Facilities Manager

Job Description

This is a hands-on role with responsibility for day-to-day facilities operations and longer-term planning. You’ll manage facilities across two locations in Cambridgeshire, keeping standards consistent while we continue to grow and move into our new HQ.

You will be joining at a point of transition. We are working to deliver a new headquarters building while running active R&D and manufacturing facilities. That brings variety, responsibility and the opportunity to influence how things are done, rather than simply maintaining a steady state. Your work will be visible and valued because it directly affects safety, productivity and momentum across the business.

What you’ll do

You will spend most of your time on site, talking to people, spotting issues early and making practical improvements. You will also work closely with senior leaders, landlords and contractors, helping guide decisions about our estate so they stay aligned with how the business is growing.

You’ll get to:

• Run facilities operations across two sites, including planned and reactive maintenance, cleaning, security, waste and general site services.
• Make sure facilities standards are consistent across both locations so people have a reliable experience wherever they are working.
• Own supplier and service contracts, ensuring quality, value and clear accountability.
• Manage the facilities budget with care, balancing cost discipline with safety and reliability.
• Support colleagues through the transition so the move is well organised, well communicated and as smooth as possible.
• Take responsibility for health, safety and compliance in our buildings, ensuring they meet health and safety, fire and environmental requirements.
• Manage audits, inspections and risk assessments, and drive corrective actions through to completion where issues are identified.
• Act as the main point of contact for facilities-related safety matters.
• Improve how our environments work over time, refining policies and procedures, strengthening sustainability and resilience, and supporting future changes to our sites.

Qualifications

About you

You will enjoy this role if you like being trusted to make things work and you are comfortable owning the details of how buildings run. You are happy managing more than one site and switching between forward planning and immediate problem solving.

You communicate clearly, whether you are discussing a small issue with a lab user or updating senior leaders on progress with the new HQ. You are practical, proactive and solutions focused, and you prefer being on site, seeing issues first hand and working with people to resolve them.

You’ll bring:

• Experience as a Facilities Manager or in a similar facilities role.
• A strong practical understanding of health and safety, fire safety and building compliance.
• Experience working with external contractors and service providers, including holding them to account.
• Organisational and communication skills that help you manage competing priorities without losing detail.
• Experience in laboratory, technical or regulated environments would be beneficial, as would involvement in refurbishments, relocations or fit out projects. An interest in sustainability and energy management would be a bonus.
• You will thrive here if you like variety, enjoy being close to the work and want your decisions to have a clear, positive impact on the people around you.

Additional Information

Cellular Origins is based at Melbourn Science Park, just 10 miles south of Cambridge. Our newly renovated premises offer modern office, laboratory and engineering spaces, surrounded by green spaces. We foster an entrepreneurial and collaborative culture, where ideas are encouraged, innovation thrives, and everyone has the freedom to do their best work.

Our employee benefits include:  

• Annual bonus  
• 25 days holiday  
• Employer pension contribution of 10% of salary 
• Private medical insurance for employees and dependants  
• Subsidised lunches
• Enhanced family friendly leave  
• Life insurance worth 6x salary  
• Electric car leasing scheme  
• Cycle to work scheme 
• Season ticket loan