Head of Environment and Soft Facilities Management

Equans is looking for a Head of Environment and Soft Facilities Management to join the team at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth on a permanent basis. This is a full-time role working 37.5 hours per week. On offer is a competitive salary, company vehicle or allowance, bonus and benefits package.

The Head of Environment and Soft Facilities Management will provide strategic and operational leadership across all Soft FM and Environmental services, ensuring the effective delivery of contractual, financial, quality, safety and compliance objectives.  The role is accountable for service performance within a complex healthcare environment, including stakeholder management, operational governance, resource deployment and continuous improvement across multiple service streams. 

The postholder will require extensive knowledge of Soft FM services, including catering, cleaning, logistics and user-focused services, together with a strong understanding of Health & Safety legislation, ISO standards, Food Safety and sector-specific compliance requirements.  The role also requires a proven track record in financial management, budgeting and commercial contract delivery, alongside the ability to lead large teams by example and demonstrate servant leadership behaviours at all times. 

What will you deliver?

• Overall responsibility for the leadership, welfare, development, engagement and performance of Soft FM and Environmental teams, headcount responsibility: 950 direct and indirect reports
• Ensure the effective delivery of all Soft FM and Environmental services in line with contractual KPIs, service level agreements and client expectations
• Provide strategic and operational leadership across a large, multi-service portfolio, ensuring services are delivered safely, efficiently and to the required quality standards
• Proactively manage service performance, operational risk and emerging challenges to maintain business continuity, resilience and service excellence
• Develop and implement service improvement, innovation and efficiency initiatives that support continuous improvement and value delivery
• Lead, manage and develop Soft FM and Environmental teams, ensuring effective workforce planning, performance management, succession planning and employee engagement
• Build and maintain effective relationships with clients, stakeholders, partners and internal teams, using strong communication, influencing and negotiation skills
• Act as the senior escalation point for service issues, ensuring the timely resolution of customer complaints, operational challenges and performance concerns
• Manage budgets, financial performance and P&L delivery, ensuring robust cost control, forecasting, commercial awareness and effective resource utilisation
• Budget responsibility: £40 million
• Ensure compliance with Health & Safety, Food Safety, regulatory and ISO standards, supported by robust policies, procedures, audits and assurance processes
• Lead quality assurance, auditing, governance and continuous improvement activity across the service portfolio.  Ensure robust reporting processes are in place and provide accurate management information to support decision-making, contract governance and performance management
• Act as a subject matter expert in Catering and Soft FM service delivery, advising on best practice, operational effectiveness and service improvement
• Number of service streams: 12 Soft Services and 2 Environmental service lines
• Responsible for budget control, forecasting, cost improvement plans, retail income growth and delivery of financial targets
• Ensure all equipment and assets are maintained, compliant and managed in line with ISO standards, operational requirements and contractual obligations

What can we offer you?

On offer is a competitive salary, car or car allowance, bonus and benefits package, which includes;

• 25 days annual leave (+ public holidays)
• Life Cover equivalent to 3 times annual salary
• Employee discount shopping schemes on major brands and retailers
• Gym membership discounts 
• Cycle to work scheme 
• Holiday purchase scheme
• 2 corporate social responsibility days per year
• Broad range of learning opportunities, such as professional qualifications, collective/individual training, and personalized support programmes
• Attractive Employee Referral Rewards Scheme
• Access to our growing employee networks including AccessAbility (representing those with physical and mental disabilities), Encompass (representing the LGBTQ+ community), RISE (representing people from ethnic backgrounds), WOMEN TOGETHER (representing women in Equans), Working Parents, and Young Professionals.
• 24/7 Employee Assistance Program and access to mental wellbeing app

Who are we looking for?

• Significant experience in a senior Facilities Management role within a complex, multi-service environment, such as healthcare, PFI or a large-scale operational site
• Proven experience managing multi-disciplinary Soft FM services, including cleaning, catering, portering, logistics and other user-focused services
• Strong financial management experience, including budget control, forecasting, cost management and P&L accountability
• Demonstrable leadership experience managing large teams through multiple layers of management.  Experience managing contractual performance against KPIs, SLAs and service specifications
• Strong working knowledge of Health & Safety legislation, Food Safety compliance frameworks, regulatory requirements and quality standards, including ISO standards
• Experience managing employee relations matters in line with company policies and employment best practice.  Excellent stakeholder management skills, including senior client-facing experience and the ability to influence at all organisational levels
• Ability to analyse performance data, identify trends and drive continuous improvement initiatives 

This role includes a DBS Standard check therefore ability to pass is essential.

Who are we?

In the UK & Ireland, Equans is a provider of sustainable facilities management and regeneration, and cutting-edge energy and digital services. Our 15,000 employees combine these activities to deliver decarbonisation across the built environment and help businesses, communities, public sector organisations and government to accelerate the transition to a low carbon, resilient world.

Globally, Equans is a world leader in the energy and services sector with operations in 20 countries, 90,000 employees working on 5 continents and a turnover of 19.2 billion euros in 2024. Equans is a subsidiary of the Bouygues group.

What’s next?

If this role is of interest to you, please click below to register, apply, and track your progress! A member of our Resourcing Team will review your application and be in touch.

At Equans, we’re committed to building a diverse, respectful and inclusive workplace that truly reflects the communities and markets we serve.

Joining Equans means being part of a culture where every voice is valued, supported by vibrant employee led networks championing inclusion and diversity across gender, ethnicity, disability, LGBTQ+, veterans, parents, and young professionals.

Guided by our core values, we foster a culture of respect, integrity, collaboration, and excellence – empowering our people to deliver outstanding results and be their authentic selves every day. Our approach means we welcome candidates with transferable skills who may not meet every specific requirement, and where possible we support flexible working arrangements and reasonable adjustments to enable success.

For this role, you must have evidence of the right to work in the UK. Certain roles may require applicants to undergo a Disclosure check or security vetting, as noted in the role requirements. A criminal record will not necessarily be a barrier to obtaining a position with us.

As part of our recruitment process, EQUANS uses StaffVetting, our trusted third-party provider, to support the completion of employee background checks. StaffVetting delivers professional screening services in a friendly, efficient, and customer-focused way, helping us ensure the right checks are completed from the start of the application journey. »

We are Disability Confident Level 2 members, and we offer the Guaranteed Interview Scheme as part of this commitment. Where feasible, if a candidate applies under the Disability Confident Scheme and they meet all of the essential criteria, we will offer an interview.  To find out more about this scheme please click here.

The Equans Resourcing Team manage this requirement. Agency involvement is not required. All related enquiries should come to the resourcing team not direct to Equans Managers.