Assistant Director Corporate Facilities Management

Why Southwark?

At Southwark Council, we don’t just manage buildings – we create places that matter. As Assistant Director of Corporate Facilities Management, you’ll lead the charge in reimagining how our buildings and their maintenance support our frontline services, staff, and communities. With nearly 500 assets under your remit, you’ll play a critical role in supporting one of the largest, most complex and rewarding estates portfolios in local government.

Here’s why this role is a game-changer:

• Impact with scale: Support 5,000+ staff and influence a borough-wide transformation through Southwark 2030 – our vision for a fair, green and safe borough.
• Portfolio with purpose: Oversee high-profile projects including multi-million-pound capital investments and workplace fit-outs.
• Leadership with autonomy: Report directly to the Director of People & Organisational Development, leading a high-performing team of senior specialists with the freedom to shape and deliver your strategic vision.

What You'll Be Doing

We are looking for someone who is meticulous, highly skilled and driven by public service with a track-record in driving transformation and creating a legacy. This job will involve the following:

• Leading the strategic and operational delivery of FM services across Southwark’s corporate estate
• Designing long-term procurement and contract strategies that bring national policy and local priorities to life
• Reinforcing a strong health & safety culture and ensuring full legal and regulatory compliance
• Overseeing complex capital and maintenance projects aligned to borough regeneration and service transformation
• Driving innovation and sustainability in estate management, supporting our decarbonisation and inclusive design goals
• Managing high-value budgets and delivering services that offer both quality and value for money
• Building strong internal and external partnerships that enable change, improvement, and accountability
• Advising senior leaders, including the Chief Executive and Cabinet, on FM strategy, risk and performance

What We're Looking For

• A strategic thinker with senior-level leadership experience in facilities or estate management.
• Degree-level educated (or equivalent), with a relevant professional qualification (e.g. BIFM, IWFM, CIPS)
• Deep knowledge of FM best practices in a public sector context, with a sharp focus on compliance, procurement, value for money and sustainability
• A proven track record in leading major refurbishments, relocations, or capital projects
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, confident working with senior political and executive leaders
• A collaborative, innovative, and empowering leadership style
• A proven track record of leading high-performing teams in a fast-paced, customer-centric environment.
• Sharp problem-solving ability with an eye for continuous improvement and innovation.
• Tech-savvy with Microsoft Office proficiency and the ability to get the best from digital tools.
• You’ll enjoy a hybrid working pattern, combining flexible home working with 3 days working from various sites across the borough.
• We are unable to offer Visa Sponsorship for this role.

Additional Information

About Southwark Council

Southwark Council is the largest local authority social landlord in London, managing 55,000 homes lived in by 40% of Southwark’s residents. We are home to over 18,300 businesses including iconic London venues such as The Shard, The Tate Modern and Borough Market along with many social enterprises and we have a young, diverse, and growing population.

At Southwark we are committed to making our borough just and fair and are taking positive action to tackle inequalities. Our residents and communities are our greatest asset and the passion we have for Southwark is shared by millions of Londoners who enjoy our outstanding cultural offer, use our hospitals and attend our universities.

Our refreshed borough plan and focus on Southwark Stands Together, (which is our work with Southwark’s communities and the council’s staff to tackle racism, injustice and inequality) underpins all that we do.

Benefits and more information:

Working for Southwark Council – Southwark

Salary Range: £83,964 - £105,096

This post attracts an additional benefit to the value of £3,503 PA for staff which can be used for benefits or taken as cash.

Application Closing Date: 11.59pm on 4th of August 2025

Stakeholder Panel Interview: W/C 18th of August 2025

Final Interview Date: W/C 25th of August 2025

We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together initiative. We particularly welcome applications from members of the black, Asian, and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care or have previously been in care.
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role, in which case we will move the key dates for the process. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

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Attachments

• Job Description & Person Specification