Head of Workplace Services

We have a great opportunity for an experienced Head of Workplace Services to shape and lead a first‑class workplace experience across our UK offices. This is a strategic role at the heart of how our people and clients experience Osborne Clarke – combining commercial ownership, supplier leadership and operational excellence to deliver a consistent, 5* environment in a modern, progressive law firm. The role can be based in either our London, Bristol or Reading office with regular travel between all three offices and some hybrid working.

The team

Workplace Services support both employees and business needs creating a comfortable, efficient and well equipped environment. From maintaining a clean, pleasant and safe workplace, to providing services focusing on Health, Safety and Wellbeing, Security and Insurance, Post and Records Management. The team is comprised of Workplace Services Managers, Coordinators, and our Boardrooms Receptionists across 3 UK offices.

The role

As Head of Workplace Services, you will have end‑to‑end responsibility for the strategy, performance and continuous improvement of Workplace Services across our UK portfolio. Working through Workplace Managers and a network of external suppliers, you will ensure services are safe, compliant and commercially robust, while supporting our culture, sustainability ambitions and ways of working. You will act as the firm’s subject matter expert on Workplace and FM, partnering closely with senior stakeholders and Business Services team.

Key responsibilities include:

• Design and oversee all Workplace services, including front of house, to deliver a consistent, professional and welcoming 5* client and colleague experience across all UK offices by using feedback and data to drive continuous improvement, setting clear service expectations with suppliers and internal teams, and promoting a customer‑focused culture in all contract, cost, process and systems decisions.

We are looking for someone with experience of:

• Workplace / Facilities Management, ideally in a total facilities management environment with a strong focus on hard services (M&E).
• Managing outsourced Workplace/FM services (for example M&E, cleaning, catering), including commercial and performance management of contracts.
• Workplace or FM procurement, including involvement in tenders, supplier evaluation and contract award.
• Managing budgets and delivering financial efficiencies while maintaining service quality and compliance.
• Contributing to or leading Workplace projects, such as restacks, fit outs or space optimisation, and working with design tools (for example CAD) or equivalent.
• External audits and accreditations (such as ISO related audits) and of managing associated improvement actions.
• Knowledge of health & safety legislation and best practice, including experience with risk assessments and compliance processes.
• Front of house operations in a professional or corporate environment, including reception, meeting spaces and telephony.
• Strong client and colleague focus, able to balance service quality, user experience, cost and risk in decision making.
• Commercial awareness, with strong analytical skills and the ability to interpret and present data and management information in a clear and meaningful way.
• Planning and translating strategy into practical actions and priorities.
• Stakeholder and supplier management, with the ability to influence, challenge and build trusted relationships at all levels.
• Being collaborative and team oriented, comfortable working across functions and locations to deliver shared goals.
• Being organised and resilient, able to manage multiple workstreams and deadlines in a dynamic environment.
• Clear and confident communication, both written and verbal.
• Commitment to continuous improvement, innovation and learning, and open to new ways of working and technologies.

Salary and benefits

We offer competitive salaries and generous benefits. We value the health and wellbeing of our people and our wide range of initiatives and benefits support this.

Our recruitment process

Please note that although we include closing dates for our roles as a guide, we review and progress applications on a rolling basis. At Osborne Clarke we do not make any recruitment decisions using automated decision-making. We are committed to providing an environment where you can perform to the best of your abilities at every stage of your recruitment experience and beyond. If you require any adjustments to be made during the application stage, interview process, or when working with us, please let us know in confidence.

Osborne Clarke is an international legal practice with over 330 Partners and more than 1,260 talented lawyers in 26 locations*. Our sector-based approach enables us to help our clients tackle the issues they are facing today, and prepare for the ones that they will face tomorrow. Advising them both comprehensively and commercially. We love working closely with our clients on new deals, products and solutions which will transform their businesses, markets and even sectors. And our unique approachable culture is not an added extra, it's fundamental to our success.

At Osborne Clarke we value difference and encourage applicants from all backgrounds. We want everyone to feel that OC is a place where you can be yourself and belong, and our range of interest groups and diversity networks - not to mention our great teams - are a part of making that a reality.

*Services in India are provided by a relationship firm