General Building Manager — Purpose-Built Student Accommodation

Sonae Sierra; Madrid; Presencial; EUR 70.000 - 90.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

Sonae Sierra in Madrid seeks an experienced on-site Operations Manager to lead maintenance, safety, and asset performance across PBSA and related properties. You will oversee a multi-disciplinary on-site team and manage service contracts to deliver high-quality facilities operations.

You will own budgets, drive occupancy and regulatory compliance, coordinate with contractors and stakeholders, and ensure readiness for emergencies with rigorous record-keeping.

Formación

• 5+ years in a customer-facing operational management role.
• Experience with PBSA, co-living, build-to-rent, or hospitality operations.
• Experience managing physical assets, maintenance, health & safety compliance.
• Direct line management of a multi-disciplinary on-site team.
• Budget ownership or input.
• Mobilisation and lease-up experience: targets for occupancy/go-live and renewals.
• University and external-stakeholder relationships with local universities, owners, and community stakeholders.
• On-call accountability for emergency response and after-hours escalation.

Responsabilidades

• Contractor management: procures, manages, and enforces SLA for on-site services (security, maintenance, cleaning).
• Water systems / Legionella: implements Legionella prevention and regular sampling per regulations.
• Thermal installations (HVAC/ACS): plans preventive maintenance and inspections.
• Electrical installations: coordinates periodic inspections and safety testing.
• Fire protection & lifts: maintains inspections and compliance for fire systems and lifts.
• Records & audit trail: keeps complete, inspection-ready logs of certificates and maintenance, tracks renewals.

Conocimientos

Leadership

On-site management

Contractor management

Facility management

Budget oversigh

Stakeholder management

Emergency response

Descripción del empleo

Sonae Sierra is a fully integrated real estate company delivering end-to-end solutions across development, management, and investment. With over 35 years of experience, we manage more than €6.8 billion in assets across a diverse range of asset classes and have built a solid track record with leading investors and financial institutions.

Our international presence spans 36 countries in Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia, supported by a team of around 900 people. Guided by strong ethical principles and a deep commitment to sustainability, we are focused on long-term value creation, operational excellence, and growth.

At Sonae Sierra, you will thrive in an open-minded, multicultural community that values diverse perspectives and expertise. Here, you are empowered to own your journey, tap into a rich ecosystem of learning, and build a meaningful career shaping the future of real estate.

Requirements:

• 5+ years in a customer-facing operational management role, ideally with at least 2 years of on-site leadership.
• Prior PBSA, co-living, or build-to-rent residential experience, OR hospitality (hotel duty/operations manager, aparthotel, F&B-led venue), OR a documented blend of front-of-house and facilities/building management across the career.
• Track record managing a physical asset: planned and reactive maintenance oversight, contractor and supplier management, health & safety compliance.
• Direct line management of a multi-disciplinary on-site team (reception, maintenance, cleaning, security).
• Budget ownership or meaningful budget input (occupancy, OpEx control, ancillary revenue).
• Mobilisation and lease-up experience: accountable for hitting occupancy and lease-up targets at go-live, driving renewals and re-bookings, and protecting the asset’s commercial performance year on year.
• University and external-stakeholder relationships: builds and maintains partnerships with local universities, the owner, and community stakeholders to support referrals, reputation, and positive town-and-gown relations.
• On-call accountability: ultimate on-site responsibility for emergency response, incident management, and out-of-hours escalation, with emergency procedures documented and regularly rehearsed.

Responsibilities

• Contractor management: procures, manages, and holds to SLA all on-site service contracts — security, planned and reactive maintenance, and cleaning — controlling cost, quality, and performance.
• Water systems / Legionella: ensures a Legionella prevention and control plan and periodic sampling/analysis by accredited bodies are in place, with records retained, in line with current Spanish regulation (RD 487/2022, as amended).
• Thermal installations (HVAC / ACS): arranges preventive maintenance and periodic inspections of heating, cooling, ventilation and domestic-hot-water systems under the RITE (RD 1027/2007).
• Electrical installations: books periodic low-voltage inspections via an authorised control body (OCA) under the REBT (RD 842/2002), and maintains routine electrical-safety testing of installations and equipment.
• Fire protection & lifts: maintains fire-protection systems and periodic inspections under the RIPCI, and lift maintenance and statutory inspections, all to the required schedules.
• Records & audit trail: keeps a complete, inspection-ready compliance log of all certificates, maintenance records, and inspection dates, and tracks renewals so no certification lapses.

If this sounds like the kind of challenge you would enjoy, we’d love to hear from you!