OCS UK & Ireland is a leading facilities management company with 50,000+ colleagues and a turnover in excess of £2bn. We deliver innovative, award-winning services within facilities management, hard services, cleaning, security and catering.
Our mission is to make people and places the best they can be for our colleagues, customers and the communities we serve. Our commitment to doing business the right way is rooted in our TRUE values - Trust, Respect, Unity, and Empowerment.
Why Work for OCS?
✅Award-Winning Employer: Ranked 36th on Glassdoor’s Best Companies to Work For 2025 — we value and motivate our people.
Digital Learning: The OCS Academy offers digital courses and resources to help you build skills and grow your career.
Retail Perks With our Hapi app, you can gain access to exclusive discounts, rewards and wellbeing resources.
Professional Growth: 600+ live learners across UK&I — Empowering colleagues with further development and qualifications!
Flexible Pay: Access a portion of earned wages before payday with our Wagestream App! (Contract Specific)
Days of Working: Monday to Friday
As an Area Director, you will play a pivotal role in leading the overall success of a portfolio of healthcare facilities management contracts. You will build strong client relationships, drive service excellence across multiple service lines such as cleaning, catering, security and support services, identify opportunities for growth and innovation, and consistently exceed client expectations.
This role requires strong communication and stakeholder management skills, financial management and budget control, knowledge of soft services delivery standards and compliance requirements, and a proactive, solutions-focused approach. Experience within healthcare environments, including PFI contracts, would be advantageous but is not essential.
As part of your role, your key responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:
- Overall accountability for contract P&L and commercial performance.
- Ensure delivery of high-quality soft services in line with KPIs, SLAs and contractual obligations.
- Drive service excellence and continuous improvement across cleaning, catering, security and associated services.
- Lead and embed a strong one-team culture, promoting collaboration and best practice across all service lines.
- Provide effective leadership, coaching and performance management of operational teams, including succession planning and talent development.
- Ensure full compliance with health and safety, food safety (where applicable), safeguarding requirements and industry regulations.
- Lead risk management and service continuity planning across all areas of delivery.
- Identify and implement efficiencies, cost savings and service enhancements.
- Act as the senior point of contact for clients, managing relationships, contract performance reviews and change management.
- Lead financial planning, budgeting and regular performance reviews.
- Ensure clear and timely escalation of risks that may impact service delivery, contractual performance or reputation.
Key Improvements:
- Removes the requirement for direct PFI experience.
- Broadens the candidate pool to senior FM leaders from healthcare, public sector, local authority, education, defence and other regulated sectors.
- Keeps healthcare relevant to the role.
- Makes healthcare/PFI experience a clear advantage without being a barrier to entry.
The ideal candidate should meet the following criteria:
- Right to work in the UK
- Relevant academic or professional qualification.
- Significant leadership experience within Facilities Management, Soft Services or multi-service operational environments.
- Proven experience managing contract P&L and commercial performance.
- Experience managing large, complex service contracts in regulated or customer-focused environments.
- Strong operational leadership and stakeholder management experience.
- IOSH Managing Safely (minimum); NEBOSH desirable.
- Strong understanding of health and safety, COSHH, food safety (where applicable) and service compliance standards.
- Experience managing and developing large, multi-site teams.
- Experience working with and managing supply chain partners.
- Highly motivated with a track record of driving operational improvement and service innovation.
- Excellent communication, presentation and report-writing skills.
- Strong IT skills, including Excel.
Desirable:
- Experience managing healthcare facilities management contracts.
- Experience working within NHS, healthcare, public sector or PFI environments.
- Knowledge of healthcare compliance standards, patient-focused service delivery and regulated operational environments.
- Experience leading multi-service FM contracts across multiple locations.
Benefits
- Career progression within a growing company.
- Immediate access to “Opportunity” our internal Learning and Development platform.
- Training and upskilling available.
- HAPI App discounts and vouchers.
- Refer a friend scheme with up to £500 of rewards!
- Access to “CHROMA”, our internal colleague-led diversity and inclusion community – join a committee or take part in our events.
- Access to internal Mental Health First Aiders.
- Access to “Stream” giving you the ability to track your wages in real time and access 30% of your earned pay instantly*
If you are interested in joining a business that encourages professional development, career progression and the chance to work with inspirational people then please click apply and register your interest! You can also sign up to our job alerts when registering which will notify you when other suitable vacancies are available.
We are an equal opportunities employer and rely on a diverse workforce with a broad range of knowledge, skills, and backgrounds to deliver our goals. We offer an inclusive and welcoming environment and actively encourage applications from all individuals regardless of race, gender, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or age.
