Facilities managers ensure that buildings and their services and infrastructure meet the needs of their occupants and users as efficiently, safely and cost effectively as possible.

Facilities manager work in both the public or private sectors and have a wide variety of responsibilities. They may have another job title such as site manager or contracts manager. Their tasks are likely to include:

• ensuring that the inside of the building is planned to make the best use of space
• managing refurbishment, renovations and office moves
• managing general upkeep and maintenance
• ensuring that health and safety standards and legal requirements are met
• advising on energy efficiency
• managing facilities such as cleaning, waste disposal, catering and parking
• managing budgets and maintaining expenditure records
• procuring services and negotiating the best deals with outside contractors and suppliers
• managing security
• ensuring that IT systems such as computers, telephones, photocopiers and faxes, work effectively.

In some organisations these tasks are contracted out to a facilities management company. In small companies facilities management may be part of a general management role.

Hours and Environment

You are likely to work around 40 hours a week, approximately 9.00 am - 5.00pm, but you may need to work extra hours, for example to deal with emergencies. 

You will be office-based, but may have to do some travelling, especially in large, multi-site companies. Therefore it could be useful to have a driving licence.

Skills and Interests

To be a facilities manager you need:

• good organisational skills
• good verbal, written, listening, presentation and negotiating skills
• to be able to develop working relationships with a wide range of people
• customer and client management skills
• to be able to manage a varied and complex workload
• technical knowledge of building services
• management skills
• to be able to control large budgets
• problem solving and decision making ability
• IT skills.

Entry

There is no set route to becoming a facilities manager. You will need both technical skills related to property, and relevant management skills such as business strategy, budget and cost control, and people management. You could get these in one or more of the following ways:

• a foundation degree, BTEC HND or degree in facilities management – these are available at a limited number of universities
• other degree/HND (higher national diploma) subjects such as management and business studies
• relevant professional qualifications, eg chartered surveyor, accountant, hospitality professional
• experience in a relevant field, such as construction, building services, engineering, accountancy, hospitality or healthcare.

If you have strong administrative and organisational skills and experience, you may be able to work up to a facilities management position either in the same company or another company in a similar business. For example, some people take on wider responsibilities from positions in related areas such as cleaning, catering or security.

You may not need formal facilities management qualifications, as many facilities managers reach their position through career progression and experience. However, you can do part-time or distance learning diplomas or Masters degrees after gaining a first degree and/or relevant experience.

Some courses are recognised by the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM), the UK institute representing the interests of facilities management practitioners and organisations providing facilities management services. You can find details of courses, both accredited and non-accredited, on the BIFM website. Please see Further Information below for a link to the website.

You are likely to find Health and Safety qualifications useful, such as those offered by NEBOSH and IOSH; they may be essential for some jobs.

Training

When you are employed as a facilities manager you can get BIFM qualified status by working towards the nationally recognised BIFM Qualification. This will assess your knowledge and experience against competence standards. There are three routes:

• examination: seven modules in two parts, usually taken over two to four years, and completion of a portfolio of evidence from the workplace
• higher education: a BIFM-accredited higher education course such as a degree, and completion of a portfolio of evidence from at least two years' workplace experience
• professional competence: completion of a portfolio showing your experience and knowledge - you will need to have a significant amount of experience for this route.

You can get help in deciding on the most appropriate route by completing the BIFM Self-Assessment Handbook, or by contacting the BIFM Professional Standards and Education Co-ordinator. Please visit the BIFM website for details. There is a link to the website in the Further Information section below.

You can also find information on BIFM membership and BIFM short courses on the BIFM website. The courses are available on all aspects of facilities management and can be useful as evidence of knowledge if you are on the professional competence route. As a BIFM member you will be able to attend regional Continuing Professional Development (CPD) events and annual conferences.

If you are a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) you can use the designation 'Chartered Facilities Management Surveyor' provided you meet the RICS criteria. For details please visit the RICS website. There is a link to the website in Further Information below.

Opportunities

Facilities management is a fairly new, but fast-growing profession. Facilities managers may be employed in-house, by specialist contractors, or by large multi-service companies delivering a full range of design, build, finance and management services.

Annual Income

Figures are intended as a guideline only. 

Salaries for facilities assistants range from £18,000 to £25,000 or more a year, depending on area. 
Salaries for facilities managers range from £30,000 to £35,000 or more. 
Salaries for senior or regional facilities managers range from £40,000 to £45,000 or more.

Further information

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