Director of Operations UK & Ireland

Who are we

At aparto were more than just student accommodation were a community that acts as a home-away-from-home for students across the UK Ireland Italy and Spain. We understand that university life is a significant transition for many often marking the first time theyve lived away from their families. Thats why we strive to make aparto not just a place to stay but a vibrant supportive environment where students can make lifelong friends discover new possibilities and have experiences that will shape their futures.

Responsible for oversight of the UK and Ireland aparto business. The portfolio is currently 10 properties across the UK and 6 in Dublin with further growth anticipated.

The successful candidate will maintain responsibility for financial performance and achievement of performance goals across all properties. The will ensures successful administration of talent management operations quality control governance procurement and supporting investor/owner/client communication activities for UK and Ireland. They will ensure that our buildings operate safely efficiently and profitably while delivering an outstanding resident experience that differentiates aparto in the market. They will be responsible for leading a team to drive continuous improvement and partner closely with asset management marketing and finance to ensure the portfolio meets commercial objectives.

Operational Leadership

• Lead the sales and operational strategy for the UK & Ireland portfolio ensuring consistent high-quality service delivery across all properties.
• Oversee day-to-day operations including H&S compliance facilities management guest experience and community engagement.
• Ensure all buildings operate in line with brand standards legal requirements and investor expectations.
• Oversee 3rd party client relationships.
• Develop industry wide network and pitch for new 3rd party mandates.

Commercial Performance

• Work closely with Asset Management to deliver annual budgets operating plans and financial targets.
• Work closely alongside the Marketing Managers to develop and deliver marketing strategy.
• Oversee the sales function including agent strategy.
• Monitor occupancy revenue cost control and financial performance across the portfolio.
• Identify opportunities to enhance income reduce costs and improve operational efficiency.

Property & Facilities Management

• Partner with the Facilities Management team to ensure buildings are well-maintained safe and aligned with lifecycle plans.
• Support mobilisation of new developments and refurbishments ensuring smooth handover into operations.
• Oversee procurement and contractor performance to ensure value for money and service quality.
  Manage new mobilisations (including set up of systems recruitment marketing strategy) and oversee refurbishments.
• Deliver Environmental goals and ensure compliance.

Health Safety & Compliance

• Ensure full compliance with statutory and brand standards across all buildings.
• Oversee risk management incident reporting and audit processes.
• Drive a proactive safety culture across the operational teams.
• Ensure strict adherence with local market standards laws and regulations.

Team Management & Culture

• Lead coach and develop Regional Operations Managers and central support teams.
• Build a culture of accountability empowerment and hospitality-led service.
• Ensure staffing models recruitment and training programmes support operational excellence and peak trading periods.
• Champion the aparto brand and ensure a consistently exceptional resident journey from enquiry to move-out.
• Work alongside Marketing Managers to support community programming wellbeing initiatives and service innovation.
• Use resident feedback NPS and data insights to drive continuous improvement.

Strategic Projects & Innovation

• Support initiatives to improve systems processes and resident experience.
• Support digital transformation across operations including CRM FM systems and resident engagement platforms.
• Benchmark aparto against competitors and wider hospitality sectors to maintain market-leading standards.

Essential

• Experience in a similar Director of Operations role within student accommodation.
• Proven track record of managing multi-site operations.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience overseeing sales delivering budgets and improving financial performance.
• Deep understanding of H&S compliance and property operations.
• Exceptional leadership skills with the ability to inspire influence and develop teams.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.

Desirable

• Experience mobilising new developments or large refurbishments.
• Experience working with private equity or institutional investors.
• Knowledge of UK and Irish regulatory frameworks for residential accommodation.
• Experience with summer lettings and/or hostel operations.
• Demonstrated success with new business pursuits and third-party business.

Personal Attributes

• Passionate about delivering exceptional service.
• Strategic thinker with a hands-on solutions-focused approach.
• Calm under pressure resilient and adaptable.
• Collaborative transparent and commercially minded.
• A natural leader who builds trust and drives performance.

At Hines we strive for excellence as a leading global real estate investment manager driven by our by our belief that real estate is fundamentally about people. Our diverse portfolio spans $93.2 billion¹ of assets across such property types as living office retail mixed-use logistics and life science projects all designed to enhance value connection and inspiration. Our strategic approach integrates local expertise with global knowledge taking calculated risks aligned with our convictions to exceed expectations and tailor solutions to our clients needs.

While our projects are renowned for enhancing cities and pioneering sustainable practices we recognize that the true driving force behind Hines success is our 5000 dedicated employees in 30 countries who draw on our 65-year history to build the world forward. This is why we prioritize investing in our people offering comprehensive training competitive compensation robust benefits and generous vacation packages. By centering our focus on the growth and wellbeing of our team we cultivate an inclusive environment where everyone including our clients can thrive.

Hines is proud to be named to Fast Companys prestigious annual list of the Worlds Most Innovative Companies for 2024. ¹Includes both the global Hines organization and RIA AUM as of December 31 2023.

We are an equal opportunity employer and support workforce diversity.

No calls or emails from third parties at this time please.