Background
The Royal Ballet School, a prestigious institution renowned for cultivating the world’s top ballet talent, required a highly skilled Technical Services Manager to manage and oversee the maintenance and repair of its historic and contemporary buildings. The role was crucial to ensuring the school’s facilities were maintained to the highest standards, supporting both the daily operations and the unique needs of the institution.
Challenges Faced
This role involved managing both the planned maintenance and reactive repairs across all school premises, leading a dedicated in-house maintenance team, and coordinating with specialist external contractors. The ideal candidate needed to possess a combination of technical expertise, strong leadership abilities, and a hands-on approach to facilities management. Additionally, due to the school’s commitment to safeguarding, the role required strict adherence to child protection policies and health and safety regulations.
Recruiting for the Technical Services Manager position posed several challenges due to the specific requirements of the role:
• Technical Expertise and Hands-On Leadership: The candidate needed a strong background in a building trade, such as electrical, mechanical, or plumbing services, with a minimum of 10 years of experience in building management or site supervision. The role required not only strategic oversight but also a willingness to engage directly in the work.
• Historic Building Management: Experience with historic and listed buildings was highly desirable, given the unique architectural and maintenance challenges presented by The Royal Ballet School’s properties.
• Safeguarding and Compliance: The school’s commitment to safeguarding young people meant the candidate needed to be vigilant about child protection and health and safety, ensuring all contractors and maintenance activities complied with strict policies.
• Budget Management: Managing a significant budget of approximately £750,000 per annum, the candidate needed to be adept at financial management, contract negotiation, and ensuring best value in both in-house and outsourced maintenance efforts.
Outcome
We successfully placed a candidate who not only met but exceeded the expectations of The Royal Ballet School. The selected Technical Services Manager brought with them:
• Extensive Technical Expertise: A deep knowledge of building management, particularly in relation to historic and listed buildings, coupled with hands-on experience in electrical and mechanical services.
• Strong Leadership: Proven experience in managing and motivating maintenance teams, along with the ability to negotiate contracts and manage external contractors effectively.
• Commitment to Safeguarding: A thorough understanding of child protection and health and safety regulations, ensuring all work carried out on school premises was compliant with the highest standards.
• Budgetary Control: Expertise in managing significant budgets, ensuring cost-effective maintenance and repair solutions without compromising on quality.
Since their appointment, the new Technical Services Manager has made significant contributions to maintaining the school’s facilities, ensuring they remain safe, functional, and reflective of The Royal Ballet School’s prestigious reputation. Their leadership has been instrumental in enhancing the efficiency of the maintenance team, optimising the use of the school’s budget, and ensuring that all maintenance activities support the school’s overarching mission.