Engineering Manager

Hard Services Operations Manager

**London £75,000 to £85,000 plus benefits**

The Opportunity:

An established facilities management business is looking to appoint a Head of Hard Services to take ownership of engineering operations across a diverse London property portfolio.

This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who combines strong technical knowledge with excellent people management skills, ensuring engineers are properly managed, sites remain compliant and customers receive the service they expect.

The successful candidate will regularly visit sites, check standards and compliance, engage with engineers and customers, and ensure day to day operations run effectively. A key priority will be improving accountability, strengthening operational delivery and ensuring issues are identified and resolved promptly.

Key Responsibilities:

• Team Leadership: Lead, manage and develop the engineering team, setting clear expectations and ensuring accountability for performance and delivery.
• Site Visits and Quality Assurance: Regularly visit sites to assess service standards, inspect work, check compliance and ensure buildings are operating effectively.
• Statutory Compliance: Ensure planned and reactive maintenance is completed correctly, with appropriate records and evidence in place.
• Customer Relationships: Build stronger customer relationships through regular site visits, proactive communication and effective resolution of operational issues.
• Contractor Management: Monitor third party contractors, challenge poor performance and ensure contractual obligations and service standards are met.
• Operational Delivery: Oversee engineering activities across the portfolio, prioritising workloads and ensuring maintenance issues are dealt with promptly.
• Commercial Control: Monitor expenditure, review contractor costs and identify opportunities to improve efficiency and value for money.
• Continuous Improvement: Introduce greater structure, consistency and accountability across the engineering function, improving team performance and customer satisfaction.

About You:

• You will be a technically credible engineering or hard services professional who enjoys leading people, being visible on site and taking responsibility for operational performance.
• This opportunity could suit someone from a mid sized engineering or facilities management business, perhaps with approximately £30m to £40m turnover and an established engineering function, who is ready to take greater ownership and drive improvements.
• Alternatively, you may currently be a Contract Manager within a larger facilities management organisation and be looking for a move that offers greater autonomy, visibility and influence.
• Strong people management skills are essential. You will be comfortable setting standards, addressing underperformance, developing engineers and ensuring people are delivering what is expected of them.

You will also bring:

• Experience in hard services, building services engineering or technical facilities management.
• Good knowledge of mechanical, electrical and HVAC systems, alongside statutory compliance requirements.
• Experience managing engineers, contractors and maintenance programmes across multiple sites.
• A practical, hands on approach and a willingness to spend time on site rather than manage purely from behind a desk.
• Strong customer facing skills and the confidence to challenge poor performance where necessary.
• Commercial awareness and the ability to balance costs, service standards and contractual obligations.
• A full UK driving licence.

Why Consider This Role?

For someone currently working within a larger organisation, this is an opportunity to become a bigger fish in a smaller pond, with greater ownership, closer access to senior management and a more direct impact on the business.

For someone already working in a mid sized business, it offers the chance to take the lead on an established engineering function, improve how it operates and make a tangible difference to both the team and its customers.