We are looking for a established Key Account Director to join us, focusing on Security & Cleaning focusing on our retail business.
You'll be responsible for the strategic leadership, operational excellence, and commercial performance of all services delivered across a national portfolio of shopping centres. You'll ensure safe, secure, welcoming, and compliant environments for customers, retailers, landlords, and asset managers, while driving continuous improvement, contract performance, and value creation.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
- Define and deliver a national strategy for security and cleaning services aligned with client, landlord, and asset management objectives.
- Act as the senior subject-matter expert for retail security, customer safety, and cleaning excellence within shopping centre environments.
- Lead nationwide initiatives covering innovation, technology adoption, sustainability, and service transformation.
- Represent the organisation at senior level meetings, client forums, and industry bodies.
Operational Excellence
- Oversee security (manned guarding, mobile patrols, control rooms, CCTV, incident management) and cleaning operations across multiple shopping centres.
- Ensure consistent high service standards, customer experience, and brand alignment across all sites.
- Establish and monitor KPIs, SLAs, and performance frameworks, driving accountability at regional and local levels.
- Manage critical incidents, high-risk events, and business continuity planning.
- Preparation and delivery of monthly and quarterly client review presentations.
Compliance & Risk Management
- Ensure full compliance with UK legislation and industry standards, including:
- Health & Safety at Work Act
- BS 7499 (Security Guarding)
- SIA licensing and ACS standards
- COSHH and cleaning compliance
- Equality, Safeguarding, and Data Protection requirements
- Lead risk assessments, audits, and governance reviews across the national estate.
- Act as the escalation point for serious incidents, reputational risk, and client concerns.
Commercial & Financial Management
- Hold full P&L responsibility for the national shopping centre portfolio.
- Manage budgets, cost control, margin delivery, and value engineering.
- Lead contract negotiations, mobilisations, retentions, and renewals.
- Identify growth opportunities, added-value services, and innovation pathways.
Client & Stakeholder Engagement
- Develop senior relationships with:
- Shopping centre owners and landlords
- Managing agents and asset managers
- Retail directors and centre management teams
- Serve as the primary national escalation point for key clients.
- Support bids, tenders, and proposals relating to shopping centre security and cleaning.
People Leadership
- Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing soft services team at each centre.
- Drive engagement, diversity, wellbeing, and talent development across large frontline workforces.
- Ensure robust succession planning and capability building.
- Champion a culture of professionalism, accountability, and customer focus.
Person Specification
- Proven senior leadership experience in multi-site security and/or cleaning operations, ideally within:
- Shopping centres
- Retail estates
- Strong understanding of UK security and cleaning regulations, standards, and best practice.
- Demonstrable experience managing large-scale P&L and complex contracts.
- Ability to operate credibly at client, and executive level.
- Excellent people leadership skills across geographically dispersed teams.
- Commercially astute, data-driven, and outcome focused.
- Willingness to travel extensively across the UK.