Head of Operations-Soft FM – London

We're Hiring: Head of Operations – Soft FM 👔🏥⚡

📍 London
💷 £90,000 – £100,000 per annum + Benefits
🕒 Full-Time | Permanent | 40 Hours per Week
🏢 Facilities Management | Soft FM | Healthcare | Operations Leadership | Contract Management

We are recruiting for an experienced Head of Operations – Soft FM to lead the operational delivery of a major and complex healthcare facilities management contract in London.

🏥 This is a senior leadership opportunity for an established Facilities Management professional with significant experience managing Soft FM services, large operational teams, complex contracts and senior stakeholder relationships.

👔 The successful candidate will take overall responsibility for operational performance across multiple Soft FM service lines, ensuring consistently high standards of service delivery, compliance, commercial performance, customer satisfaction and operational excellence.

📈 The role will play a key part in shaping operational strategy, driving continuous improvement, developing high-performing teams and delivering service transformation across a complex healthcare environment.

👔 Responsibilities & Duties

• 🏥 Lead the operational delivery of multiple Soft FM service lines across a large and complex healthcare environment.
• 📈 Develop and implement strategic operational plans to improve service quality, efficiency, productivity and customer satisfaction.
• 🎯 Take overall accountability for operational performance across the contract.
• 💷 Maintain accountability for financial performance, budgets, cost control and P&L management.
• 🤝 Build and maintain strong relationships with senior client stakeholders and key internal stakeholders.
• 📞 Act as a senior point of escalation for operational, contractual and service-related matters.
• 📋 Ensure contractual obligations, KPIs, SLAs, performance targets and service standards are consistently achieved.
• 📊 Monitor operational performance and implement appropriate improvement actions where required.
• 👥 Lead, manage, motivate and develop a large operational and management workforce.
• 🌟 Create a high-performing, engaged and customer-focused operational culture.
• 🧠 Provide strong strategic and operational leadership across all Soft FM service areas.
• 🔄 Drive continuous improvement, innovation and service transformation across the contract.
• 💡 Identify opportunities to improve productivity, efficiency, quality and overall service delivery.
• 📈 Develop and implement initiatives designed to improve operational performance and value for money.
• 🗂️ Ensure effective governance, reporting and performance management across all Soft FM services.
• 📑 Review operational data, KPIs, trends and performance reports to identify risks and opportunities.
• 🛡️ Ensure all services operate in accordance with relevant legislation, contractual requirements, policies and procedures.
• 🦺 Promote a strong culture of Health & Safety, compliance, risk management and operational excellence.
• 🏥 Maintain a strong focus on patient, staff, visitor and customer experience within the healthcare environment.
• 👥 Oversee workforce planning to ensure appropriate staffing levels, skills and resource allocation.
• 🎓 Lead succession planning, talent development and career progression across the operational structure.
• 🔄 Provide effective leadership during organisational change, restructuring and transformation programmes.
• 🤝 Support and lead employee consultation processes and TUPE activity where required.
• ⚖️ Work closely with HR and management teams on employee relations, performance management and workforce matters.
• 🧑‍💼 Develop strong relationships with operational managers and provide effective coaching, mentoring and leadership.
• 🏢 Ensure consistent operational standards are maintained across all areas of service delivery.
• 📣 Communicate operational strategy, priorities and expectations clearly throughout the management structure.
• 📊 Prepare and present operational and performance reports to senior stakeholders.
• 🎯 Establish clear objectives and performance expectations for operational teams.
• 🔍 Identify operational risks and implement effective mitigation strategies.
• 🚨 Provide strong leadership and decision-making during operational incidents, service disruption and critical issues.
• 💷 Manage operational expenditure effectively while maintaining service quality and contractual performance.
• 📈 Identify commercial opportunities and efficiencies that support contract performance and profitability.
• 🤝 Work collaboratively with commercial, HR, finance, compliance and other support functions.
• 🧩 Ensure effective integration and coordination between multiple Soft FM service lines.
• 🏆 Drive a culture of accountability, ownership, customer service and continuous improvement.
• 📚 Ensure operational teams are appropriately trained, competent and developed.
• 📝 Maintain accurate operational records, reports and management information.
• 💻 Utilise CAFM, reporting, performance management and other relevant systems effectively.
• 🔐 Ensure appropriate governance and controls are in place across all operational activities.
• 📌 Ensure corrective actions arising from audits, inspections, incidents and performance reviews are effectively managed.
• 🌱 Promote innovation, sustainability and more efficient ways of working across service delivery.
• 🛠️ Support mobilisation, transition, change and improvement programmes where required.
• 🏥 Ensure service delivery supports the specific operational requirements of a complex healthcare environment.
• 🛡️ Maintain a strong focus on compliance, quality, safety and business continuity.
• 🛠️ Undertake other reasonable duties appropriate to the seniority and responsibilities of the role.

👤 Requirements

• 👔 Significant senior operational leadership experience within Facilities Management, Soft FM, Healthcare FM or another complex multi-service environment.
• 🏢 Proven experience managing large-scale Facilities Management contracts.
• 🧹 Strong experience across Soft FM service delivery and operational management.
• 👥 Proven track record of leading large, multi-disciplinary operational and management teams.
• 🏥 Experience working within a complex healthcare, public-sector, commercial or similarly demanding environment.
• 💷 Strong commercial understanding with demonstrable experience of budget management and P&L accountability.
• 📊 Strong understanding of contractual performance, KPIs, SLAs, governance and performance management.
• 🤝 Excellent client and stakeholder management skills.
• 👔 Confidence operating with senior, executive and board-level stakeholders.
• 📈 Proven experience delivering operational transformation, efficiency programmes and continuous improvement.
• 🔄 Experience managing organisational change and complex operational transformation.
• 👥 Experience with workforce planning, succession planning and talent development.
• ⚖️ Experience managing employee relations and organisational change processes.
• 🔄 Previous experience managing TUPE processes would be highly advantageous.
• 🧠 Strong strategic thinking combined with excellent operational leadership capability.
• 💡 Commercially focused approach with the ability to identify and deliver efficiencies.
• 🎯 Strong understanding of service excellence and customer-focused operational delivery.
• 📋 Excellent understanding of compliance, risk management, governance and contractual obligations.
• 🗣️ Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• 🎤 Strong presentation and influencing skills, with the ability to communicate effectively at senior level.
• 🤝 Exceptional relationship-building and stakeholder management capabilities.
• 📊 Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret operational and financial information.
• 👥 Proven ability to motivate, develop and lead large teams through complex operational environments.
• 🏆 Strong leadership presence with the ability to create accountability and drive high performance.
• 🔐 Strong understanding of Health & Safety, compliance and risk within a Facilities Management environment.
• 💻 Confident using operational, financial, reporting and performance management systems.
• 📈 Evidence of delivering measurable improvements in service quality, efficiency, productivity or customer satisfaction.

⭐ Desirable Experience

• 🏥 Significant previous experience within Healthcare Facilities Management.
• 🧹 Extensive Soft FM operational management experience.
• 👔 Previous experience as a Head of Operations, Operations Director, Regional Operations Director or equivalent senior FM leader.
• 🏢 Experience managing large, complex or multi-service FM contracts.
• 💷 Strong P&L and commercial management experience.
• 🔄 Experience leading large-scale transformation and continuous improvement programmes.
• 👥 Experience managing large workforces across multiple service lines.
• 🔄 Previous experience leading TUPE transfers and organisational change programmes.
• 📊 Strong experience managing contractual KPIs, SLAs and performance frameworks.
• 🤝 Experience working with senior and executive-level client stakeholders.
• 🛡️ Experience operating within highly regulated environments with stringent compliance requirements.
• 🌱 Experience delivering sustainability, efficiency and innovation initiatives.
• 🎓 Relevant professional qualifications or membership of an appropriate Facilities Management or professional body.

💼 What's On Offer

• 💷 £90,000 – £100,000 per annum
• 🎁 Additional benefits package
• 🕒 Full-time, permanent position
• ⏰ 40 hours per week
• 📍 London-based senior leadership opportunity
• 🏥 Senior role within a complex healthcare environment
• 👔 Significant operational leadership responsibility
• 🏢 Leadership of multiple Soft FM service lines
• 👥 Management of a large operational and management workforce
• 💷 P&L and commercial accountability
• 🤝 Extensive senior stakeholder exposure
• 📈 Opportunity to shape operational strategy and service performance
• 🔄 Opportunity to lead continuous improvement and transformation
• 🎓 Significant opportunities for leadership and professional development
• 🏆 Opportunity to make a genuine impact on service quality, customer satisfaction and operational performance

⚡🏥 This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Head of Operations, Operations Director, Regional Operations Director or senior Soft FM professional looking to take responsibility for a high-profile and complex healthcare Facilities Management environment.

👔 The successful candidate will bring strong senior operational leadership experience, excellent commercial awareness, proven Soft FM expertise and the ability to lead large teams while maintaining high standards of service delivery, compliance and customer satisfaction.

📈 This role offers the opportunity to influence operational strategy, drive service transformation, develop a high-performing workforce and work closely with senior stakeholders across a complex healthcare environment.

🏥 If you have the senior-level Soft FM, Facilities Management, operational leadership, commercial and stakeholder management experience required for this position, we would be pleased to hear from you
Only candidates based in UK and eligible to work in UK are allowed