Industry Insights: David Stedman

David Stedman is the Facility Manager for Kinross Wolaroi, an independent Pre-K to Year 12 school in Orange, NSW.

We sat down with David in September 2024 to get his insights into facilities management.

What did your career look like prior to getting into facilities management? 

My background is mainly in irrigation and water management. Things like solar and bore pumps were my life for about 15 years. I also do a bit of woodworking and furniture restoration in my spare time. On the weekends and after hours I was doing workshops, teaching people how to make and restore things.

It was all good fun, but got a bit overwhelming time wise, I’ve always been a person who likes to go 100 miles an hour. Eventually, I got to a point where I wanted to take a step back, be able to go away on weekends and spend more time with my family, so I took a grounds maintenance role.

What have the last 12 months looked like for you?

Prior to becoming the facilities manager, I was a part of the groundskeeping staff here, doing things like fixing irrigation and mowing. I’d been doing that for a while, so when the previous Facility Manager put out an advert for an assistant, I thought it’d be interesting and a good challenge, so went for it and here we are.  

Pretty much when I started in that role, my focus was implementing the FMI Works software solution.

I had some experience in point-of-sale programs and programs setting up schedules from back in my retail days. When I came across, we were using very basic solutions, and I could see the need for something like FMI.

Things like notifying requesters that a job’s been completed and seeking feedback are that much harder when everything is done manually. I knew there was a better way to do things, and was keen to make it happen.

How did you find the transition from being "on the tools" to being a Facilities Manager? 

I had to hit the ground running! I wasn’t immune to a bit of imposter syndrome when I was getting started, and my mind is running 24/7, but it’s all positive, it’s exciting and keeps you on your toes.

What are some of the challenging aspects of your role? 

Budget is a challenge I think in facilities management. There’s an endless list of things you could do, but it’s about planning and prioritising.

For me personally, project management can be a bit of a struggle, I like to get things done immediately, but that’s not always how it works!

What's been the best part of the past year as a Facilities Manager? 

The whole year has been a highlight really. I love being able to influence things to make meaningful improvements. Getting really strong foundations in place, starting to get feedback, it’s a real buzz.

The environment we work in here too is just such a great environment. The team all get along and are really motivated, it’s a really positive place to be.

What is something you consider critical to good facilities management? 

Communication and collaboration. Keep people in the loop and make them feel heard, and actively seek feedback. I will run into people out and about, and just asking them how they feel about the new process can end up as a valuable conversation.

Moving forward I really want to get the team more involved in some of the bigger projects. We have a fantastic team here, our maintenance staff are all trade qualified and do great work.

Our maintenance staff have been in the industry for a long time, and I place a lot of value on their opinions, they’re great to bounce things off. It just makes sense to me to make the most out of the skills you have in house, to get people communicating and working together.

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