Facilities manager

Facilities managers make sure all the services a company or organisation need to be efficient are of the best standard possible. They look after things like the heating and lighting, catering, security and all health and safety issues in the workplace.

Work activities

Facilities managers make sure that all the services a company or organisation need to run well are of the highest standard possible. They oversee things like:

Heating and lighting.
Security.
Catering.
Repairs to buildings and offices.
Health and safety issues.

Facilities managers deal with outside companies to try to find the best provider of a service that they can. For example, they might need to contact a number of catering companies to find the one that offers the best value, and best quality service. When looking for a new outside company, the facilities manager will need to work out what their employer needs in terms of service.

They will have to weigh up different companies’ proposals and negotiate any contracts. Once the company has been chosen, the manager will keep a check on the service they are providing. Facilities managers will often have a team of people working under them. Depending on their employer, repairs and maintenance work could be done by outside firms, or by people working directly under the facilities manager. The manager will also often have an assistant to help with their working tasks. A lot of the work of a facilities manager will be a mixture of dealing with outside companies and also dealing with people employed by the same company or organisation as the manager themselves. Facilities managers are usually based in an office but spend a lot of their day moving around. They might sometimes have to work outside of standard office hours. For example, if there is a break-in, they would have to come in to liaise with security officers.

Being able to read, write and speak Welsh may be an advantage when you’re looking for work in Wales.

Personal qualities and skills

To do this job well, you’ll need:

To be a very well-organised person, as this job can be very varied.
Good communication skills, as you’ll be dealing with a lot of different people in your working day.
Working knowledge of health and safety procedures.
Planning skills.
Leadership qualities, as you could be in charge of other people.
The ability to spot problems and then come up with ways to solve them.
Good IT skills.

Key skills gaps were identified as:

Commercial awareness and financial skills in relation to managing budgets and profits.
Excellent management skills, and customer service skills.
The development of energy management skills.
Enhanced technical and IT skills.
Knowledge of legislation and regulation affecting the sector, with a focus on health and safety.

Pay and opportunities

Salaries for facilities managers vary, depending on their role and responsibilities and entry point. The pay rates given are approximate. Facilities managers earn in the range of £23,000 a year, rising to £47,000 with experience.

Facilities managers usually work around 38-40 hours, Monday to Friday, with extra hours according to the demands of the job.

Employers include in-house departments of large firms in the commercial and industrial sector, such as banks, manufacturing and retail organisations, and public sector organisations such as local authorities, health authorities and public utilities. Other employers are specialist property management contractors, multi-service companies and consortia delivering design, build, finance and management services. Opportunities for facilities managers occur with employers in towns and cities throughout the UK. Opportunities also occur to work in other countries, for example, in the Middle East.

Where are vacancies advertised?

Vacancies are advertised on all the major job boards, and on the Government’s Find a Job service.

Entry routes and training

A number of apprenticeships offer a great way into this career path:

Facilities services operative (level 2 / intermediate)
Facilities management supervisor (level 3 / advanced)
Facilities manager (level 4 / higher)
Senior and head of facilities management (level 6 / degree)

It is also possible to enter this industry with a degree in most subjects. However, some courses may give you an advantage.

Degree subject areas that will be of help to prospective facilities managers include:

Building service engineering.
Estate management.
Surveying.

Foundation degrees, HNCs and HNDs in facilities management and related subjects are available at various universities and colleges of higher education throughout the UK. These courses can be used as a route into the job or as a way of progressing to a full degree programme.

You do not always need to have a degree or other high-level qualification to enter this career. Some people working in this industry have used skills developed from other areas of business to gain employment as facilities managers. Some entrants to this industry start as facilities assistants and work towards a management role.

For people already working within this area, there are various relevant work-based qualifications. Some people go on to take postgraduate qualifications in order to progress within the career. The British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) accredits courses linked to this career. Some people work towards the qualifications run by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Full members of the RICS are given chartered status. This is the highest level of competence in a profession.

Experienced managers can move into senior roles, such as director of facilities.

Qualifications

Entry requirements for apprenticeships are as follows:

Intermediate and advanced: GCSEs in English and maths (it may be possible to complete these alongside your programme).
Higher and degree: Two relevant A-levels plus GCSEs in English and maths.

For entry to a degree course in Facilities Management, the minimum requirements are usually:

Two A-levels.
Five GCSEs at grades 9-4, including English and maths.

Other qualifications are acceptable as alternatives to A levels, for example:

Edexcel (BTEC) level 3 National qualifications.
The International Baccalaureate Diploma.

You can also enter this career with an HNC, HND or foundation degree. For entry to a relevant course, the usual requirement is:

One A-level.
A GCSE at grade 9-4 in your A-level subject.
A further three to four GCSEs at grades 9-4, including English and maths.

Adult opportunities

Age limits: It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

There is no fixed set of qualifications required to enter facilities management, however, those with business administration or professional construction skills have an advantage. New entrants include non-graduates, for example, with work-based qualifications in administration subjects, property management or housing, and those with HNDs or degrees in business studies or professional subjects such as surveying, estate management or building services.

If you don’t have the qualifications needed to enter your chosen degree or HND course, a college or university Access course could be the way in. These courses are designed for people who have not followed the usual routes into higher education. No formal qualifications are usually needed, but you should check this with individual colleges.

The British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) offers several routes to professional recognition. Which route you take depends on your current knowledge and range of experience. BIFM-accredited postgraduate degrees in Facilities Management are offered at a number of institutions throughout the country, by distance learning. The BIFM also offers a number of short courses, lasting one to three days, in relevant subjects, by distance learning.

Related careers

Building services engineer
Estate manager
Health service manager
Project manager
Site manager