Office Manager

Role:  Office Manager 

Location:  London, United Kingdom

About the role:

The Office Manager is accountable for the full operational performance of the London office — a busy, client-facing environment with 15 meeting rooms, 8 acoustic booths, and a team of five to lead and develop.

This role sits at the intersection of facilities management, Health and Safety compliance, people leadership, and workplace experience. You'll work with real autonomy: managing supplier relationships, budgets, and regulatory compliance, while shaping the culture and quality of the workplace for staff, clients, and visitors alike. Beyond day-to-day delivery, you'll drive continuous improvement, set the standard for service excellence, and ensure the office reflects OLIVER's values at all times.

What you will be doing:

Office Operations and Workplace Experience

• Take full ownership of the day-to-day running of the London office — maintaining a consistently high standard across all spaces, with particular attention to client-facing areas
• Oversee 15 meeting rooms and 8 acoustic booths, setting the bar for presentation, readiness, and service quality
• Own the room booking system and coordinate catering for meetings, workshops, and internal events — managing quality and spend against agreed budgets
• Manage office supply procurement, communications screens, mail and courier coordination, and storage — balancing quality, cost, and operational efficiency
• Lead the planning and delivery of staff social events and workplace initiatives that strengthen culture and connection across the office
• Maintain a visible, active presence in the office — accessible and hands-on when it counts

Team Leadership and Development

• Lead, develop, and inspire the Home Team: 2 Receptionists, 1 Front of House Assistant, and 2 overnight Security staff
• Set clear, high standards for client-facing and employee-facing service — coaching consistently, recognising strong performance, and addressing issues with fairness and clarity
• Manage rotas, annual leave, and performance reviews, creating the conditions for each team member to perform at their best
• Build a team culture rooted in accountability, care, and a shared commitment to quality

Facilities and Compliance Management

• Own the full facilities function: planned preventative maintenance, reactive works, contractor performance, and compliance documentation — ensuring records are accurate, up to date, and auditable at all times
• Hold external cleaning contractors to clear service standards through regular quality audits and direct performance management
• Manage relationships with the landlord, building management, and specialist contractors — maintaining service levels and escalating risks promptly
• Monitor office energy usage, analyse trends, and lead on sustainability reporting in support of green policy commitments and ISO certification requirements

Health and Safety

• Act as the Health and Safety representative for the London office — maintaining full compliance with relevant legislation and internal policy, and proactively identifying and resolving risks before they escalate
• Serve as a qualified First Aider for the office
• Act as the primary emergency contact and keyholder, including out-of-hours responsibility

IT and Workplace Technology

• Partner with the IT team to keep all meeting room AV and video conferencing technology fully operational and fit for purpose
• Serve as the primary escalation point for meeting room technology issues — coordinating resolution efficiently and minimising disruption to the business

Budget and Financial Accountability

• Own the purchase order and invoice process within the internal finance system — ensuring accuracy and timeliness across all facilities and operational spend
• Manage catering, supplier, and contractor spend against agreed budgets — tracking performance, identifying variances early, and driving cost efficiency without compromising quality
• Provide clear, accurate reporting on office and facilities costs to support budget planning and stakeholder decision-making

What you need to be great in this role:

• Substantial experience in office management and/or facilities management in a client-facing, professional environment — ideally within a creative, media, or marketing agency
• A strong track record of running a high-footfall, high-standard office — including meeting room management, contractor oversight, and full compliance documentation
• Demonstrable experience as a Health and Safety representative, with solid working knowledge of relevant legislation and compliance requirements
• First Aid qualification, or clear readiness to obtain one in post
• Proven ability to lead and develop a small, multi-function team — with experience managing rotas, annual leave, performance reviews, and day-to-day people matters; able to give direct, constructive feedback and build a high-performing team culture
• Confident, credible stakeholder management across IT, Finance, and senior leadership — with clear, professional communication across all contexts, from contractor briefings to senior stakeholder updates
• Experience managing operational budgets with a detail-oriented approach to financial administration and a commercial mindset when dealing with suppliers and contractors
• Familiarity with sustainability reporting, energy monitoring, green policy frameworks, and ISO certification in a commercial office environment
• Advanced MS Office skills and a strong track record of adopting new systems and software quickly
• Advanced use of Gen AI tools relevant to workplace and facilities management — including scheduling, communication drafting, reporting, supplier coordination, and process documentation — to enhance output quality and operational efficiency
• Experience designing AI-assisted workflows for yourself and your team, reducing administrative load and improving operational consistency
• Ability to train team members in effective AI tool use within a workplace operations context
• Agentic approach to complex operational challenges: systematic, outcome-oriented, and able to break multi-step problems into clear, executable plans
• Strong critical judgement when evaluating AI-generated outputs — particularly in compliance, safety, and stakeholder-facing contexts where human oversight is essential
• Formal qualifications are welcome but not required. Equivalent experience counts, whether gained through work, study, volunteering, or self-directed learning.

Req ID: 18128

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