About Our Client
Established in the early 2020s, our client is a specialist UK residential living investment management business, acquiring, developing, managing and operating high-quality rental property across London and key regional cities on behalf of institutional capital partners. The senior team brings 25+ years' average experience in UK residential, with an ambition to become a leading specialist investment and development manager of residential communities. The business is backed by a major institutional asset manager.
About the Role
This role bridges strategic plans and day-to-day delivery across a diverse BTR portfolio, combining strategic asset management, operational efficiency and exemplary customer service. It's not a traditional operator-side role - this is an owner-manager platform within an institutional private equity environment, so the successful candidate must balance strategic asset performance, operator oversight and investor-grade reporting with hands-on problem solving in a lean team.
You'll work closely with outsourced operating partners and the senior management team to implement strategic plans, ensuring all third-party managed properties perform optimally and deliver exceptional resident service. Based in London, with travel across UK regional schemes.
About You
An experienced operations leader with a strong multi-site property management background in Build-to-Rent or a comparable sector, and proven expertise managing third-party operators/managing agents on operational excellence, financial performance and customer experience. You combine strategic thinking with hands-on execution - driving occupancy, rent growth and cost efficiencies while maintaining compliance and risk management - and lead in a way that keeps internal teams and external partners aligned.
Contract management, financial oversight, H&S compliance and resident engagement experience are all beneficial, alongside a commercial mindset. You're comfortable in a scaling platform where processes and governance are still evolving.
Key Accountabilities
- Build a collaborative relationship with outsourced operators, aligning on goals and standards.
- Drive leasing/renewal strategy with operators and property teams to maximise occupancy and retention.
- Monitor compliance with rental housing regulations and stay ahead of local market/economic trends.
- Support accurate, decision-useful performance reporting for senior management and capital partners.
- Assess property performance metrics with operators, identifying efficiency and satisfaction improvements.
- Drive asset NOI through revenue growth, occupancy and cost control, working with an engaged property team.
- Evaluate operator performance (including customer/team feedback) and act on findings.
- Feed operational insight into design and development for new schemes.
- Support the Operations Director on plans against KPIs spanning occupancy, H&S, satisfaction and asset management.
KPIs: Revenue Performance, NOI, Rental Phasing, Average Rent, Monthly Occupancy, Cost Management, Arrears %, Bad debt %
Customer Service
- Ensure the operator delivers a consistently exceptional customer experience and the company's social values across schemes.
- Oversee community engagement - resident events, communications, and initiatives.
- Drive improvements to service delivery and reporting.
KPIs: Customer satisfaction, NPS, Social value KPIs
Develop and Manage Team
- Foster a culture with the operating partner that motivates onsite teams toward efficiency and service.
- Ensure legislative compliance (Housing Act, H&S, data protection).
- Provide a clear framework for team execution and engagement.
- Support recruitment, coaching and succession planning for key property team members.
KPIs: Employee retention, Employee satisfaction, H&S risk assessments
Protect and Nurture the Asset
- Support compliance on health, safety and fire safety.
- Ensure properties meet appearance/physical standards; run regular building audits.
- Work with the operator on successful building mobilisation and aftercare.
Qualifications, Experience and Role Requirements
Essential:
- Leadership experience in build-to-rent or comparable purpose-built residential asset classes, with a track record of team development and delivery.
- Considerable multisite operational experience, spanning administrative and procedural functions.
- Strong grasp of operational P&L, NOI drivers, budgeting, variance analysis and cost control; ability to challenge operator budgets and spot commercial upside.
- Resilient, customer-service-driven, and a strategic thinker able to give timely, concise advice.
- Articulate communicator, confident presenting operational initiatives and outcomes in writing and orally.
- Strong business systems proficiency.
- Practical knowledge of UK landlord/tenant legislation, housing regulation, rent reform and H&S requirements.
- Flexibility for occasional urgent out-of-hours support.
Desirable:
- Experience implementing/developing a CRM system.
- Propertymark Level 3+, IRPM Level 3+, and IOSH qualifications.
- Experience managing a third-party operator/managing agent.
