What Does a Facilities Manager Do?
A Facilities Manager is responsible for the day-to-day running of a building or property. It is part of their duties to make sure the building is safe, clean, and well-maintained. A Facilities Manager must understand how the building operates, how to meet legal compliance, and how to perform leadership tasks that require communication and problem-solving skills.
It is important for a Facilities Manager to actively oversee building maintenance and repairs to make sure they meet safety and compliance standards. They will also manage the building’s budgets for maintenance or to improve or add new facilities when necessary.
If you’re looking to work your way into the industry, we also have other Facilities jobs here.
Dress Code
A Facilities Manager will likely dress in business casual attire. This means neat clothing like dress shirts and pants with the option to adapt this attire depending on the work environment, such as wearing comfortable shoes depending on the work involved.
Facilities Manager Responsibilities
Because Facilities Managers are responsible for the day-to-day operations of a building, they have many individual responsibilities, such as ensuring legal compliance when performing maintenance or safety checks and dealing with service contracts when contractors are needed.
Facilities Manager Tips
Focus on perfecting your communication and problem-solving skills to be an effective and reliable Facilities Manager. You will need to communicate with clients, tenants, vendors, contractors and other stakeholders, so it is important to know how to speak to each group of people.
Learn how to use critical thinking and analysis to recognise and solve any issues that may occur to maintain a high level of safety within the building.
Qualifications and Skills of a Facilities Manager
A Facilities Manager will need communications and leadership skills to delegate tasks to different teams, they must make decisions under pressure and understand team dynamics to make sure everyone works well together.
They should also have technical knowledge of building systems and relative software to assist with their work. It is also important to have the relevant certifications in these areas.
A Facilities Manager should be adaptable, good at managing their time and capable of budgeting for resource allocations and facility operations.
It is also important to have a relevant degree in Facilities Management, Engineering, or a related field.
Understanding of Building Operations
A Facilities Manager must understand all day-to-day operations needed to keep a building safe, functional and comfortable for occupants. This means overseeing maintenance, electrical, plumbing, security and cleaning tasks.
Leadership & Decision-Making
A Facilities Manager needs to be skilled in leadership so that they can guide their team in maintaining a functional and safe environment for anyone who works or lives there. It is important to be confident and reliable for the workers who may need assistance with issues as it is the Facilities Manager’s job to help them.
It is just as important to have decision-making skills to make informed choices regarding repairs, maintenance, and resource allocation, often under time pressures.
Knowledge of Health & Safety Regulations
Each building will have its own health and safety regulations that a Facilities Manager will always have to keep in mind. This will allow you to proactively identify and prevent potential hazards, ensuring a safe work environment for employees, visitors, and contractors.
You will be required to perform frequent risk assessments, have emergency response plans, investigate accidents, and train employees in essential health and safety procedures to make sure everyone performs their job safely.
Facilities Manager Job Duties
A Facilities Manager’s duties include overseeing all maintenance and repairs to make sure they’re up to standard, managing budgets and contracts for external contractor work, and ensuring all work passes legal compliance.
Overseeing Building Maintenance & Repairs
A Facilities Manager must know how to prioritise repairs depending on their urgency and risk factor. They must then create a plan based on the occupant’s safety and the impacts on building operations.
It is then your job to manage contractors, revise budgets, make sure everything complies with building regulations, and create documents detailing the maintenance activities.
There is a lot of planning that a Facilities Manager must do on a regular basis. You must be able to multitask, problem-solve and know how to prioritise tasks to work efficiently in this role.
Managing Budgets & Service Contracts
It is important for a Facilities Manager to track maintenance costs, stay within their allocated budget and look for potential cost-saving alternatives. Emergency maintenance should always be taken into consideration while budgeting, and a Facilities Manager will need to risk assess and think of preventative measures while budgeting.
Sometimes, outside contractors will need to be utilised, which is also something to consider within a budget, as these can be expensive depending on the scale of the maintenance. Contractors must be documented and sign contracts to leave a cohesive paper trail, and it is a Facilities Manager’s job to oversee this.
Ensuring Legal Compliance
You must have a good understanding of laws and regulations related to building operations and ensure that all health and safety, accessibility, and employee standards fall under legal compliance.
A building must be properly accessible to all types of visitors or employees with disabilities, accessibility features must be properly maintained to meet building code and regulations.
To do this, perform regular inspections, employee training and proper maintenance to keep a safe and compliant facility.
Advancing on a Facilities Manager Career Path
Facilities Managers can progress into fields such as Regional Facilities Management or Consultancy positions, depending on their skills and experience.
Progressing to Regional Facilities Management
A Facilities Manager must obtain significant experience to move into a regional position. Begin by progressing to a senior role by taking on more complex challenges like project management and vendor oversight. After gaining more knowledge of the role, learn more about the specific needs of different regions within the company’s footprint.
Contribute to regional operations plans and seek additional qualifications in facilities management to progress into this new role.
Moving into Consultancy Positions
A Consultant moves away from focusing on one building and uses their deep knowledge and understanding of Facilities Management to advise on how to optimise a facility's operations, often across multiple projects or organisations.
Focus on developing strategic plans, performance metrics and long-term facility optimisation strategies to be proficient in this role. You will need project management experience and enhanced communication and presentation skills for speaking with clients.
FAQs on Becoming a Facilities Manager
Is a Facilities Manager a High-Pressure Job?
It is generally considered a high-pressure job due to meeting tight deadlines, managing budgets, and constantly needing to respond to unexpected maintenance issues.
What Qualifications Do I Need for Facilities Management?
You will need strong communication, leadership and problem-solving skills, it may also be a requirement to have a degree in a related field like business, engineering, or facilities management itself.
How Much Does a Facilities Manager Earn in the UK?
A new Facilities Manager could earn upwards of £27,000 per year, which will increase with experience and through career progression.
