Lead- Soft Services (Facility Management)

"Sodexo promotes an inclusive and diverse workplace and encourages applications from individuals of all backgrounds."

Who we are

At Sodexo, we offer 100+ service solutions across diverse sectors—corporates, healthcare, education, manufacturing, and remote environments. From food & catering to facilities management and energy services, we enhance the quality of life for those we serve. Our inclusive, diverse, and equitable work environment empowers employees to thrive and make a meaningful impact.

With a strong foundation in our values of Service Spirit, Team Spirit, and Spirit of Progress, working at Sodexo is more than just a job—it’s a chance to be part of something bigger.

Join us and act with purpose every day!

Job Details:

Head of Department Lead – Soft Services (Level- Manager/Senior Manager)

Function: Facilities Management (IFM) – Soft Services

Location: Ahmedabad

Reporting To: Director / Head – Operations

Role Purpose:

The Lead– Soft Services is responsible for leading and delivering Sodexo’s soft facilities management services at the assigned client site, ensuring service excellence, safety, compliance, cost efficiency, and client satisfaction. The role drives operational performance through strong people leadership, vendor governance, innovation, and adherence to Sodexo’s global standards, values, and sustainability commitments.

Key Responsibilities:

Soft Services Operations & Service Delivery

• Lead large-scale soft services operations, managing a large team across complex, multi-site environments.
• Deliver end-to-end soft services including housekeeping, landscaping, pest control, waste management, façade cleaning, security support, pantry/cafeteria support, and customer experience services, as per contract scope.
• Ensure consistent adherence to Sodexo service standards, contractual SLAs, KPIs, health & safety norms, and quality benchmarks.
• Drive seamless mobilization from project stage to go-live, ensuring operational readiness, staffing, training, and process stabilization.

Client & Stakeholder Management

• Act as the senior operational interface for clients, end-users, and internal stakeholders, ensuring alignment with client expectations and Sodexo’s service promise.
• Proactively manage escalations, feedback, and service recovery to maintain high client satisfaction scores.
• Participate in governance meetings, reviews, and audits with clients and regulatory bodies.

Financial Management & Governance

• Own P&L responsibilities, driving cost optimization, productivity improvement, and margin enhancement.
• Contribute to preparation of annual operating plans and budgets, and manage OPEX and CAPEX in line with agreed targets.
• Track performance against functional KPIs and implement corrective actions where required.

Vendor & Compliance Management

• Lead vendor selection, onboarding, performance evaluation, and compliance management, ensuring adherence to Sodexo policies and statutory requirements.
• Ensure compliance with labour laws, contract labour regulations, EHS standards, and Sodexo governance frameworks.
• Conduct regular audits, inspections, and quality assessments to identify risks and improvement opportunities.

Safety, Sustainability & Risk Management

• Champion health, safety, and wellbeing across all soft services operations.
• Drive Sodexo’s sustainability and ESG initiatives, including eco-friendly cleaning, waste reduction, circular economy practices, and green landscaping.
• Lead incident response, emergency preparedness, and crisis management to ensure business continuity and risk mitigation.

People Leadership & Capability Building

• Build, mentor, and lead high-performing operational teams aligned to Sodexo’s People, Service, and Value pillars.
• Foster a culture of ownership, continuous improvement, collaboration, and innovation.
• Ensure training, grooming standards, succession planning, and performance management of teams.

Innovation & Continuous Improvement

• Introduce new technologies, digitization, and process improvements to enhance se