What does the job involve day to day?
The National Careers Service describes the role as looking after the operation, maintenance and security of buildings and workplaces. In practice that covers checking that repairs meet health and safety standards, running refurbishments and office moves, buying in services such as cleaning, IT support and security, managing spend against budget, and keeping occupiers told about planned works. Other titles for the job include estates manager, support services manager and contracts manager. Typical hours run from 38 to 42 a week, usually worked flexibly between 8am and 6pm.
The Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM) gives the wider picture. FM roles can take in risk, business continuity, procurement, sustainability, space planning, energy, and property and asset management. On a normal day you are the person who hears about the broken lift, the failed boiler and the cleaning contractor who did not turn up.
Hard services, soft services and planned maintenance
The government's Facilities Management Standard sets out the split clearly. Hard services exist to keep assets available, meet statutory compliance and stop the building fabric and plant from deteriorating. Soft services keep the place productive, clean and secure for the people using it, so think cleaning, catering, reception and security. Most facilities managers handle both, though large sites may have a separate lead for each.
Planned work is built around a condition or planned preventative maintenance (PPM) survey. This is a register of what needs doing in the short term (one to two years), medium term (three to five years) and long term (five years plus), and it drives the replacement programme and the budget. Good facilities managers spend more time on the plan than on emergency call-outs. That is how you keep costs predictable and avoid failures.
Health and safety: where the legal duty sits
Safety duties are the most serious part of the job. Under the Fire Safety Order, GOV.UK names a facilities manager as one example of a person with control of premises who can be the responsible person. That person must carry out and regularly review a fire risk assessment, tell staff about the risks, put in and maintain fire safety measures, plan for emergencies and give staff instruction and training. Where premises are shared, the responsible people have to coordinate their plans.
Water safety works the same way. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) requires an employer or person in control of premises to appoint a competent person to control legionella risk. If you use a water treatment contractor, the competent person is still responsible for making sure the work meets the required standard. You can hand over the task to a contractor but you keep the accountability.
In-house or outsourced, and which sectors hire
You will either work in-house for the organisation that occupies the building, or for a company that sells facilities management services to clients. The National Careers Service gives the NHS and universities as typical in-house employers. The government standard says FM can be delivered in-house, outsourced, as a hybrid of the two, or through Private Finance Initiative contracts. On the outsourced side, your work is measured against the contract and its service levels. In-house, the job is closer to running part of the business.
Workplaces include offices, sports arenas and conference centres, and IWFM adds hospitals, hotels and tourist attractions. With experience you can move up to senior facilities manager or head of estates, or into regional management covering a portfolio of sites.
Pay
GBP a year, before tax. Ranges show the 25th to 75th percentile for facilities management roles, based on the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, April 2026 (provisional), adjusted to the current year with a wage index. Regional figures are modelled. The National Careers Service quotes £26,000 for starters and £50,000 for experienced managers. Pay goes up with the size of the estate, how complex and risky the site is, and how much you hold budget and contract responsibility. Refer to the Facilities Management salary guide for figures from live adverts.
What you need
- No licence requiredYou do not need a licence to work as a facilities manager. Employers look for experience, management skills and relevant qualifications.
- Degree (optional)Relevant degree or foundation degree subjects include facilities management, building services management, business and management, and building surveying. A degree usually needs two to three A levels, and a foundation degree at least one.
- Apprenticeship entryAn advanced apprenticeship usually asks for five GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 including English and maths. Higher and degree apprenticeships usually ask for GCSEs plus A levels.
- IWFM qualificationsIWFM offers regulated qualifications from Level 2 (entry) to Level 7 (senior strategic). They come as Awards, Certificates, Diplomas and Extended Diplomas, and most assessment is based on your own work.
- Useful technical backgroundFor direct entry, a background in building services engineering, surveying or health and safety gives you an advantage.
- Core skillsYou need business management, leadership, customer service, administration and maths skills, plus confidence with standard computer software.
Across the UK
| England and Wales | Fire safety in non-domestic premises comes under the Fire Safety Order. A facilities manager with control of premises can be the responsible person and must carry out and review a fire risk assessment. |
|---|---|
| Scotland | Scotland has its own fire safety rules for non-domestic premises, which the Scottish Government publishes. The HSE legionella duties apply in the same way. |
| Northern Ireland | Northern Ireland has separate fire safety rules for businesses, which the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service publishes. |
How to get there
- Year 0-1Start in a support roleJoin as a facilities assistant, helpdesk coordinator or apprentice in facilities services, or move across from a trade, building services or health and safety job.
- Year 1-3Facilities Management Supervisor apprenticeship (Level 3)Training at work combined with off-site study. Apprenticeships at this level and above take between two and four years.
- Year 3-5Facilities Manager apprenticeship (Level 4) or IWFM Level 4Level 4 is pitched at operational managers running day-to-day services, whether in-house or outsourced.
- Year 4-7Take on a site or contractHold the budget, the PPM plan and the contractor relationships for a building or a client account, including fire and water safety duties.
- Year 7+Senior roles and Level 6 studyMove up to senior facilities manager, regional manager or head of estates. The Senior and Head of Facilities Management Level 6 degree apprenticeship or IWFM Levels 6 and 7 support this step.
Open now on PropertyRoles.uk
Questions people ask
What is the difference between hard and soft facilities services?
Hard services cover the building and its plant: maintenance, keeping systems running and statutory compliance. Soft services cover the people using the building: cleaning, catering, reception and security. Most facilities managers run both.
Do facilities managers need a licence in the UK?
No licence is required. Employers often support you through IWFM qualifications, which run from Level 2 to Level 7, and some ask for a technical background in building services, surveying or health and safety.
Is a facilities manager legally responsible for fire safety?
They can be. GOV.UK names facilities managers among the people with control of premises who may be the responsible person under the Fire Safety Order. That person must carry out and review a fire risk assessment and keep fire safety measures in place.
Is it better to work in-house or for an FM company?
In-house roles, for example in the NHS or a university, tie you to one organisation and its estate. FM service companies put you on client contracts, often across several sites, where performance is measured against the contract. Both routes can lead to head of estates or regional management roles.
How much does a facilities manager earn?
On modelled ONS-based figures, the middle half of UK facilities management roles earn between £36,200 and £65,800, and the median is £46,800. London runs from £42,600 to £77,400. The National Careers Service gives £26,000 for starters.
How long does a facilities management apprenticeship take?
The Level 3, Level 4 and Level 6 facilities management apprenticeships take between two and four years. Each one combines training at work with off-site study.
