Sotheby's AVP, Senior Facilities Manager

About Sotheby's

Sotheby’s is an auction house founded in London in 1744. Its specialists work across fine art and collecting categories including jewelry, watches, handbags, wine, design, and classic cars. The house connects collectors through live and online auctions, private sales, and fixed-price purchases. Its work spans specialist research and cataloging, client services, marketing, technology, finance, and operations, supporting the preparation, sale, and movement of objects across its international network.

Role & Responsibilities

• Manage hard and soft services across Sotheby’s New York complex and off-site storage unit, working with the Real Estate & Facilities Director, Americas, the department team and the facilities management service provider; deputise for the department head as required.
• Ensure team members, the facilities management service provider and contractors meet deadlines and targets in accordance with health and safety, environmental, company and legislative requirements; coordinate with Risk/Security and Auction Operations and adapt to senior management requirements.
• Set quality and service-response standards, monitor performance against contractual requirements, manage resources to meet business objectives, foster continuous improvement, and coordinate responses and mitigation to prevent or minimise injury and property loss while pursuing service excellence.
• Ensure employees have suitable space, tools, workstations, working environments and soft services, and build relationships that help understand and exceed their needs where possible.
• Support business strategy in line with current and emerging requirements; contribute to building and estate development plans, change management and associated SLAs, ensuring risks are mitigated.
• Maintain detailed knowledge of owned and leased properties and their operational requirements; prepare management reports; ensure service and maintenance issues are tracked and resolved promptly and cost-effectively; use the Office Space Request Manager function; maximise service-contract efficiency and manage costs; meet property insurance requirements, including inspections and contractor control; review legal documents and monitor lease compliance with the department head.
• Oversee building aesthetics and regular property inspections, ensuring observations and issues are actioned; manage contractors and work quality alongside the facilities management service provider; oversee planned and reactive hard-services maintenance, especially mechanical and electrical systems and building fabric; maintain gallery aesthetics, particularly ahead of the busy summer sales calendar.
• Oversee operations and maintenance documentation, asbestos registers and water-treatment logbooks; support maintenance works and capital investment planning; ensure premises, plant, machinery and work activities comply with legislation and safe-working practices; implement and review permit-to-work procedures, risk assessments, method statements and safe systems of work with the Health & Safety Coordinator; ensure business-critical systems are regularly serviced and tested, with controls for 100% uptime.
• Contribute to property, facilities and procurement strategy through efficient space and occupancy management; lead the Office Space space-management system; collaborate on occupancy, staffing and space-planning projects; support changing business needs in line with the wider strategy; track occupancy and escalate as needed; work with a CAD expert to optimise office space, seating plans across the Mayfair complexes and the accuracy of building plans; develop stakeholder relationships through presentations, proactive proposals and expert collaboration.
• Lead the facilities management service provider relationship and contract, proactively manage outsourced-service contracts and recommend corrective actions; conduct contractor RFPs with the provider and coordinate with worldwide Facilities teams; act as the key liaison and escalation point for contractors, stakeholders and the provider; manage contracted onsite teams day to day to deliver SLAs and standards; coordinate maintenance works across the business and ensure timely, cost-effective resolution.
• Direct planned and ad hoc projects, including plant and equipment replacement, minor fit-outs, support for external project management teams where CMD Regulations apply, furniture moves, painting and decorating; meet budget and project objectives and heritage and quality standards; ensure planning applications and HSE construction notifications are completed and principal contractors and designers appointed; check contractor RAMS, keep space plans current, mitigate business risks through timely, orderly completion and manage workflows in available systems portals.
• Provide management cover for the onsite team during evening sales and events as required; embed a customer-focused approach to facilities management and lead the service-provider relationship; establish regular individual and team communications; conduct appraisals and performance reviews for direct reports and set and review goals against organisational strategy; drive innovation and continuous improvement across people, systems, processes and services; respond to critical alerts and emergency alarms, oversee contractors outside working hours when necessary, and support business continuity and disaster recovery planning; help other teams identify opportunities to improve performance and growth while reducing costs.
• Actively manage departmental OPEX and CAPEX budgets, plan annual budgets with the department head, and work with Finance to manage budgets and respond as required.
• Ensure statutory requirements and company policies, procedures and deadlines are met; monitor, interpret and implement regulatory changes and coordinate annual compliance reports, contracts and documentation with the facilities management service provider.
• Manage site energy and waste, review environmental best practice, periodically check systems operating outside working hours, and promote sustainability and waste management while ensuring appropriate reporting.

Qualifications

• Degree-level education or equivalent.
• Previous senior facilities management experience overseeing multiple properties in a complex estate environment, including line-management responsibility.
• Experience working with an outsourced facilities management service-provider model.
• Workplace and space-management experience.
• Significant contractor management experience and experience managing multiple service agreements.
• Excellent customer-service, interpersonal, communication and people-engagement skills.
• Good analytical, planning and organisational skills.
• Ability to interpret and use financial and commercial information.
• Ability to manage multiple workloads and shifting priorities.
• Positive approach to learning in the role and identifying training needs.
• Self-motivated, able to use initiative and work in a team environment.
• Negotiation skills, including essential stakeholder management at all levels.
• IOSH Managing Safely qualification.
• Experience managing conflicting expectations of senior management and consumers.
• Desirable: experience with CAFM and space-management software, particularly OfficeSpace.
• Desirable: CAD experience.

Skills

Experience

Previous senior facilities management experience overseeing multiple properties in a complex estate environment, including line-management responsibility; experience working with an outsourced facilities management service-provider model, workplace and space management, significant contractor management and multiple service agreements, and managing conflicting expectations of senior management and consumers.

Education

Degree-level education or equivalent.

Compensation

The base compensation for this position ranges from USD 130,000 to USD 150,000 per annum.

Benefits

Eligible candidates may receive a discretionary bonus and a competitive benefits package.

Culture

Sotheby’s describes its culture in terms of client service, specialist knowledge, curiosity, collaboration, and ethical conduct. Its careers materials emphasize working across disciplines and encouraging employees to explore internal opportunities.

About Cerulean

Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.