Finishing & Fit-Out Manager

1. Role Purpose

The Senior Fit-Out Manager leads the craft for this delivery. The role puts brand-standard workmanship into the hands of the site workforce: selecting tradesmen through practical trade tests, training them to defined acceptance criteria, personally leading the execution of first-article work, and raising subcontractor gangs to the same standard where trades remain subcontracted.

This is a hands-on leadership role for a person who came up through a finishing trade and has run self-perform crews on branded hotel or high-end residential fit-out. It is not a programme management or subcontractor administration role.

2. Core Responsibilities

2.1 Crew Building and Trade Testing

• Design and run practical trade tests for every tradesman considered for the self-perform crew: scored test panels built to the acceptance criteria registers in the trade ITPs (plaster flatness under straightedge, tile lippage and joint consistency, paint finish under raking light, joinery fit and alignment).
• Select and recommend tradesmen for engagement on test performance only. Maintain scored test records for every hire.
• Apply the same trade tests to subcontractor gangs before their Gate 1 release, so no workman of any employer starts on the project unverified.

2.2 Training and Room Zero

• Plan and lead the Room Zero programme: every repeating room detail built, checked, corrected, and repeated until the crew achieves first-time conformance to ITP tolerances.
• Coordinate manufacturer applicator training for the crew (adhesives, plaster systems, paint systems) and secure the associated competency certificates and extended material warranties.
• Translate the trade ITPs into practical instruction at the wall: demonstrate technique personally, correct technique personally.

2.3 MUR and First-Article Execution

• Lead the self-perform crew through the mock-up room build to zero-defect standard, sequencing trades against the approved method statements.
• Build or directly supervise the first unit of every repeating element and present it for Gate 2 first-article inspection.
• Own the rectification of any non-conformance raised on self-perform work, at root cause: retrain, retest, or remove the tradesman concerned.

2.4 Subcontractor Standards Enforcement

• For subcontracted trades, act as HFN standard-setter: brief the subcontractor foremen against the ITPs, coach their gangs on the acceptance criteria, and build alongside them at first-article stage.
• Identify workmanship risks early and instruct the subcontractor foreman on corrective technique before defects propagate. Instructions flow to the subcontractor supervision, never directly to their workmen.

2.5 Rollout Leadership and Chargehand Development

• Identify the strongest tradesmen during the MUR and develop them as chargehands, one per floor or per trade cluster, for the 66-room rollout.
• Manage rollout production against the master programme: crew allocation, sequencing, and productivity per room measured against the QS take-offs.
• Maintain first-time pass discipline as sampling rates reduce under the tiered inspection regime.

2.6 Quality System Participation

• Contribute trade knowledge to ITP revisions, method statements, and acceptance criteria where site experience shows a better standard or sequence.
• Support the evidence pack process: ensure work is presented complete, clean, and lit for the specified photographic records.
• Attend Gate 3 walkthroughs and own punch list closure velocity for self-perform scope.

3. Candidate Profile

3.1 Essential

• Came up through a finishing trade (joinery, tiling, plastering, or decorative finishes) with demonstrable personal craft skill retained to this day.
• Has led directly employed (self-perform) crews, not only subcontractor packages, on hotel or high-end residential fit-out.
• Has delivered finishes on at least one internationally branded hotel or equivalent-standard project and has lived through a brand or client quality inspection regime.
• Proven ability to train and correct tradesmen at the workface, in the languages of a Lagos site.
• 10 to 15 years or more of fit-out delivery experience, with at least 5 years in a crew leadership role.
• Able to read architectural and interior design drawings, setting-out dimensions, and finishes schedules fluently.

3.2 Desirable

• Alumni of established self-perform contractors or the delivery teams of branded hotel or high-end residential projects in Lagos.
• International fit-out exposure (UK, UAE, South Africa) combined with Lagos site experience.
• Formal construction qualification (HND, BSc, or trade certification).

4. Assessment Process

Selection is evidence-based and practical:

• Stage 1: structured interview focused on directly delivered work, crew leadership history, and brand inspection experience.
• Stage 2: practical assessment on site, including a defect identification walk of in-progress works and a technical discussion of finishing tolerances and technique.
• Stage 3: deep reference checks with previous employers, project principals, and industry contacts.
• Stage 4: paid trial period leading Room Zero preparation, with defined deliverables, before confirmation.

5. Remuneration Structure

Base salary

Top-decile Lagos market rate for the role, reflecting the scarcity of the profile and the expectation of full-time site presence

Conformance bonus

Per-floor bonus released on first-time Gate 2 pass of self-perform scope, recorded by the independent inspector

Completion bonus

Retention-style bonus vesting at hotel hard opening, rewarding continuity through the full rollout

Development

Manufacturer training and certification funded by HFN; visible progression path as the self-perform capability extends to future HFN projects