, consumables, waste and reactive response. Excellent interpersonal, customer service, written and verbal communication skills, with the confidence to manage conflict, complaints and challenging situations professionally. Strong time management, prioritisation and decision-making skills, with the ability to remain calm, organised and accountable under pressure. Good IT literacy, including email, Microsoft Office and the ability to use incident, workforce, rostering, audit or reporting systems accurately.
• Essential qualifications and licences: Current, valid SIA front line licence appropriate to the licensable activities undertaken in the role. Recognised management or leadership qualification, for example CMI, ILM, NVQ or an equivalent accredited award. Ability and commitment to maintain all mandatory licences, training and site competencies throughout employment.
• Desirable qualifications and training: BICSc Licence to Practice (LTP) and/or Cleaning Professional's Skills Suite (CPSS) training. SIA Public Space Surveillance (CCTV) licence where the role includes direct CCTV operation. IOSH Managing Safely or an equivalent health and safety qualification. Current Emergency First Aid at Work or First Aid at Work, fire warden / marshal and incident command training. ACT Security e-Learning, ACT Awareness e-Learning or comparable protective security training.

WORKING HOURS AND ROLE REQUIREMENTS

FLEXIBILITY IS ESSENTIAL

The contracted hours are 45 per week. The postholder must be flexible to meet the centre's operational needs, including early starts, late finishes, weekends, bank holidays, peak trading periods, planned events and emergency cover. The role is site based and includes regular walking, standing and inspection of all operational areas.

MEASURES OF SUCCESS

• Security and cleaning audit scores meet or exceed agreed standards.
• Incidents are managed proportionately, escalated correctly and reported accurately.
• Rotas are filled by trained, competent and appropriately licensed colleagues.
• Customer, retailer and client issues are resolved promptly with clear follow-through.
• Health, safety and compliance actions are completed within agreed timescales.
• Labour, overtime, agency use, stock and consumables remain controlled.

This job description is not exhaustive. Duties may be reviewed and amended to reflect reasonable operational, client, legal or organisational requirements. Any material changes will be discussed through the appropriate management process.