Group Maintenance Facilities Management and Health & Safety Director

Job Description: Group Maintenance Facilities Management and Health & Safety  Director

Location: UK
Department: Maintenance Facilities Management and Health & Safety
Group Property Development
Reports to: Chief Property Development Officer
Role Level: Director

Role Purpose

The Group Maintenance Facilities Management & Health & Safety Director is accountable for defining and delivering the global strategy for Retail Property Maintenance, Occupational Health & Safety, and Head Office Facilities & Building Services across all regions in which the organisation operates.
This role will lead the creation of a Global Centre of Excellence supported by standardised systems, governance frameworks, and performance metrics.

A core strategic objective is the implementation and optimisation of a single global Facilities Management (FM) software platform and a global Health & Safety Management System to ensure consistency, compliance, transparency, and operational excellence across the retail estate and corporate environments.

Key Responsibilities

1. Retail Property Maintenance (Global Retail Estate)

• Develop and oversee a global property maintenance strategy ensuring consistency, quality, and cost‑effectiveness across all markets.
• Establish global standards for preventive, reactive, and statutory maintenance.
• Lead the deployment of a global FM software platform to enable real-time visibility of asset data, work orders, compliance status, and vendor performance.
• Build and manage strategic supplier partnerships and frameworks, ensuring high-quality delivery and value for money.
• Implement global asset lifecycle planning, including capital replacement programmes and sustainability‑led refurbishment standards.
• Deliver performance reporting and analytics to drive data‑driven decision-making across all retail regions.

2. Head Office Facilities & Building Services

• Oversee facilities management for all corporate offices, including building operations, workplace experience, security, cleaning, catering, and environmental services.
• Implement global workplace standards covering space planning, sustainability, wellbeing, and hybrid-work enablement.
• Ensure Head Office environments comply with all relevant safety, accessibility, and environmental regulations.
• Lead capital works and refurbishment projects, ensuring alignment with brand identity, sustainability commitments, and employee experience design.
• Optimise building performance and energy management across the Head Office portfolio.

3. Occupational Health & Safety (Global)

• Own and continuously improve the company’s global Health & Safety Management System, embedding consistent governance, reporting, and cultural expectations across all markets.
• Ensure compliance with local, regional, and international legislation across retail sites, offices, warehouses, and distribution centres.
• Lead global risk management initiatives, including annual risk assessments, safety audits, incident investigations, and trend analysis.
• Foster a proactive safety culture by developing global training programmes, policies, and behavioural safety initiatives.
• Act as the senior escalation point for major incidents, providing leadership and direction during global crises and safety-related emergencies.
• Work with HR, Operations, and Legal to ensure H&S policies support broader organisational values and legislative requirements.

 

Strategic Leadership & Centre of Excellence

• Lead the maintenance team to ensure the store portfolio operates efficiently to maximise sales and provide a safe environment for customers and employees.

• Drive the global adoption of a unified FM software system and global H&S management system, embedding consistent processes and improving data visibility.
• Design, build, and lead a Global Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Health, Safety & Facilities, providing expert guidance, governance, and best practice to all regions.
• Provide expert leadership on ESG‑related topics including workplace wellbeing, environmental performance of buildings, and sustainable asset management.
• Partner with IT, Digital, and Transformation teams to integrate systems, enhance data governance, and accelerate digitalisation of FM and H&S processes.
• Establish global KPIs, dashboards, and governance frameworks for all FM and H&S performance.
• Lead, inspire, and develop regional FM and H&S leaders, ensuring alignment to global strategy and strong cross‑regional collaboration.

Key Skills & Experience

• Deep knowledge of global FM operations, property maintenance, compliance, and asset management.
• Expertise in occupational health & safety management frameworks (e.g., ISO 45001), risk governance, and incident management.
• Experience implementing enterprise‑level FM technology platforms and/or global H&S systems.
• Strong commercial acumen, supplier management capability, and understanding of global procurement processes.
• Recognised professional qualification in Health & Safety, specifically NEBOSH National Diploma or equivalent (or higher).
• Proven track record in senior leadership roles within Health & Safety and/or Facilities Management, ideally within a global retail environment.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to influence at Executive and Board level.
• Strong leadership qualities with experience managing cross‑regional and multi‑disciplinary teams.

Key Success Measures

• Reduction in property maintenance operational costs through standardisation & optimisation.
• Successful global rollout and adoption of unified FM and H&S systems.
• Improved compliance levels, reduction in incidents, and enhanced risk visibility.
• Increased asset uptime and building performance.
• Strong global consistency in H&S culture, standards, and behaviours.
• High-quality workplace experience across all corporate offices globally.
• Establishment and demonstrable impact of the Global Centre of Excellence.