As we expanded to multiple locations, physical facilities maintenance, lease negotiations, and vendor contracts have turned into a mess because none of our department heads want the Facilities seat. How do we place and assign accountability for it?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When a seat has no natural home, leadership teams usually play hot potato until critical repairs fall through the cracks or unmonitored vendor contracts silently eat into margins. The root issue is trying to assign the work to people based on their personal preferences rather than organizational logic.

Start by looking at the Accountability Chart without names. Facilities, physical space maintenance, and vendor negotiations support daily operational throughput. In most businesses, this seat rolls up under Operations because the physical environment directly impacts delivery, safety, and productivity. If Operations resists, the temptation is to dump it on Finance because of lease agreements or on HR because it involves office perks. That is a mistake. Finance manages numbers and capital; they do not oversee HVAC technicians, security systems, or warehouse repairs.

Define the seat with five crystal-clear roles:
- Lease and vendor contract management
- Facility maintenance and preventive repairs
- Physical security, access control, and safety compliance
- Workspace planning and expansion execution
- Facility operating budget and vendor cost containment

Once the seat is defined under Operations, your Head of Operations must own it. Owning accountability does not mean swinging a hammer or personally negotiating every janitorial contract. It means the Head of Operations is accountable for ensuring the seat is executed, whether by an internal facilities manager, an outsourced property management firm, or an automated vendor management platform. One name must sit in the box. No orphan functions are allowed.