Head of FM & Compliance – AR

Job Details

Job Title: Head of FM & Compliance
Location: London Borough of Harrow
Pay Grade: MG4
Sector: Local Authority / Public Sector

Job Purpose

The Head of FM & Compliance will act as the Council’s lead officer for Facilities Management and statutory building compliance, ensuring that all corporate, school, and community assets meet legal health and safety requirements. The role will provide strategic and operational leadership across Facilities Management services, overseeing both technical Hard FM functions and frontline Soft FM services.

The postholder will lead a hybrid FM delivery model, managing high-value external contracts alongside directly delivered services, ensuring effective performance, compliance, and value for money. Working closely with the Assistant Director for Property & Asset Strategy, the role will ensure FM services align with the Council’s wider asset management priorities and support long-term maintenance and investment strategies.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the Council’s lead specialist for statutory building compliance, ensuring compliance with fire safety, water hygiene, health & safety, and relevant regulatory requirements.
• Provide strategic leadership for the delivery of Facilities Management services across the Council’s corporate estate, schools, and community buildings.
• Manage and develop a large multidisciplinary FM team covering both Hard FM and Soft FM services.
• Oversee technical building services including planned and reactive maintenance, compliance programmes, and lifecycle management.
• Lead the management of outsourced FM contracts, ensuring suppliers deliver against agreed performance standards, KPIs, budgets, and service requirements.
• Oversee self-delivered services including cleaning, security, catering, and other frontline facilities operations.
• Act as the key technical adviser to the Property & Asset Strategy function, ensuring FM delivery supports wider property objectives.
• Support the development of long-term capital maintenance and lifecycle replacement programmes to improve the resilience and sustainability of the Council’s estate.
• Monitor compliance risks, implement improvement plans, and ensure robust governance and reporting arrangements.
• Drive continuous improvement, efficiency, and value for money across FM services.

Essential Experience & Skills

• Significant senior-level experience leading Facilities Management services within a large and complex organisation.
• Experience managing both Hard FM and Soft FM services.
• Strong knowledge of statutory building compliance requirements, including fire safety and water hygiene.
• Experience managing large teams, contractors, and complex FM service delivery models.
• Proven experience managing high-value FM contracts and supplier relationships.
• Understanding of asset management, planned maintenance, and lifecycle replacement strategies.
• Experience working within a public sector, local authority, education, healthcare, or similarly regulated environment is highly desirable.
• Strong leadership, stakeholder management, and strategic planning skills.

Desirable Experience

• Experience managing a council or public sector property portfolio.
• Knowledge of building safety legislation and compliance frameworks.
• Experience supporting capital investment and property improvement programmes.
• Relevant professional qualification in Facilities Management, Estates, Building Services, Health & Safety, or a related discipline.