Ben Mitchell

Building Manager / Senior Facilities Manager / Senior Operations Manager

Chertsey, England, United Kingdom

About

Please note: I’m not hiring or open to unsolicited pitches. LinkedIn messages regarding this won’t receive a response. Senior Estates & Facilities Leader with over 15 years’ experience directing strategic estate operations across NHS, government, scientific, and heritage environments. Proven expertise in multi-million-pound budget control, compliance frameworks, and stakeholder engagement. Track record of delivering capital improvement projects, contract performance frameworks, and sustainability programmes that align estates strategy with organisational priorities. Adept at leading teams, influencing executive boards, and embedding resilience in critical estates services.

Experience

  • Building Services and Operations Manager at Brighton & Hove City Council
    Apr 2026 - Present · 3 mos

    Building Services and Operations Manager at Brighton & Hove City Council, overseeing the management, maintenance, and operational efficiency of the council’s estate. Looking forward to ensuring safe, reliable, and sustainable building operations across the city.

  • Facilities Manager at Brooklands Museum
    Oct 2025 - Apr 2026 · 7 mos

  • Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (Potters Bar, England, United Kingdom · On-site)
    • Facilities Manager
      May 2025 - Sep 2025 · 5 mos

      • Strategic lead for FM operations across laboratory, office, and specialist estates, ensuring statutory compliance and business continuity. • Directed performance of hard and soft services contracts, embedding KPI-driven governance and value-for-money outcomes. • Provided estates input into capital projects, sustainability initiatives, and executive compliance reporting. Key Achievements: • Introduced an estate-wide risk management framework (oak processionary moth, statutory compliance). • Enhanced contractor accountability via new SLA/KPI framework, cutting response times and raising audit scores. • Guided the estate through external audits and inspections, ensuring business continuity and zero compliance failures.

    • Facilities Manager
      May 2025 - Aug 2025 · 4 mos

      ·        Lead the day-to-day management and strategic oversight of facilities operations across the MHRA estate, ensuring compliance with statutory regulations and maintaining a safe, secure, and efficient working environment.   ·        Manage hard and soft FM services, including building maintenance, cleaning, security, groundskeeping, pest control, and waste management across laboratory, office, and specialist areas.   ·        Oversee planned preventive maintenance (PPM) schedules and reactive repairs, liaising with contractors and service providers to ensure high-quality and cost-effective delivery.   ·        Implement and monitor health & safety procedures, including fire safety systems, risk assessments, and emergency response protocols.   ·        Collaborate with internal departments and external partners to support operational needs, office relocations, and capital improvement projects.   ·        Drive sustainability initiatives and energy efficiency measures in line with government and MHRA environmental objectives.   ·        Manage contracts and service level agreements, ensuring value for money and high service standards.   ·        Supervise on-site staff and contractors, supporting professional development and performance.     Key Achievements:   ·        Successfully developed and implemented an OPM (oak processionary moth) risk management schedule for the estate’s oak trees.   ·        Delivered improved contractor response times and performance through tighter SLA enforcement and KPI monitoring.   ·        Played a lead role in ensuring business continuity and compliance during inspections and audits.

  • Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (11 mos)
    • Estates Liaison Officer
      Jul 2024 - May 2025 · 11 mos

      • Complete facilities management of MSB and associated buildings on the Kew Wakehurst botanical gardens estate. • Address everyday estates issues impacting ongoing Kew’s science delivery. • Inputting into capital projects that meet the directorate’s future research and teaching requirements. • Providing oversight for maintenance and refurbishment works both reactive and PPM’s • Ensuring the needs of building users are met through effective operation and service provision. • Using Trend BMS building management systems (BMS) to track and monitor BMS issues such as heating, cooling etc and deploying estates staff and contractors to correct issues. • Ensuring compliance with security and safety regulations for the building infrastructure. • Managing operational budget for compliance with RBG Kew’s financial regulations, operating procedures, and regulations.

    • Building Manager
      Jul 2024 - Apr 2025 · 10 mos

    • Building Manager Millennium Seed Bank
      Jul 2024 - Apr 2025 · 10 mos

      Complete facilities management of MSB and associated buildings on the Kew Wakehurst botanical gardens estate. • Address everyday estates issues impacting ongoing Kew’s science delivery. • Inputting into capital projects that meet directorate’s future research & teaching requirements. • Providing oversight for maintenance and refurbishment works both reactive and PPM’s. • Established framework and budgetary compliance with RBG Kew financial regulations and capital projects. • Using Trend BMS building management systems (BMS) to track and monitor BMS issues such as HVAC etc and deploying estates staff and contractors to correct issues. • Ensuring compliance with security and safety regulations for the building infrastructure. • Managing operational budget for compliance with RBG Kew’s financial regulations and operating procedures.

  • Estates Coordinator at NHS Property Services Ltd
    Dec 2023 - Jul 2024 · 8 mos

    • Planning and co-ordination of activities in a portfolio of properties including managing tenant liaison, • Reviewing actions and ensure timely updates are provided to customers on any issues. • • Respond appropriately to issues as they arise, ensuring work is delivered within agreed Service Level Agreements (SLAs) • • Manage a selection of contracted services in the assigned portfolio and ensuring that contractors work in accordance with NHSPS SLA’s and policies and procedures. • • To co-ordinate a program of regular inspections and checks with service teams and contractors to include building audits and compliance activities. Produce reports and ensure any actions are identified and risks are mitigated • • Responsible for the management of security issues across the sites, including reporting and investigation of incidents, security audits, plan developing, implementing and reporting on action plans resulting from audits. • • To identify risks and take the necessary actions and reporting through appropriate mechanisms. • • Overseeing the reporting and monitoring of progress for all maintenance, repairs, health & safety, and compliance issues • • Ensuring continuity of service is in place to maintain the delivery of services in the event of any adverse incidents • • Ensuring that property information is managed and updated in the building database and ensure the appropriate recharge of all costs to tenants • • Maintain the asset registers for the properties • • Acting as the occupier liaison contact for any new works carried out in the premises • Responsible for the day-to-day purchase to pay process for your portfolio within budget