Facility Managers Pilot Project
Bringing support closer to building users
The Site Operations Sector has launched a Facility Managers pilot project to provide a more visible, proactive and coordinated facility support service within a selection of CERN buildings.
The initiative supports the fifth pillar of the CERN Strategy for 2026-2030, Organisational Excellence, by contributing to three key objectives:
- Safety first, safety always
- Enhance efficiency and simplify administrative processes
- Develop and improve CERN’s campuses
The pilot introduces two dedicated Facility Managers who serve as local points of contact for people working in and using the buildings. Through regular on-site presence and proactive monitoring of facilities, they will help improve safety, operational efficiency and provide rapid solutions whenever possible.
The pilot runs from August 2026 to March 2027 and covers two building clusters:
- Cluster 1: Buildings 33, 4, 5
- Cluster 2: The Main Building (Buildings 500, 501, 503, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 50, 53)
These buildings have been selected to represent a variety of offices, auditoriums, service areas, and public spaces across the CERN sites.
Anyone working in or using the selected buildings is encouraged to contact their Facility Manager for any facility-related inquiries. Please note that the Facility Managers are no longer present at CCSC.
| Cluster 1 | Cluster 2 |
|---|---|
| facility.manager.building.4.5.33@cern.ch | facility.manager.main.building@cern.ch |
| +41 (0) 75 411 97 39 | +41 (0) 75 411 97 40 |
What does a Facility Manager do?
Facility Managers work closely with people using the buildings, service providers and technical teams to ensure that facilities remain safe, functional and well maintained. Their responsibilities include:
Supporting building users
- Acting as a single point of contact for facility-related questions and requests.
- Providing on-site support and assistance.
- Following up on requests and ensuring their timely resolution.
- Supporting the distribution of mail and parcels.
Monitoring buildings and services
- Conducting regular inspections of offices, common areas and facilities.
- Monitoring cleanliness, equipment condition and safety-related aspects.
- Identifying potential issues before they affect building operations.
Coordinating maintenance activities
- Supporting preventive maintenance.
- Coordinating follow-up actions with service providers and technical teams.
- Helping to prioritise requests and ensuring that urgent issues are addressed appropriately.
Resolving minor issues
- Resolving minor issues directly on site whenever possible.
- Facilitating rapid resolution for small maintenance or housekeeping matters.
Facility Managers and TSOs
The Facility Manager role complements, but does not replace, the role of the Territorial Safety Officer (TSO).
The Facility Manager provides day-to-day operational support and acts as a local point of contact for building occupants. It includes delivering mails, verifying cleaning, coordinating building services, following up requests, carrying out routine checks, identifying minor issues and ensuring that they are addressed or escalated to the appropriate service. The role also aims to address building-related issues proactively, reducing the need for occupants to raise service requests.
The TSO retains the formal safety role and mandate for the building. The TSO remains responsible for all safety-related oversight as defined here: https://hse.cern/tso-info-hub. A Facility Manager may support the TSO by identifying and reporting anomalies during routine rounds but will neither replace the TSO nor assume the TSO’s responsibilities.
The pilot aims to establish clear boundaries between operational support and safety oversight, allowing Facility Managers to focus on building services while enabling TSOs to concentrate on their safety mandate. The detailed interaction and responsibilities are currently being defined through a clear RACI. This will be tested and refined during the pilot based on feedback from TSOs and building occupants as part of the pilot.
Help us improve the service
As this is a pilot project, feedback from the CERN community will play a key role in evaluating the initiative.
Occupants of the pilot buildings will be invited to participate in surveys during the pilot to assess the service, identify areas for improvement and help determine whether the Facility Manager model could be extended to other CERN buildings in the future.
We also encourage building users to speak directly with their Facility Manager. Whether you have a question, a suggestion or feedback on the service, your input will help us improve the support provided and shape the future of facility management at CERN.