Role: Director of Property

Background

After working with the client for three years, the recruitment team was tasked with filling the crucial Director of Property position. This role would be central to managing the client's expanding BTR portfolio, representing a substantial investment in the UK residential sector.

The position required exceptional leadership to oversee multiple large-scale residential communities totalling over 2,500 units across major UK cities, with responsibility for operational excellence, financial performance, and resident satisfaction.

Solution

The search required a candidate with proven experience in managing large residential portfolios, preferably within the BTR or PRS sectors.

The ideal profile included senior operational leadership in multi-site residential management, strong financial and commercial acumen, experience with institutional investors or REITs, and demonstrable success in team development and cultural leadership.

Given the strategic importance of this role to the client's relationship with their institutional investor partner, the position also required someone who could operate effectively at board level while maintaining hands-on awareness of operational realities.

The team implemented a multi-channel talent acquisition strategy that combined several specialised approaches:

• Project lead had over a decade of industry experience
• Sector specific network activation
• Market intelligence gathering
• Behavioural assessment framework
• Panel interviews & stakeholder engagement

Results

The search concluded with exceptional outcomes:

• Identified and secured a candidate with over 15 years of residential property leadership experience, including 7 years specifically in institutional BTR management
• Completed the entire search process within 6 weeks, faster than the industry average for director-level appointments
• Achieved a 90% candidate retention rate during the process, reflecting the quality of engagement and the attractiveness of the opportunity
• Delivered a 100% satisfaction rating from both the client's leadership and their institutional investor partner representatives