Maxwell Stephens Recruitment
Managing Director Estates
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Managing Director – Estates
Location: Flexible / National
Reporting to: Chief Executive Officer
Package: Executive Salary + Bonus + Benefits
Executive Summary
Our client is seeking an exceptional commercial and operational leader to establish and lead its Estates Division through the next phase of strategic growth.
This is not a traditional Managing Director appointment.
The successful individual will inherit an established business and be responsible for shaping its future direction, building organisational capability, driving operational excellence and creating long-term shareholder value within a technology-enabled property services business.
Reporting directly to the CEO, the Managing Director will have full accountability for divisional strategy, commercial performance, operational delivery, client satisfaction, leadership development and sustainable growth.
The appointment represents a unique opportunity to join one of the UK’s most ambitious property services businesses at a pivotal point in its evolution.
The Opportunity
This appointment is about significantly more than managing an existing operation. The Managing Director will be expected to shape the future of the Estates Division, creating a business recognised for operational excellence, customer service, innovation and commercial performance.
Working closely with the CEO and Executive Leadership Team, the successful candidate will help define strategy, strengthen leadership capability, identify new market opportunities and build a scalable platform capable of supporting substantial future growth.
Purpose of the Role
To provide inspirational commercial and operational leadership across the Estates Division, delivering sustainable growth, exceptional customer outcomes and industry-leading operational performance.
The Managing Director will be accountable for the overall success of the division, including profitability, customer satisfaction, operational delivery, leadership capability, innovation and strategic development.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
- Develop and execute the long-term strategic plan for the Estates Division.
- Translate corporate objectives into clear operational priorities.
- Identify opportunities for growth across existing and emerging markets.
- Build a scalable operating model capable of supporting significant expansion.
- Contribute to the wider strategic direction of the Group as a member of the senior leadership team.
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Commercial Leadership
- Hold full divisional P&L responsibility.
- Deliver sustainable revenue growth whilst improving EBITDA performance.
- Drive margin improvement through operational efficiency, innovation and disciplined commercial management.
- Review financial performance regularly, implementing corrective action where required.
- Support acquisition strategy, due diligence and business integration.
Operational Excellence
- Lead a national multi-site operational business.
- Ensure consistently high standards of service delivery.
- Develop operational governance, KPI reporting and performance management.
- Improve productivity through technology and data.
- Create a culture of continuous improvement throughout the organisation.
- Drive consistency across regional operations.
Customer & Market Leadership
- Build trusted relationships with strategic clients.
- Ensure exceptional customer experience across all contracts.
- Support major client negotiations and contract renewals.
- Identify opportunities for cross-selling and service expansion.
- Represent the business within the wider property services market.
Leadership & Culture
- Build and inspire a high-performing leadership team.
- Develop succession plans across key operational positions.
- Foster a culture of accountability, innovation and collaboration.
- Coach and mentor senior managers.
- Attract and retain exceptional leadership talent.
Technology & Innovation
- Champion technology-enabled service delivery.
- Support digital transformation initiatives.
- Leverage operational data to improve decision-making.
- Encourage innovation across operational processes and customer engagement.
Governance & Risk
- Ensure compliance with all statutory, regulatory and contractual obligations.
- Promote the highest standards of Health & Safety.
- Maintain strong governance across financial, operational and commercial activities.
- Protect the reputation of the business through ethical leadership and robust decision-making.
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First Twelve Months
Success in this role is likely to include:
- Developing a clear strategic roadmap for the Estates Division.
- Strengthening operational consistency across the business.
- Improving commercial performance and profitability.
- Building a stronger senior leadership team.
- Identifying opportunities for service innovation and growth.
- Supporting integration of future acquisitions where appropriate.
- Enhancing customer satisfaction and contract retention.
- Embedding a culture of continuous improvement.
Candidate Profile
The successful candidate is likely to have held positions such as:
- Managing Director
- Divisional Director
- Business Unit Director
- Regional Managing Director
- Operations Director within a large-scale environment
- Commercial Director with full operational accountability
They are likely to have operated within organisations across property services, estates maintenance, facilities management, technical services, infrastructure, building fabric, engineering services or asset maintenance.
Experience Required
- Significant executive leadership experience within service-led businesses.
- Full P&L responsibility for a substantial operational division.
- Experience leading national multi-site operations.
- Strong commercial and financial acumen.
- Proven track record of delivering profitable growth.
- Experience developing high-performing leadership teams.
- Strong customer relationship management capability.
- Experience of organisational transformation and operational improvement.
- Exposure to acquisition-led growth would be advantageous.
- Comfortable operating within a Private Equity-backed environment.
Personal Attributes
The successful individual will demonstrate:
- Entrepreneurial thinking
- Commercial curiosity
- Strategic vision
- Intellectual agility
- High emotional intelligence
- Strong resilience
- Exceptional communication skills
- Decisive leadership
- Integrity
- A relentless focus on delivering results
For an ambitious executive seeking the opportunity to shape strategy, build capability and leave a lasting legacy, few appointments offer the scale, autonomy and opportunity presented by this role.
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