Job Description

Section Head – Facilities Special Projects

Position Summary

The Section Head – Facilities Special Projects is responsible for leading the planning, governance, procurement, execution, and successful delivery of strategic facilities and workplace projects across the organization. This role oversees a portfolio of high-profile interior fit-out, workplace transformation, renovation, expansion, and base-build projects while ensuring alignment with business objectives, operational requirements, and stakeholder expectations.

The position requires a highly experienced project delivery leader with significant international exposure who can effectively manage multidisciplinary teams, international consultants and contractors, and engage confidently with senior executives, including C-suite stakeholders. The role is accountable for delivering projects to the highest standards of quality, safety, functionality, governance, and value creation.

The successful candidate will possess strong commercial acumen and demonstrate the ability to think beyond conventional approaches, developing innovative procurement, contracting, and project delivery strategies that optimize project outcomes, manage risks, and support organizational goals.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Project Leadership

• Lead the end-to-end delivery of facilities-related capital projects, including interior fit-out, workplace transformation, commercial developments, renovations, and base-build projects.
• Develop project execution strategies and delivery frameworks to achieve business objectives and operational requirements.
• Establish and maintain robust project governance, risk management, quality assurance, and reporting processes.
• Ensure projects are delivered safely, on schedule, within budget, and in accordance with approved quality standards.
• Drive continuous improvement in project delivery methodologies, standards, and best practices.
• Provide strategic direction on complex project challenges and develop practical, business-focused solutions.

Stakeholder Management and Executive Engagement

• Act as the primary point of contact for senior business stakeholders, project sponsors, and executive leadership.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with senior officers and key business leaders across the organization.
• Facilitate project steering committees, executive reviews, and governance meetings.
• Present project updates, recommendations, risks, and mitigation strategies to executive leadership and C-suite stakeholders.
• Ensure stakeholder expectations are managed effectively throughout the project lifecycle.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to management on facilities development and workplace transformation initiatives.

Governance and Executive Reporting

• Develop and maintain project governance frameworks appropriate for a senior corporate environment.
• Prepare concise and business-focused project reports, dashboards, and presentations tailored for executive audiences rather than technical construction professionals.
• Provide regular reporting on project performance, financial status, risk exposure, key decisions, and portfolio health.
• Translate complex technical and construction matters into clear business impacts and recommendations for senior management.
• Ensure compliance with corporate governance requirements, approval processes, risk controls, and audit standards.

Commercial Strategy, Procurement and Delivery Innovation

• Develop and implement project procurement, tendering, and contracting strategies aligned with project objectives, market conditions, budget requirements, and organizational governance standards.
• Evaluate and recommend the most appropriate project delivery and contracting models, including Design-Bid-Build, Design and Build, Construction Management, EPC, Framework Agreements, and other alternative delivery approaches.
• Challenge conventional methods and identify innovative, commercially advantageous solutions that enhance value, reduce risk, improve quality, and accelerate project delivery.
• Lead procurement and tendering activities, including bid packaging strategies, contractor prequalification, tender evaluation, negotiations, and award recommendations.
• Develop commercial strategies that maximize competitive tension while ensuring project certainty and quality outcomes.
• Assess contractor capability, market conditions, supply chain risks, and industry trends to inform procurement decisions.
• Manage commercial risks and opportunities throughout the project lifecycle and ensure appropriate allocation of risk among stakeholders, consultants, contractors, and suppliers.

Consultant and Contractor Management

• Lead the engagement and management of international consultants, contractors, specialist vendors, and professional service providers.
• Establish clear performance expectations and ensure adherence to contractual obligations, scope, budget, and schedule requirements.
• Manage consultant and contractor performance, issue resolution, negotiations, and dispute management where necessary.
• Foster collaboration across multidisciplinary project teams and external stakeholders to achieve project objectives.
• Ensure design, construction, and operational requirements are fully integrated throughout project delivery.

Team Leadership and Capability Building

• Lead, mentor, and develop a multidisciplinary team comprising:
  • Project Managers
  • Planners
  • Construction Managers
  • Facilities and Building Operations Personnel
• Establish team objectives, performance measures, resource plans, and development programs.
• Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Develop succession planning and capability-building initiatives within the team.
• Ensure effective coordination between project delivery and facilities operations functions.

Operational Integration and Handover

• Ensure projects are planned and delivered with minimal disruption to ongoing business operations.
• Lead transition, commissioning, operational readiness, and project handover activities.
• Ensure completed projects meet operational, maintenance, and lifecycle requirements.
• Drive alignment between project outcomes and long-term facilities management objectives.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Architecture, Engineering, Construction Management, or a related discipline.
• Professional registration, chartered status, project management certification, or equivalent professional credentials are highly desirable.

Experience

• Minimum of 10 years' experience in the successful delivery of high-quality interior fit-out, workplace, commercial, hospitality, mixed-use, or base-build projects.
• Proven track record of managing large-scale and complex facilities and construction projects from conception to completion.
• Significant experience delivering projects outside the Philippines for reputable multinational organizations, corporate clients, or institutional clients is required.
• Demonstrated experience managing and coordinating international consultants, contractors, and specialist vendors.
• Strong experience working within multicultural and geographically dispersed project environments.
• Proven experience engaging with senior leadership teams and presenting project updates to executive committees and C-suite stakeholders.
• Experience managing project governance, portfolio reporting, procurement, tendering, and commercial management functions.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary project delivery and facilities management teams.

Key Competencies

Leadership

• Strategic leadership and organizational awareness
• Executive presence and influencing skills
• Strong people leadership and talent development capability
• Change management and stakeholder alignment
• High level of accountability and ownership

Strategic and Commercial Leadership

• Ability to think creatively and challenge conventional project delivery approaches.
• Strong commercial acumen and business judgment.
• Advanced understanding of contracting, procurement, tendering, and project delivery models.
• Ability to develop innovative contracting and procurement strategies that optimize value and manage risk.
• Strong negotiation and commercial management skills.
• Ability to balance operational, technical, financial, and stakeholder considerations when making strategic decisions.

Project Delivery Excellence

• Project, program, and portfolio management
• Risk identification and mitigation
• Budget and cost management
• Quality assurance and governance
• Schedule management and performance monitoring

Stakeholder Management

• Executive communication and presentation skills
• Relationship building and stakeholder engagement
• Negotiation and conflict resolution
• Cross-cultural collaboration and leadership
• Ability to communicate complex technical issues in clear business language

Technical Knowledge

• Interior fit-out and workplace projects
• Base-build developments and construction methodologies
• Building systems and facilities operations
• Project controls and governance frameworks
• Contract administration and consultant management

Success Profile

The ideal candidate is a seasoned facilities and project delivery leader with extensive experience managing complex projects in international environments. They possess the executive presence and communication skills necessary to engage effectively with senior executives and board-level stakeholders while maintaining strong technical and commercial oversight of project delivery.

They are recognized for their ability to think strategically and creatively, developing innovative procurement, contracting, and execution strategies that challenge traditional approaches, maximize value, mitigate risk, and deliver superior business outcomes. They are equally comfortable leading multidisciplinary teams, managing international consultants and contractors, and translating complex project issues into clear, actionable recommendations for executive decision-makers.