Commercial Real Estate, Property & Facilities Management Talent

What sets this sector apart

City engineer licenses and union locals matter; FM providers hire per contract account and need speed when they win one.

How the search runs

What the work looks like inside a building that never closes

Facilities and property teams keep occupied buildings working while people are in them. A technician on this kind of team might start the morning checking rooftop units and a boiler room, spend midday on a tenant ticket for a dead outlet or a dripping ceiling tile, and finish by walking a mechanical room with a vendor. The tools are ordinary and the range is wide: multimeters, manifold gauges, pipe wrenches, belt gauges, lift access, a laptop for the building automation front end.

The employer on these searches is an owner, a management company, a hospital, a school system or a campus. They need hands-on people who can fix things themselves, not people who only write work orders for vendors.

Service, new construction and industrial scope

Almost all facilities work is service and maintenance, and that shapes who succeeds. Someone from new construction is used to open ceilings, clean rough-in and a defined finish date. In an occupied building the ceiling is closed, the tenant is watching, and the repair has to be quiet and clean. Both kinds of skill are real, but they are not interchangeable.

Industrial scope changes things when the facility has a process load, such as a lab, a kitchen, a data hall or a manufacturing floor inside a campus. Then lockout discipline and shutdown windows become part of the job.

Credentials that matter, and which are licenses

Facilities roles pull from several trades, so the credential picture is mixed. Electricians, plumbers and some HVAC technicians may need individual licenses, and whether they do depends on the state, county or city. Some places require a license for any electrical or plumbing work, others allow maintenance staff employed by the building owner to work under narrower rules. We do not guess. Check with the issuing board for the work location.

Certifications are a separate category. The federal refrigerant certification applies to anyone handling regulated refrigerants. Boiler operator, stationary engineer and similar credentials are issued by some states and cities and not others. Employer training such as lockout and arc flash awareness is a company requirement, not a license. We record which is which on every candidate summary.

Fit versus job title

Titles in this field drift. A maintenance technician at one portfolio is a multi-trade generalist, and at another is a single-skill helper. A building engineer can mean a chief in a high-rise or a lone person covering a small office. We write the brief from the real duties instead of the posted title.

Fit also depends on temperament. Facilities work rewards patience with tenants, willingness to take a call after hours when on rotation, and comfort being the one person who knows why the third floor runs warm. Someone who loves a fast production pace may be bored. Someone who wants variety will often be happy.

This search is for hands-on individual contributors. Supervisors and managers belong with our sister firm.

Where qualified people work today

Strong candidates are usually employed by competing building owners, hospital systems, universities, outside service contractors who maintain those buildings, and the mechanical or electrical contractors who hold service agreements. Some come from the military or from plant maintenance and want a steadier schedule.

A contractor technician who is tired of drive time often looks at an in-house role, and an in-house technician who wants broader equipment looks at the contractor side. Because both directions happen, we ask candidates what they are moving toward, not just what they are leaving.

How we qualify candidates

We start with a conversation about the last building worked, its size, its systems and who the person answered to. Then we go through specifics: how they trace a recurring comfort complaint, how they decide whether to repair or recommend replacement, what they do when a vendor says one thing and the equipment shows another.

Useful questions include which equipment they have personally serviced, whether they have worked in a mechanical room with a building automation system, how they document repairs, and how they handle a tenant who is upset. We then verify any license or certification with the issuer where that is practical, and we report what we confirmed and what we did not.

Red flags we watch for

A resume listing every trade at expert level deserves a closer look. Real generalists can usually describe where they are strongest and where they call for help. Other signals include reluctance to discuss a license that the work seems to require, and no interest in the on-call structure.

How this particular search runs

We begin by getting the facility picture from you: building types, equipment, whether work is union or open shop, on-call expectations, and whether the person will work alone or beside others. We write a short brief that candidates can react to, which saves time on both sides.

Outreach goes to people already doing similar work. We submit a small number of summaries with notes on scope, credentials checked and open questions. You interview and decide. Direct hire is the standard model, with no upfront fee, and you pay only if you hire.

What happens next

1. You send the trade, scope and location. Two short steps.
2. Ivan or a senior team member will reach out soon.
3. We search, qualify people live, and send a written brief on each person we present.

Details on our process and recruiting fees.

What happens in The Six-Step Search?

Every Skilled Trades Headhunters client search follows the same six named steps. Here is what happens at each one and what you get from it.

1. 1

   Intake and calibration

   We agree on the work, location, pay, schedule and credentials before contacting anyone.

   What you get: You get a clear role profile with the deal breakers named up front.

2. 2

   Targeted market research

   We map the trade backgrounds and local or traveling talent that fit. We use relevant employer types, referrals and public license lookups where available.

   What you get: You get a search aimed at the actual work, not a job title alone.

3. 3

   Personal outreach

   We contact working tradespeople individually about the opening and what would make a move worthwhile.

   What you get: You reach people who are not replying to your job advertisement.

4. 4

   Live qualification

   Each person is talked through the scope, equipment and schedule in a live conversation. Applicable licenses are checked with the issuing authority.

   What you get: You only hear about people who understand the job and want it.

5. 5

   Written shortlist insight

   We present a short list with a written brief on each person: what they do now, what they want and what to probe.

   What you get: You interview a few people instead of reading a stack.

6. 6

   Interview and offer support

   We help you prepare interviews, discuss the offer and address counteroffers. We stay in touch through the agreed start.

   What you get: You have support for the hiring decision. The signed agreement sets the replacement terms.

Send Us Your Open Role

What we do not do

• No hourly billing and no workers on our payroll.
• No retainer unless agreed in writing.
• No reposting your opening on job boards.
• Not a same-day labor hall.
• No drug, MVR or background checks; your company runs any the role requires.

Details on how our fee works.