"Facilities Work Is Often Invisible Until Something Goes Wrong": What It Really Takes To Run a School Site

In this blog, you will learn:

• What a School Site Manager does during the school day, from leading caretaking and cleaning teams to preparing for inspections.
• Why there is no such thing as a ‘typical day’ in school site management and what makes the role both challenging and rewarding.
• Where the latest School Site Manager jobs are and how to apply for them.

Facilities management isn’t often the first career people think of, yet it plays a vital role in the smooth running of schools. To gain insight into this role, we recently spoke to Ed, an interim School Site Manager who has developed a long-term career in facilities shaped by his adaptability, diverse experience and problem-solving skills.

With experience across education and commercial facilities, Ed’s role has evolved from working at Disneyland Paris to managing dynamic environments at MTV. Ed transitioned into facilities management in the education sector 10 years ago and hasn’t looked back since. 

With specialties in health and safety management, policies and procedure implementation and project management, Ed oversees the maintenance of the school and ensures health and safety compliance.

In this interview, Ed reveals how his career has evolved and why school site management is more varied than people realise.

Tell us about your career journey so far and your current role as a School Site Manager

It took a while for my career path to seem part of an actual ‘journey.’ After working in many admin roles, I decided to travel and found myself working as a Supervisor at Disneyland Paris looking after a team of train drivers.

In retrospect, what seemed totally random was actually a crash course in attention to detail, hectic customer service and a lesson in the art of smiling regardless of what was happening. All of this was perfect for what was destined to be a career in facilities.

After working at Disney, I returned to the UK and had a temporary placement in a Post Room for a life insurance company in London. Before I knew it, they had a vacancy within the facilities team and I was encouraged to take the opportunity. At the time, I really enjoyed agency work and didn't want to be pinned down into one role, but I had an amazing manager who persuaded me to go for it.

I didn't have any formal training before getting my Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) certification many years later. I gained experience on the job and used my problem-solving skills from my early training to help me manage difficult situations. I worked as a Facilities Coordinator for over seven years and eventually left life insurance wanting to stay in facilities, but seeking a more interesting and lively environment.

That’s when I found a role as a Facilities Manager at MTV! What followed was 9 years working in an amazing and fun organisation with diverse international teams. I spent a few days every year at Music Award ceremonies being immersed into a very unique work culture.

After nine years, I left to travel again for a year before working again in short term agency roles. I spent some time at London South Bank University and from there discovered the facilities niche in education. That was over 10 years ago and I’ve worked in school facilities ever since.

What inspired you to become a School Site Manager?

No five year old boy wants to grow up to be a Facilities or Site Manager, it's not up there with Astronauts and Firemen, but compared with so many other career options I've dabbled with in the past, it is a unique, diverse and thoroughly entertaining profession.

The one thing that can be said about working as a School Site Manager is that there is no such thing as a typical day. No two days are the same as pretty much anything can happen but that's part of the attraction.

What are the main responsibilities you handle during school hours?

My main responsibilities during school hours involve overseeing the caretaking and cleaning teams and ensuring absences are covered. I also support teams in coping with their roles while responding to both reactive and planned works, with people management and team-building forming a significant part of the job.

Whilst, to the untrained eye, half of my day may appear to be spent sitting at a computer, I could be doing anything from arranging for contractors to attend site and provide quotations to planning works scheduled for the half-term holidays.

I also manage service visits and ensure document control is up to date and ready for any possible Ofsted inspection, health and safety audit or local authority visit. My role involves ensuring the school is health and safety compliant, developing a strategy for the future and riding the storm of reactive day-to-day calls.

What do you find most fulfilling about being a School Site Manager?

The fulfilment in this role is knowing that you are making a difference. For the most part, facilities work is invisible to the casual observer and a lot of the time, it’s only when something goes horribly wrong that a lot of staff actually realise what the team do.

For me, the most rewarding moments in my career have been watching members of my teams develop and grow until they shine in what they do. Even when that growth leads them to leave and continue on their own unique career paths, it's an amazing feeling to be part of someone else's journey.

What has been the most valuable lesson you’ve learned in your career so far?

I’ve come to realise that everything is fixable. I’ve also learnt that if an email makes you mad, sleep on it and hold off replying until the next day and your response will be massively different.

Can you share an example of a challenging situation you’ve faced in your career and how you resolved it?

While I was working at MTV, a fire broke out which took us off the air and was a logistical nightmare. We had to relocate a few hundred creative types into temporary working spaces along with all of the facilities, communication and transport logistics required to keep them up and running. It took about a year to realise that it was a challenge that we handled well!

What are the current challenges facing the industry?

Since COVID, many people are still looking for hybrid roles or the ability to work in the office one day a week. Facilities Managers, particularly in education, can't really offer that luxury, depending on the size of the team. 

I think as a result, some educational institutions will struggle to recruit for roles that require 5 days a week onsite.

What advice would you give to those looking to become a School Site Manager?

Go for it! It's more varied than any other role I've had in my career.

What were your experiences of working with Senior Consultant Cameron Nicholls and Spencer Clarke Group?

My experiences of working with agencies in the past have been very mixed. I've never understood why some agencies don't have the courtesy to give feedback if unsuccessful at getting a placement. With Spencer Clarke Group, this wasn’t the case!

Working with Cameron Nicholls has been a very enjoyable experience and I can't recommend Spencer Clarke Group highly enough.

Teaching, school support staff and school facilities jobs

If you’re searching for a new career opportunity, why not take a look at the latest education jobs, or simply upload your CV to be notified when a relevant job opening becomes available. 

Recruit teaching, support and facilities staff

As a specialist education recruitment agency, we support mainstream and SEND schools with their recruitment needs. 

Whether you’re searching for teaching, support, or facilities staff, we have exclusive access to some of the best educators in the North West.

If you’re struggling to fill a vacancy, why not get in touch with one of our team to see how we can help?

Primary schools - Jimmy Callagher
Secondary schools - Liam Jones
SEND schools - Jamie Heath 

Share your experience

Every individual brings a unique set of experiences, thoughts, and insights to the table. We believe in giving a voice to a community of professionals to inspire positive change and champion reform in the education sector.  

If you work in the education sector and would like to share your own personal and professional experiences, we’d love to hear from you. Perhaps you have a different perspective, could offer a fresh angle, or want to challenge assumptions. 

Simply reach out to our Head of Content, Nicole Sherwood, to discuss a collaboration which makes your voice count. 

Meet Jamie Heath

Who is Spencer Clarke Group?

Established in 2017, we’re an award winning and progressive recruitment agency based in the heart of the North West. Our reputation is built on trust, expertise and an unwavering commitment to exceed expectations. 

In 2025, Spencer Clarke Group was awarded Best Public/Third Sector Recruitment Agency and Best Temporary Recruitment Agency at the Recruiter Awards. In 2024, Spencer Clarke Group was also named Recruitment Agency of the Year.