Job profile
Facility Manager (m/f/d)
You can find out exactly what your tasks are, what earning opportunities there are and what skills you need here.
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Are you looking for a Facility Manager (m/f/d)?
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What is a facility manager? Definition and overview
Importance of facility management: an expertise that should not be underestimated
Facility management translates as property management or building management.
Facility management (FM) therefore refers to all processes and services that ensure the safety and functionality of buildings and facilities. We humans spend around 87% of our time in buildings, which is why facility management is so important for our everyday lives.
In many cases, the facility manager has a technical, business or construction management background. Knowledge from these areas is important in facility management in order to overcome challenges such as energy efficiency, maintenance work, project management and personnel deployment.
There is often a misconception that a facility manager is the same as a janitor. However, the role of facility manager is usually much broader and often refers to a management position that requires specific training or a degree. Rather, the janitor is a component of facility management, while FM itself is an umbrella term that covers many different topics. In addition, as a facility manager you are often responsible for several properties or construction projects at the same time.
Facility management should not be underestimated, as it covers a broad range of tasks and therefore requires knowledge from a wide variety of areas. This is why a degree in facility management provides an excellent basis for a career and is also a prerequisite for a position in FM in many companies.
Facility manager salary: a comprehensive overview
Starting salary as a facility manager: Junior facility manager salary
Facility management tasks: What does a facility manager do?
The tasks of facility managers are varied and range from coordinating janitors and cleaning staff to materials management and IT activities. They plan the optimal management of individual or several buildings and their infrastructure and monitor the operation of systems such as the heating system or energy supply.
You therefore spend most of your time coordinating staff and liaising with various people, processing invoices and keeping an eye on the big picture. After all, as a facility manager, you are the interface between the client or owner and the people who take care of the various maintenance measures. The aim is always to keep large buildings, facilities, plants or factories in perfect condition and to enable efficient management.
As a facility manager, you ensure order in and around the building, organize and manage the winter service, calculate the costs for your client, communicate with the tenants, take care of the heating and air conditioning systems and ensure that problems are rectified as quickly as possible. You also have to be quick, polite and efficient.
Specific facility management tasks can be
- Commercial planning and optimization of building management
- Planning and monitoring of renovation projects
- Maintenance of systems, commissioning of repair work
- Supervise the construction and planning phase of a building
- Planning and management of investment projects
- Purchase of materials
- Office services (e.g. organizing catering)
- Planning the deployment of personnel
- Communication with tenants
- Record and document management data
In some cases, the broad field of facility management is divided into three areas: infrastructural, technical and commercial management. This means that your tasks may differ depending on the focus or may only relate to one of these fields.
How do you become a facility manager? - Training, studies & further education
Facility Management studies: the academic path
For a career in facility management, a facility management degree is recommended, as this professional field is more complex than many people initially think. The Facility Management course combines business, social and technical aspects of building management and should therefore not be underestimated.
Some universities and, in particular, universities of applied sciences offer courses in this field. A Bachelor's degree in Facility Management usually lasts six semesters and can also be completed in the form of a dual course of study.
The course covers important topics such as construction informatics, financing, building technology and much more.
Possible degree programs in Facility Management in Germany are:
- Facility Management Bachelor of Arts at IU University (distance learning)
- Building, Energy and Air Conditioning Technology Bachelor or Diploma at the FH Zwickau
- Real Estate and Facility Management Bachelor at the FH Münster
- Industrial Engineering - Technical Facility Management Bachelor at the Westfälische Hochschule
In many cases, the respective university also requires internships or an internship semester in order to gain the necessary experience for later professional life.
However, there are also other fields of study that will prepare you for a career in facility management. These include architecture, business administration, real estate management and others.
Facility manager training: a practical alternative
Facility manager training enables you to work as a building and property manager even without an academic background. The Facility Management Specialist course is suitable for this in accordance with the quality standards of GEFMA, the German Association for Facility Management. Over several days, you will learn all the important knowledge and skills you need for a career as a facility manager.
Possible facility management training courses are
Further training: Facility Management
There are many different further and advanced training courses in the field of facility management and building management. For you as a facility manager, further training is very important to keep up to date with the latest developments, such as smart homes and security.
Such courses and facility management training are available at various locations, in person or online.
Possible topics for further training in facility management are:
- Smart Home
- Building security and property protection
- Energy efficiency and sustainability
- Facility management for janitors
- Facility Management Basics
Facility Manager lateral entry
Skills of a facility manager: hard and soft skills
- (Construction) technical understanding
- IT skills (GEFMA-certified CAFM systems, MS Office)
- Affinity for numbers and statistics
- Business management knowledge
- Strong communication skills and ability to work in a team
- Further education certificates from an academy or vocational school
- Leadership qualities
- English language skills
- Assertiveness
- Outstanding reliability
The FM associations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland cite the following points as important components of a facility manager's mindset:
- Critical and analytical thinking
- Creativity
- Problem solution
- Resilience
Locations: Where are facility managers deployed?
Facility managers can be deployed in any type of building. Whether it's an apartment building, company headquarters, swimming pool, factory or hospital, facility managers ensure that these facilities are optimally maintained and managed.
They are largely responsible for ensuring that the people who spend time in the respective locations feel comfortable and safe there.
As a facility manager, you can be employed directly by the companies whose buildings you look after or work for a facility management service provider. The locations and sectors in which facility managers are needed are extremely diverse.
Facility manager career: opportunities on the job market
Both specialists and graduates of facility management courses have a good chance of finding a job quickly. The real estate industry is booming and therefore offers many jobs for facility managers. If you specialize in sustainability, you have particularly good career prospects in facility management. This is because planning energy-efficient renovations or optimizing buildings is an important topic for many companies in the course of the energy transition.
Digitalization is also playing an increasingly important role in facility management: smart homes, building networking, data management and much more are among the daily challenges in this area. Skills and knowledge of digital tools and digitalization are therefore particularly advantageous.
Top vacancies for facility managers: jobs throughout Germany
FAQ
As a facility manager in Germany, you will earn an average of €47,000 gross per year, although higher pay is very possible depending on location and company size. After a bachelor's degree, you can expect a starting salary of around €30,000.
As a facility manager in Germany, you will earn an average of €47,000 gross per year, although higher pay is very possible depending on location and company size. After a bachelor's degree, you can expect a starting salary of around €30,000.