The Forum Trust – Head of Estates

The Forum Trust is a charitable trust which manages the iconic Forum building in the centre of Norwich. The Trust has a wide ranging project purpose, designed to ensure The Forum remains a vibrant and inspiring place and an asset which benefits the whole community.

TMS Search & Selection were delighted when the Chief Executive asked us to help them recruit a new Head of Estates following the retirement of the previous incumbent. They were looking for someone with good understanding of property including leases, dilapidations and service charges, combined with excellent communication skills, customer service and strategic thinking.

Key Requirements

As this was replacing someone who’d been very successful in the role it was important that we found candidates with credibility and experience; these were going to be big shoes to fill.

[ultimate_icon_list icon_size=”15″ icon_margin=”12″][ultimate_icon_list_item icon=”Defaults-check” icon_color=”#256e8e”]Lead, coach and develop small Facilities Team.[/ultimate_icon_list_item][ultimate_icon_list_item icon=”Defaults-check” icon_color=”#256e8e”]Main focus areas – customer service, building maintenance, security and emergency operations.[/ultimate_icon_list_item][ultimate_icon_list_item icon=”Defaults-check” icon_color=”#256e8e”]To develop the offer at the building in line with changing standards and the Forum Trust’s Project Purposes and to manage and develop The Forum to the high standard expected of an iconic building.[/ultimate_icon_list_item][ultimate_icon_list_item icon=”Defaults-check” icon_color=”#256e8e”]To foster positive relationships with all tenants, constantly look for appropriate new occupiers, drive value for money and high standards of service across all related contracts.[/ultimate_icon_list_item][/ultimate_icon_list]

Challenges

[ultimate_icon_list icon_size=”15″ icon_margin=”12″][ultimate_icon_list_item icon=”Defaults-check” icon_color=”#256e8e”]The role required someone with a particular blend of experience; hands-on with experience of managing a Facilities Team, knowledge of Health & Safety legislation, managing building contracts, leasehold estates and procurement contracts.[/ultimate_icon_list_item][ultimate_icon_list_item icon=”Defaults-check” icon_color=”#256e8e”]Location could be an issue; although Norwich is very accessible the immediate candidate pool was likely to be limited so we needed to consider people willing to commute to the client base.[/ultimate_icon_list_item][/ultimate_icon_list]

Approach

[ultimate_icon_list icon_size=”15″ icon_margin=”12″][ultimate_icon_list_item icon=”Defaults-check” icon_color=”#256e8e”]We met with the client in Norwich to get a proper understanding of what they were looking for and to define the role’s key responsibilities and focus.[/ultimate_icon_list_item][ultimate_icon_list_item icon=”Defaults-check” icon_color=”#256e8e”]Extensive mapping of the market to identify experienced individuals capable of delivering the clients requirements and we supported the search with online advertising before conducting our headhunt.[/ultimate_icon_list_item][ultimate_icon_list_item icon=”Defaults-check” icon_color=”#256e8e”]Detailed and exhaustive pre-screening of all relevant candidates to ensure the shortlist consisted of the best candidates for the opportunity.[/ultimate_icon_list_item][/ultimate_icon_list]

Outcome

TMS Search secured an outstanding candidate who fitted all the criteria; hands-on experience, leadership qualities and ability to operate strategically.

We were delighted by the results and the pre-vetting TMS did that saved us time and delivered an exciting wide ranging group of candidates for short-listing and interview. I’m absolutely convinced that no amount of advertising or other ways of recruiting would have given us the strength and depth of field TMS Search came up with.

Chief Executive

The Forum Trust

The Forum Trust – Head of Estates