Strategic Account Director

Strategic Account Director – Science & Tech
Location: Hybrid/Remote (with national travel)
WPS Office: Finsbury Park, London

Are you an experienced FM leader with a passion for innovation, operational excellence, and building high‑value partnerships? Wates Property Services is looking for a Strategic Account Director to lead one of our flagship science and technology sector accounts—bringing vision, commercial focus and exceptional customer leadership to a complex, fast‑paced environment.

This is a fantastic opportunity to shape and grow a major FM partnership within one of the most dynamic and rapidly evolving sectors in the UK, while benefiting from flexible hybrid working and the support of our WPS hub in Finsbury Park.

About the Role

As our Strategic Account Director, you will have full operational, financial and relationship ownership for a high‑profile account, or a portfolio of science and technology clients. You will set the strategic direction, drive service excellence and ensure the delivery of high‑performing, compliant and customer‑centric FM operations across multiple specialist environments—such as laboratories, R&D spaces, data facilities and technical workplaces.

You’ll work in a hybrid/remote capacity , with regular travel to client sites across the UK and visits to our office for leadership meetings, collaboration sessions and FM strategy alignment.

What You’ll Be Doing

Strategic Leadership & Service Excellence

• Own and deliver the strategic account plan, aligned to the science & technology sector’s unique needs.
• Build a consistent, high‑quality FM delivery model that integrates the full Wates Smartspace and FM offering.
• Champion innovation, digital solutions and best‑practice FM methodologies suited to advanced technical environments.

Financial & Commercial Management

• Full responsibility for P&L, budget setting, forecasting and margin performance.
• Identify commercial growth opportunities—additional services, project works, lifecycle upgrades and sustainability-driven initiatives.
• Manage contract performance, KPI compliance, supply chain delivery and risk registers.

Customer & Stakeholder Engagement

• Be a visible, trusted advisor to client senior leaders—driving a partnership approach and exceptional customer satisfaction.
• Maintain strong relationships across labs, technical facilities and corporate environments.
• Lead proactive communication, governance, reporting and relationship development activities.

People Leadership

• Lead, develop and inspire a high-performing FM team across multiple disciplines.
• Drive a ‘One Team’ culture that reflects Wates’ values and the client’s operational environment.
• Own succession planning, talent development, engagement and capability building.

SHEQ & Compliance

• Embed a strong safety culture, ensuring full compliance with statutory, quality, environmental and security standards.
• Champion Wates’ Zero Harm and SHEQ initiatives.
• Promote continuous improvement through transparent audit, governance and learning processes.

What We’re Looking For

We are seeking a passionate, strategic FM professional with:

• Extensive FM leadership experience , ideally within science, technology, pharmaceutical, R&D or similarly complex, regulated environments.
• Strong commercial acumen , with demonstrable P&L ownership and financial improvement achievements.
• High‑level stakeholder management , with credibility at senior and executive levels.
• A deep understanding of technical FM operations , risk management and compliance.
• Evidence of leading multi‑disciplinary teams across dispersed sites.
• Proven innovation, resilience and customer‑centric focus.

Desirable qualifications: NEBOSH/IOSH, BIFM, HNC/HND or equivalent.

Given the nature of this position, you will need to undergo a Basic Disclosure and Barring Service Check (DBS) at offer stage. Applicants with criminal convictions will be assessed individually, and we assure you that we do not discriminate based on an applicant’s criminal record or the details of any disclosed offenses. Additionally, certain roles may be subject to additional pre-employment checks.

To learn more about the checks included in this process, please click on the following link: National Security Vetting