Full-Time

Head of Facilities

Posted on 9/10/2026

Sotheby’s

Sotheby’s

1,001-5,000 employees

Global auction house handling fine art

Compensation Overview

$120k - $140k/yr

+ Discretionary bonus

New York, NY, USA

In Person

Bachelor's

Category
Facilities Operations (1)
Required Skills
CAD
Microsoft Office
Financial analysis

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Requirements
  • The candidate must be educated to degree level or equivalent and have excellent Microsoft Office skills.
  • The candidate must have previous senior facilities management experience with responsibility for multiple properties within a complex estate environment, including line management responsibility.
  • The candidate must have experience working in a facilities management outsourced service-provider model.
  • The candidate must have workplace and space management experience.
  • The candidate must have significant contractor management experience and experience managing multiple service agreements.
  • The candidate must have excellent customer service, interpersonal, communication, and people-engagement skills.
  • The candidate must have good analytical, planning, and organizational skills.
  • The candidate must be able to interpret and use financial and commercial information.
  • The candidate must be capable of managing multiple workloads and shifting priorities.
  • The candidate must have a positive approach to learning in the role and identifying training needs as appropriate.
  • The candidate must be self-motivated and able to work under their own initiative within a team environment.
  • The candidate must have negotiation skills, including stakeholder management at all levels.
  • The candidate must hold an IOSH Managing Safely qualification.
  • The candidate must have experience managing conflicting expectations of senior management and consumers.
Responsibilities
  • Support the business in developing business strategy in line with current and emerging needs.
  • Contribute to and maintain building and estate development plans, support change management processes and associated service-level agreements, and ensure risks are mitigated.
  • Maintain detailed knowledge of real estate matters, including owned properties, leasehold, and operational responsibilities.
  • Produce management reports according to business needs.
  • Maintain a robust system with the facilities management service provider to trace service and maintenance issues and ensure timely, cost-effective resolution.
  • Use the Request Manager function in the OfficeSpace software system used on site.
  • Maximize efficiencies within existing service contracts and manage costs effectively.
  • Ensure that property insurance needs are met through insurance inspections and contractor control.
  • Work with the department head to review legal documents and monitor leases for compliance with obligations.
  • Maintain building aesthetics to a high visual standard and oversee regular inspections of all properties, ensuring observations and issues are actioned.
  • Oversee and manage contractors with the facilities management service provider to ensure work is completed to a high standard.
  • Manage effective planned and reactive maintenance for hard services, especially mechanical and electrical systems and fabric maintenance.
  • Ensure gallery aesthetics are maintained, particularly over the summer period, so galleries are ready for the busy sales calendar.
  • Oversee operations and maintenance documentation, the asbestos register, and water-treatment logbooks.
  • Assist with maintenance works and capital-investment planning for future years.
  • Ensure premises, plant, machinery, and work activities comply with legislation and safe working practices.
  • Implement and review permit-to-work procedures, risk assessments, method statements, and safe systems of work with the Health and Safety Coordinator.
  • Ensure business-critical support systems are regularly serviced and tested, with controls in place to ensure full uptime.
  • Manage space and occupancy efficiently and contribute to space-management projects and changes.
  • Lead the OfficeSpace space-management software system.
  • Collaborate with department and business colleagues on population, occupancy, staffing, and space-planning projects.
  • Support changing business requirements while maintaining alignment with the wider space-management strategy.
  • Monitor and track occupancy levels and escalate issues as required.
  • Work with a computer-aided design expert to maximize office-space utilization and keep teams, people, and building plans appropriately aligned and current.
  • Manage and develop stakeholder relationships through action plans, proactive proposals, presentations, and expert collaboration to support workplace-solution strategy.
  • Lead the facilities management service-provider relationship and contract, proactively managing outsourced-service contracts and recommending corrective action where needed.
  • Conduct contractor requests for proposals with the facilities management service provider and work with worldwide facilities teams to ensure alignment.
  • Act as the key liaison for the facilities management service provider, contractors, and key business stakeholders, and serve as an escalation point for issues.
  • Manage contracted teams on site daily to deliver service-level agreements and standards with the facilities management service provider.
  • Maintain close liaison across the business on maintenance works and ensure timely, cost-effective resolution.
  • Directly manage planned and ad hoc projects, including plant and equipment replacement, minor fit-out works, furniture moves, painting, and decorating.
  • Ensure project budgets and objectives are met and heritage requirements and quality standards are followed.
  • Ensure planning applications and health and safety notifications for construction work are completed and principal contractors and principal designers are appointed.
  • Check contractor risk assessments and method statements.
  • Keep space plans up to date.
  • Mitigate business risks by ensuring projects are completed in a timely and orderly manner.
  • Manage workflows on systems-management portals as provided.
  • Provide management cover for the onsite team during evening sales and events as required.
  • Establish a customer-focused facilities-management approach in the team and lead the facilities management service-provider contract and relationship.
  • Establish regular individual and team communication.
  • Conduct appraisals and performance reviews for direct reports as required and set and review goals aligned with organizational objectives.
  • Drive innovation and continuous improvement in people, systems, processes, and services.
  • Respond to critical alerts and emergency alarm activations, oversee contractors outside working hours when necessary, and ensure business continuity planning and disaster recovery.
  • Support other teams in identifying opportunities to improve performance and growth while reducing costs.
  • Actively manage the department's operating and capital-expenditure budgets.
  • Work with the department head to set and plan annual budgets.
  • Work with the Finance department to manage the budget and respond as necessary.
  • Ensure statutory requirements and company policies and procedures are followed and deadlines are met.
  • Monitor, interpret, and implement changes in regulatory requirements and coordinate annual compliance reports, contracts, and documentation with the facilities management service provider.
  • Manage site energy and waste and review best practices for ongoing environmental improvements.
  • Conduct periodic checks of systems operating outside working hours.
  • Promote sustainability and waste management across the role and ensure reporting is defined and delivered.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience with computer-aided facilities management or space-management software, particularly OfficeSpace.
  • Computer-aided design experience.

1) What it does: Sotheby’s runs high-end auctions and private sales of fine art, luxury items, and collectibles for global collectors and investors. 2) How its products work: It holds live and online auctions where items are sold to the highest bidder, and also facilitates private sales directly between sellers and buyers. Revenue comes from commissions on final sale prices and service fees such as appraisals; it also provides online estimates to help sellers gauge value. 3) How it’s different: It combines a global auction network with discreet private sales, strong appraisal expertise, and curated collections, allowing access to both broad, open bidding and private, personalized transactions. 4) Goal: To connect sellers with buyers in the high-end market, maximizing value for items and delivering trusted, expert valuation and sales services for rare and valuable possessions.

Company Size

1,001-5,000

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

New York City, New York

Founded

1744

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Sotheby’s first-half 2026 sales hit $4.4 billion, up 58 percent year over year.
  • NIGHTCAP launches September 17, 2026, expanding wine, whisky, and new-collector engagement.
  • July 2026 private sales reached $826 million, showing recurring demand beyond marquee auctions.

What critics are saying

  • Patrick Drahi’s debt load keeps Sotheby’s exposed if auctions cool in 2027.
  • Christie’s and Phillips compete aggressively for trophy estates, squeezing Sotheby’s consignment pipeline.
  • If Breuer traffic or luxury cross-sell disappoints, the headquarters investment becomes a capital drain.

What makes Sotheby’s unique

  • Sotheby’s Breuer headquarters opened in 2026, doubling visitors versus York Avenue.
  • Sotheby’s Financial Services has originated over $12 billion in collector loans.
  • Sotheby’s spans 70 categories, from fine art to RM Sotheby’s and Concierge Auctions.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Life Insurance

Disability Insurance

Paid Vacation

Paid Sick Leave

Paid Holidays

401(k) Company Match

Professional Development Budget

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

2%

1 year growth

2%

2 year growth

2%
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