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Description

Office Manager: Managing Facilities, Budget and Suppliers

Mastering the four pillars of the role: workplace environment, budget, suppliers and team support

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Intermediate
  • Up to 6 participants

The office manager inherits everything that has no clear owner: the premises, service contracts, day-to-day spending, the arrival of new joiners. The role is defined by accumulation and eventually narrows down to urgent execution, with no overall view and no room to negotiate.

Two days to regain control of the four missions that structure the function: the workplace environment, administrative and budget monitoring, supplier relationships and support to teams. Each mission is addressed with its own management tools and applied to the participant's own scope.

Learning objectives

  • Define the four missions of the role and the responsibilities attached to each
  • Manage the workplace environment and services provided to employees
  • Monitor an operating budget and explain variances
  • Select and manage suppliers over time
  • Contribute to the onboarding of new joiners and to internal communication

What makes this programme different

Each mission is translated into management indicators that can be applied immediately on return to work
A supplier consultation is prepared from start to finish on a real requirement
The scope of the role is renegotiated in a simulation with a management team that keeps adding tasks

Programme

1Framing the role and its four missions

Moving beyond the catch-all job

  • List the activities actually carried out and the workload they represent
  • Allocate these activities across the four missions of the role
  • Identify what belongs to another department and make it known
  • Set the management indicators for each mission

2Managing the workplace environment

Premises and services that keep pace with the business

  • Organise spaces and equipment according to how they are used
  • Handle day-to-day requests without being overwhelmed
  • Prepare a fit-out or an office relocation
  • Track obligations relating to the premises and to the safety of occupants

3Controlling the budget and suppliers

Negotiating and monitoring rather than absorbing invoices

  • Build and monitor an annual operating budget
  • Prepare a consultation and compare offers
  • Negotiate terms and formalise the commitment
  • Assess the service delivered and conduct a review meeting

4Supporting the teams

The role as an internal point of support

  • Organise the arrival and equipment of new joiners
  • Relay internal information and coordinate collective moments
  • Respond to employee requests with a defined service level
  • Escalate recurring irritants to management

Who is it for

Office managers in post and executive assistants whose scope has expanded to include facilities management and support to teams.

Prerequisites

Hold an office manager or assistant role that includes responsibility for general services and facilities.

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.