The Value of Hiring Unconventional Candidates in Facilities Management An Executive Search Perspective Written by Sami L. Barry F acilities management is moving forward in an increasingly complex environment and institutions, corporations and other types of owners that have extensive real estate portfolios are implementing strategies to maximize budgets, reduce operating costs, and implement green building and sustainability measures. Overall, these entities face a critical need to manage their portfolios in the most efficient and streamlined manner in order to strengthen their competitive advantage and sustain long- term success. Along with these challenges, the value of experienced, diversely- skilled facilities professionals has become apparent and to make strategies as successful as possible, organizations are putting much effort into attracting and securing these types of individuals for a variety of facilities roles. These positions involve managing major capital building programs, enhancing energy management, upgrading facilities to utilize advanced technologies and developing comprehensive sustainability programs. While there are facilities professionals who have the skills and abilities necessary to perform successfully in these roles, there are not enough of them to address the overall need across the industry. Therefore, recruitment initiatives must be strategic and well- planned, and should often include the consideration and acquisition of out of the box or unconventional candidates. There are many factors that can make a candidate unconventional and they can range from the individual s industry, experience and corporate culture mentality to management style, unique skill sets and personality characteristics. In the highly competitive facilities The average FM professional s profile is: Male, approximately 49 years old. College-educated with a degree in business, engineering or facilities management. 28 years of total work experience with 16 of those in FM. Position entails managing multiple functions landscape, institutions and other owners are realizing that including operations, maintenance and energy management. *Source: International Facility Management Association (IFMA) Profiles 2011: Salary & Demographics Report these types of candidates can offer fresh perspectives and make valuable contributions in helping their organizations to change their thinking and open themselves up to promoting progress. As search consultants that specialize exclusively in facilities management, construction, engineering and real estate, Helbling & Associates understands the value of expanding recruitment parameters to include unconventional candidates and recognizes how these individuals can make real contributions to their organizations. The following discusses the perspectives of Jim Lord (Managing Director) and Wes Miller (Managing Consultant) who have extensive experience partnering with institutions and other owners in securing facilities professionals for various functions and levels.
When representing institutions, corporations and other owners, what is the value of expanding search parameters to include unconventional candidates? Miller: As executive search consultants, we know that every client is unique in its operations, culture, goals and planned strategies. This, in turn, makes every recruitment process unique as well. That is why, at the beginning of every search, it is critical for us to understand our client s organization, its short- and long- term objectives, its internal dynamics and its specific expectations of securing an individual for the particular role. By building that foundation of thoroughly understanding our client, we can perform comprehensive research and analysis of the marketplace, the candidate talent pool and a host of other factors. After we discuss our findings with our client, together with them, we develop a customized search strategy for their specific need. Many times, this strategy will include target organizations that our client had not previously considered and thus candidates from outside industries who may have the experience and skill sets to add immediate value to our client s role and organization. Quite simply, we take what could be a traditional recruitment process and turn it into an untraditional recruitment process to ensure that we explore all candidate options. Taking the time to define our client and their expectations, and to consider all opportunities for available candidate talent pool, we can provide a more comprehensive, focused and strategic recruitment effort to support a successful outcome. Lord: Many of our institutional and owner clients come to us when they realize that they need to significantly enhance the way they are currently managing or operating from a facilities operations perspective. Usually, they are looking to be innovators and trail- blazers so it is important to recognize what other industries may have the expertise they seek. And, partly because they have tried to recruit individuals on their own prior to retaining us for an executive search, they understand that their industry peers do not have professionals with the capabilities they seek. Therefore, they know they have to go outside of their sector to obtain the strong business experiences and acumen, and fresh perspectives that are necessary to move forward. For our institutional clients, unconventional candidates, such as those from the corporate sector, typically have extensive corporate training and a for- profit mentality which gives them a better foundation for implementing and managing large groups and programs. The for- profit, private world tends to be more advanced with technology and is more willing to invest in cutting edge concepts so these candidates also offer a new perspective of technologies, systems, processes and management styles. I believe, in general, having a diverse staff can help any organization more effectively navigate their business challenges, innovate themselves and adapt to industry pressures. Trends that are shaping the plans of progressive institutions and the skill sets needed in FM professionals, leading to the consideration and hiring of unconventional candidates Trends: Aligning information technology and facilities to manage utilities, buildings, capital projects and budgets on a real- time basis. Improving energy management through strategic procurement, production and distribution practices. Exploring innovative technologies and alternative project delivery methods (i.e. Building Information Modeling, Integrated Project Delivery, Prefabrication and Modularization) for capital projects. Initiating commissioning and retro- commissioning of buildings. Utilizing green building and sustainability. Skill sets: Solid understanding of energy management, systems reliability, life cycle operating costs and deferred maintenance. Financial aptitude, strong business acumen and and demonstrated success at managing budgets and working effectively within an organization s financial constraints. Ability to manage the planning, design and construction of large and complex capital projects. Knowledge of green building and U. S. Green Building Council s LEED Program. Soft skills that are necessary to develop and maintain strong relationships with the public, boards, analysts, shareholder groups, senior administration and end users.
What are the challenges associated with securing professionals for institutions and related organizations who are from the for- profit or corporate sector? Lord: It is a fact that most corporate environments have a faster- paced decision- making process than higher education and healthcare institutions which can present a risk for a corporate candidate coming into the institutional setting. This cultural shift to an environment that is much slower paced with a more complicated decision- making process and with more stake holders can be difficult for some professionals. The candidate may want to move much more quickly than the institution is accustomed to, which can cause frustration for both parties. However, we continually place candidates from the corporate sector with our institutional clients with much success. In follow- up calls with our clients, they are extremely pleased with their decision and make remarks about how the candidate came in and made significant changes in a relatively short time frame, impacted operations, and allowed their organization to move forward to accomplish its goals. Similar experiences are had by candidates. The professionals we place are high- performers who enjoy challenges. When they enter the institutional sector and see the opportunities that await them, they are motivated and excited about the changes and positive impact they have the opportunity to make. Following are brief case studies of recent execu4ve searches within Facili4es Management performed by Helbling consultants for which unconven4onal candidates were secured. Executive Search Case Study - Director of Engineering & Utilities for a University Jim Lord, Managing Director This role with our repeat client, a Mid- western university, is responsible for providing the institution s utility services to all campus facilities served via on- site production and for leading long- term energy management programs. These programs include strategic procurement of natural gas and electricity, energy conservation efforts, renewable energy portfolio, master planning, centralized building automation services and oversight of the building commissioning process. This was a newly created position within our client s organization. When we first spoke with our client, they expressed that they sought an individual who had a proactive mindset to utilities management and who had at least ten years of experience working in utility infrastructure preferably within university utility and facilities operations. After an extensive search of targeting local healthcare and higher education organizations, we presented several candidates, most of which were from the institutional sector. One unconventional candidate came from the corporate side. He was the Director of Energy & Sustainability for a major international petroleum company, responsible for purchasing utilities in a deregulated market. The individual had spent 17 years, mostly on the corporate side, in energy management consulting, and energy and sustainability business strategy development. He has broad knowledge of various emerging alternative energy and distributed generation technologies and applications. He is a Professional Engineer in three states and a Certified Energy Manager. Our client made the decision to hire this particular candidate due to his knowledge of procurement strategies, energetic personality and detailed approach to utility management. Within his first six months of employment, the individual s knowledge and expertise had saved our client significant costs in negotiated fuel contracts. He has changed the metro gas procurement methodology, which will generate significant savings and is steering how the university is approaching energy management projects so that they do things in the correct order. Another contribution that the individual has brought to our client is his perspective of safety, which he shares with his supervisor. Both individuals came from entities where safety is considered the highest priority. They are now working together to initiate cultural changes within our client s environment to make safety one of its primary goals.
Executive Search Case Study - Corporate Director of Engineering for a Medical Institution Jim Lord, Managing Director Our client, a prominent healthcare system in the Northeast, was seeking a Corporate Director of Engineering who would be responsible for establishing system- wide operational performance standards and practices as they relate to maintenance (preventive and reactive), utility management, project commissioning and infrastructure upgrades. During our initial discussion, our client expressed that they wanted a professional with an Engineering degree and at least seven years of experience, preferably at a large- multi site hospital. As the search progressed, it became evident that the talent within our client s direct competitors was lacking in innovation and fresh approaches. As a result, it was decided to explore other avenues in order to secure a candidate with these ideal characteristics. Although the selected candidate s background did include working within an institutional setting, his more recent, long- term experience was leading a building commissioning and consulting firm. Having come from this type of entity, where he was one of the founding partners, the individual brought an entrepreneurial perspective to our client s position which is very rare in the Northeastern healthcare facilities environment. As well, he is a licensed Professional Engineer and a LEED- accredited professional. Because of his extensive experience with building commissioning, he has brought talents related to the commissioning process that are quite rare on the institution side. His structured and detailed approach has helped our client to develop much more diligent and delineated facilities maintenance processes. Partly as a result of the candidate s contributions, the team was successful in completing its most recent Joint Commission survey with zero citings related to facilities. That was quite an accomplishment and a significant decrease from its previous Joint Commission survey. Executive Search Case Study - Senior Project Manager for a University Wes Miller, Managing Consultant Our client is a well- respected university that we have represented on multiple search assignments as it has progressed with an aggressive capital construction program. In working with them previously, we were familiar with their mindset and culture as well as the details of their extensive capital program. When we began the search for a Senior Project Manager, we understood that they wanted hardcore construction people from construction management firms, instead of from other institutions. During our discussions, they made it clear that their goal was to have their internal capital projects team be as knowledgeable and skilled as the construction management firms they hired. Only targeting construction management organizations in our client s area, we presented several final candidates who met their criteria and had strong construction management backgrounds. They chose a candidate who is well educated and whose entire career was spent working in project management with a construction management firm on healthcare, higher education and commercial projects, which translated to our client s needs. He also understands pre- construction and how to reduce costs. Although the individual is a builder first, he fits well within the university s setting and understands how to interact with end users of the institution which is why he continues to play a valuable role within the organization.
Executive Search Case Study - Senior Vice President, Facilities Development for a Healthcare System Tom Helbling, President Partnering with our long- term client, a major healthcare system in the Northeast, we were retained to work closely with the organization s Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer (EVP & COO) to secure a Senior Vice President Facilities Development and Engineering. This is a very critical and senior- level role within its structure with its primary responsibility of managing the system s $3B capital program within their six million square feet of medical space while conserving physical and financial assets. Working closely with the EVP & COO as well as the individual who was currently serving in the role and planning retirement, Helbling performed an exhaustive search, identifying senior- level facilities officers from highly reputable healthcare systems across the country as well as professionals within other sectors who had the experience and capabilities of leading major capital programs for organizations with large real estate portfolios. The interview process progressed with the majority of final candidates being within the healthcare sector and one who was head of a major public agency focused on education in the same metropolitan area as our client. In her leadership position with the public agency, the professional managed the daily operation of one of the largest U. S. urban educational districts that has an annual budget of more than $22B. After much deliberation, our client selected this individual for the role based upon her more than twenty years of urban planning and development, design, construction, and operation management experience. She brings immense value to our client with her extensive management experience and unique ability to navigate a complex and politically- charged environment. She is illustrating her competence in developing a collaborative and streamlined organizational structure with well- defined responsibilities and clearly measured results, as well as her commitment to ensuring that the needs of the institution s patients and families are met by its facilities. To read more articles about career development, talent management and the A/E/C and facilities management sectors, visit our Knowledge Center. To subscribe to our quarterly e- newsletter or blog, visit: W: helblingsearch.com B: blog.helblingsearch.com HELBLING & ASSOCIATES, INC. RETAINED EXECUTIVE SEARCH Construction Facilities Management Real Estate Engineering Pittsburgh www.helblingsearch.com 724.935.7500