Built sector recruitment UK

The hiring pain is real, and it is not a sourcing problem.

The built sector still hires as if a spreadsheet of “available” people were a shortlist. Site managers, fire risk assessors, project managers, FM leaders and property operators who can actually run a live asset are not sitting on boards waiting to be emailed. They are on site, on a contract, or quietly open to a better brief. Volume agencies flood inboxes. You then spend a fortnight sorting people who do not hold the ticket, cannot work the hours, or have never run the type of contract you described. A discreet, network-only search is the other way of working.

Built sector recruitment is the core of VS Recruitment: site and project managers, facilities and contract leaders, property operations. Viktorija Sherriff headhunts through her network. She vets the credentials the role actually needs — CSCS, SMSTS — rather than matching a keyword. £450 opens a named search.

Construction, FM and property are not interchangeable titles. A good shortlist respects that. If your last process produced a folder of “available” people who would never be allowed to run the job, this is the other way of working.

Credentials she vets

What actually gets checked.

CSCS where the role needs it — not a guess from a CV line
SMSTS (and related site tickets) for managers who claim to run live works
Whether they have actually held a site, a contract, a fire risk assessment programme, or a property portfolio — not only a title
Right to work in the UK, as every employer must check: gov.uk/check-job-applicant-right-to-work

Site safety duties sit with the employer and the dutyholders under CDM. See the HSE construction pages and CDM 2015 on legislation.gov.uk. VS Recruitment is a headhunter, not a health and safety adviser.

Typical searches

Roles she is asked to find.

Site managers and project managers
Facilities and contract managers
Fire risk assessors
Operations and property roles
Regional and commercial management in construction and FM

The roles

What built sector recruitment actually covers.

Viktorija was head of recruitment for a national facilities business. She hired the full FM stack: site managers, fire risk assessors, contract and facilities leaders. VS Recruitment is the specialist search that came after that — a named brief, £450 to start, discreet hires, no job board.

Site manager recruitment

Site manager recruitment fails when the brief is an advert and a spreadsheet. A PDF can say site manager. It cannot tell you whether they have held a live new-build, a refurbishment in an occupied building, or a programme that still had to trade. Where the role needs it, CSCS and SMSTS are checked, not assumed from a CV line. The person who can run the site is usually already on one. They take a call. They do not apply to a generic vacancy.

Fire risk assessor recruitment

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 still places the duty on the responsible person. Appointing an assessor does not move that duty. Fire risk assessor recruitment is not a commodity search: a warehouse, a school, and the common parts of a residential block are not the same brief. See GOV.UK on workplace fire safety. Viktorija searches for people who can produce a suitable and sufficient assessment, not a reprinted template.

Facilities manager recruitment

Facilities manager covers everything from a single building supervisor to a director running a national contract. Volume desks flatten that. You need someone who has held the P&L, the client, and the winter when the plant failed — not a helpdesk lead with a promoted title. Contract managers sit in the same search: they run the building as an operating asset. Soft-FM operatives exist in the network. A £450 named search is for the person who runs them, not for filling a cleaning rota.

Questions

FAQs

What does built sector recruitment cover?

Construction, facilities and property leadership: site, project and construction managers, facilities and contract managers, hard and soft FM leads, fire risk assessors, building safety and compliance roles, and property and estates operations. The search is for the person who runs the work, not for filling an operative rota.

Do you check CSCS, SMSTS and other site tickets?

Where the role needs them, yes. CSCS, SMSTS or SSSTS and any sector cards are checked against the brief, not assumed from a CV line. A card shows training has been completed; interview scenarios test whether the person can apply it on a live site or contract.

Can a built sector search stay confidential?

Yes. Roles are not advertised. Viktorija approaches people one conversation at a time, and your company name is shared only when there is a reason to and you have agreed it. That suits replacing an incumbent, preparing for a bid or mobilising a contract before it is announced.

Does hiring a site manager or fire risk assessor move our legal duties?

No. Duties under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 sit with the client, designers and contractors as dutyholders, and duties under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 sit with the responsible person. A good hire helps you meet those duties; it does not transfer them. VS Recruitment is a headhunter, not a health and safety adviser.

How long does a built sector search take?

It depends on the brief, the location and the notice periods of the people who fit, and site and contract leaders are usually tied to live work. You will hear early whether the network can reach the right people, rather than after a fortnight of sorting CVs.

What does the £450 fee cover?

It opens a named, network-only search: a tightened brief, confidential approaches through Viktorija’s network and a shortlist she will stand behind. It is not a listing charge or payment for a batch of unsolicited CVs. If the brief is not a fit, she will say so before anyone pays.

A short note is enough. If it is not a fit, she will say so.

Start a search

Built sector recruitment for UK employers who are tired of CV spray.