Established in 1981 with a single store in the Northwest of England, the JD Group is a leading omni-channel retailer of Sports Fashion, Outdoors and Gyms with our colleagues working in stores across several retail fascias in many markets around the world. JD Sports Fashion Plc was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1996 and has been a FTSE100 publicly quoted company since 2019 and continues to grow in the UK and internationally. We want to be the leading global omnichannel retailer in the sports and outdoor industry. To be a part of this successful company and help us to achieve this you will have the desire to ingrain our strategic goals of being a people-led, innovative and customer-focused organisation which provides operational excellence whilst identifying new areas of growth as part of our day to day objectives.
JD Sports Fashion Plc was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1996 and has been a FTSE100 publicly quoted company since 2019 and continues to grow in the UK and internationally.
Job Description: Group Maintenance Facilities Management and Health & Safety
Director Location: UK Department: Maintenance Facilities Management and Health & Safety Group Property Development
Reports to: Chief Property Development Officer Role
Level: Director
Role Purpose
The Group Maintenance Facilities Management & Health & Safety Director is accountable for defining and delivering the global strategy for Retail Property Maintenance, Occupational Health & Safety, and Head Office Facilities & Building Services across all regions in which the organisation operates. This role will lead the creation of a Global Centre of Excellence supported by standardised systems, governance frameworks, and performance metrics. A core strategic objective is the implementation and optimisation of a single global Facilities Management (FM) software platform and a global Health & Safety Management System to ensure consistency, compliance, transparency, and operational excellence across the retail estate and corporate environments.
Key Responsibilities
* Develop and oversee a global property maintenance strategy ensuring consistency, quality, and cost effectiveness across all markets.
* Establish global standards for preventive, reactive, and statutory maintenance.
* Lead the deployment of a global FM software platform to enable real-time visibility of asset data, work orders, compliance status, and vendor performance.
* Build and manage strategic supplier partnerships and frameworks, ensuring high-quality delivery and value for money.
* Implement global asset lifecycle planning, including capital replacement programmes and sustainability led refurbishment standards.
* Deliver performance reporting and analytics to drive data driven decision-making across all retail regions.
Head Office Facilities & Building Services
* Oversee facilities management for all corporate offices, including building operations, workplace experience, security, cleaning, catering, and environmental services.
* Implement global workplace standards covering space planning, sustainability, wellbeing, and hybrid-work enablement.
* Ensure Head Office environments comply with all relevant safety, accessibility, and environmental regulations.
* Lead capital works and refurbishment projects, ensuring alignment with brand identity, sustainability commitments, and employee experience design.
* Optimise building performance and energy management across the Head Office portfolio.
Occupational Health & Safety (Global)
* Own and continuously improve the company’s global Health & Safety Management System, embedding consistent governance, reporting, and cultural expectations across all markets.
* Ensure compliance with local, regional, and international legislation across retail sites, offices, warehouses, and distribution centres.
* Lead global risk management initiatives, including annual risk assessments, safety audits, incident investigations, and trend analysis.
* Foster a proactive safety culture by developing global training programmes, policies, and behavioural safety initiatives.
* Act as the senior escalation point for major incidents, providing leadership and direction during global crises and safety-related emergencies.
* Work with HR, Operations, and Legal to ensure H&S policies support broader organisational values and legislative requirements.
Strategic Leadership & Centre of Excellence
* Lead the maintenance team to ensure the store portfolio operates efficiently to maximise sales and provide a safe environment for customers and employees.
* Drive the global adoption of a unified FM software system and global H&S management system, embedding consistent processes and improving data visibility.
* Design, build, and lead a Global Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Health, Safety & Facilities, providing expert guidance, governance, and best practice to all regions.
* Provide expert leadership on ESG related topics including workplace wellbeing, environmental performance of buildings, and sustainable asset management.
* Partner with IT, Digital, and Transformation teams to integrate systems, enhance data governance, and accelerate digitalisation of FM and H&S processes.
* Establish global KPIs, dashboards, and governance frameworks for all FM and H&S performance.
* Lead, inspire, and develop regional FM and H&S leaders, ensuring alignment to global strategy and strong cross regional collaboration.
Key Skills & Experience
* Deep knowledge of global FM operations, property maintenance, compliance, and asset management.
* Expertise in occupational health & safety management frameworks (e.g., ISO 45001), risk governance, and incident management.
* Experience implementing enterprise level FM technology platforms and/or global H&S systems.
* Strong commercial acumen, supplier management capability, and understanding of global procurement processes.
* Recognised professional qualification in Health & Safety, specifically NEBOSH National Diploma or equivalent (or higher).
* Proven track record in senior leadership roles within Health & Safety and/or Facilities Management, ideally within a global retail environment.
* Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to influence at Executive and Board level.
* Strong leadership qualities with experience managing cross regional and multi disciplinary teams.
Key Success Measures
* Reduction in property maintenance operational costs through standardisation & optimisation.
* Successful global rollout and adoption of unified FM and H&S systems.
* Improved compliance levels, reduction in incidents, and enhanced risk visibility.Increased asset uptime and building performance.
* Strong global consistency in H&S culture, standards, and behaviours.
* High-quality workplace experience across all corporate offices globally.
* Establishment and demonstrable impact of the Global Centre of Excellence.
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