Residence Manager

Downing; Manchester; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Downing, a leading luxury residential developer, is seeking a Residence Manager for The Fernley in Manchester to lead day-to-day operations of a 700-resident, mixed-tenure building and to drive a five-star resident experience.

Reporting to Head of Operations, you will manage the Resident Services and Maintenance teams, coordinate with central functions, ensure compliance, and help deliver high occupancy, retention and service quality for a premier living environment.

Qualifications

• Proven management experience within residential property, hospitality, serviced apartments, Build to Rent (BTR) or a comparable customer-focused operational environment.
• Experience leading and developing customer-facing operational teams, ideally including maintenance or facilities colleagues.
• Strong operational management skills, with the ability to take ownership of a large, complex building serving different customer groups.
• A track record of delivering excellent customer service, managing complaints and improving satisfaction against measurable targets.
• Commercial awareness and an understanding of the relationship between service quality, occupancy, retention, revenue and financial performance.
• Experience coordinating apartment readiness, resident transitions, contractors or short-stay operations is advantageous.
• Good understanding of Health & Safety, fire safety and operational compliance.
• Excellent people-management, communication and organisational skills, with the ability to balance competing operational and commercial priorities.
• A proactive, hands-on approach to leadership, with the ability to build an inclusive team culture and deliver consistently high standards.
• Knowledge of the Renters' Rights Act and wider residential tenancy legislation as desirable.
• Experience using property management or CRM systems such as HubSpot, MRI or KX as desirable.

Responsibilities

• Take overall responsibility for the day-to-day operation of The Fernley, ensuring consistently high standards across a mixed-tenure residential building accommodating long-term residents, students and short-stay guests.
• Lead, manage and develop the Resident Services and Maintenance teams, creating a collaborative, accountable and high-performing site culture.
• Oversee contracted Cleaning and Security services, delegating day-to-day tasks and monitoring performance against agreed standards and SLAs.
• Deliver a high-quality residential experience tailored to the differing needs of residents and guests, taking ownership of escalated complaints and driving service improvements.
• Monitor resident feedback, satisfaction and service performance, working towards the Square Gardens Net Promoter Score (NPS) target of +60.
• Oversee move-ins, move-outs, apartment inspections and short-stay arrivals and departures, ensuring apartments are prepared, presented and available within required timescales.
• Coordinate Resident Services, Maintenance and Cleaning to manage apartment readiness, minimise turnaround times and maintain high presentation standards.
• Oversee planned and reactive maintenance, contractor activity and building inspections, ensuring issues are prioritised and resolved effectively.
• Ensure compliance with relevant legislation, company procedures, Health & Safety and fire safety requirements, maintaining accurate records and effective operational controls.
• Drive operational and commercial performance by supporting occupancy, retention, renewals, new lettings and short-stay accommodation activity in partnership with central Sales teams.
• Work collaboratively with the Residence Manager of Acer Tower to ensure consistent operational standards across Square Gardens, providing management support and cover when required.
• Manage controllable expenditure, monitor operational KPIs and provide accurate reporting to senior management, identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and performance.
• Develop a strong, inclusive residential community through effective communications, engagement activities and events, while respecting residents' privacy, differing lifestyles and cultural diversity.
• Build positive relationships with residents, colleagues, contractors and relevant external stakeholders, protecting and enhancing the reputation of The Fernley and Square Gardens.

Job description

Based at Square Gardens, Manchester, one of the UK’s largest and most prestigious residential developments, the Residence Manager is responsible for the day-to-day leadership, operational and commercial performance of a premium, service-led residential experience at The Fernley, a luxury residential community of 700 residents, accommodating long-term professional residents, students and short-stay guests. Reporting directly into the Head of Operations, this is a highly visible, hands-on role requiring strong leadership of a multidisciplinary site team, with direct management responsibility for the Resident Services and Maintenance teams, accountable for delivering an exceptional resident experience that reflects a five-star standard, ensuring every aspect of the building operates seamlessly and to the highest level of quality.

Working closely with central Operations, Sales and other support functions, the Residence Manager will maintain high operational standards, ensure issues are owned through to resolution and retain clear accountability for delivery within The Fernley.

Downing are an award-winning leading developer, owner, and operator of bespoke, luxury student accommodation, co-living, residential and commercial property across the UK. We have been operating for over 38 years and currently have 14 operational schemes in 10 major cities, with a further £1.6bn of upcoming developments in our pipeline.

Key Responsibilities:

• Take overall responsibility for the day-to-day operation of The Fernley, ensuring consistently high standards across a mixed-tenure residential building accommodating long-term residents, students and short-stay guests.
• Lead, manage and develop the Resident Services and Maintenance teams, creating a collaborative, accountable and high-performing site culture.
• Oversee contracted Cleaning and Security services, delegating day-to-day tasks and monitoring performance against agreed standards and SLAs.
• Deliver a high-quality residential experience tailored to the differing needs of residents and guests, taking ownership of escalated complaints and driving service improvements.
• Monitor resident feedback, satisfaction and service performance, working towards the Square Gardens Net Promoter Score (NPS) target of +60.
• Oversee move-ins, move-outs, apartment inspections and short-stay arrivals and departures, ensuring apartments are prepared, presented and available within required timescales.
• Coordinate Resident Services, Maintenance and Cleaning to manage apartment readiness, minimise turnaround times and maintain high presentation standards.
• Oversee planned and reactive maintenance, contractor activity and building inspections, ensuring issues are prioritised and resolved effectively.
• Ensure compliance with relevant legislation, company procedures, Health & Safety and fire safety requirements, maintaining accurate records and effective operational controls.
• Drive operational and commercial performance by supporting occupancy, retention, renewals, new lettings and short-stay accommodation activity in partnership with central Sales teams.
• Work collaboratively with the Residence Manager of Acer Tower to ensure consistent operational standards across Square Gardens, providing management support and cover when required.
• Manage controllable expenditure, monitor operational KPIs and provide accurate reporting to senior management, identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and performance.
• Develop a strong, inclusive residential community through effective communications, engagement activities and events, while respecting residents' privacy, differing lifestyles and cultural diversity.
• Build positive relationships with residents, colleagues, contractors and relevant external stakeholders, protecting and enhancing the reputation of The Fernley and Square Gardens.

Person Specification:

• Proven management experience within residential property, hospitality, serviced apartments, Build to Rent (BTR) or a comparable customer-focused operational environment.
• Experience leading and developing customer-facing operational teams, ideally including maintenance or facilities colleagues.
• Strong operational management skills, with the ability to take ownership of a large, complex building serving different customer groups.
• A track record of delivering excellent customer service, managing complaints and improving satisfaction against measurable targets.
• Commercial awareness and an understanding of the relationship between service quality, occupancy, retention, revenue and financial performance.
• Experience coordinating apartment readiness, resident transitions, contractors or short-stay operations is advantageous.
• Good understanding of Health & Safety, fire safety and operational compliance.
• Excellent people-management, communication and organisational skills, with the ability to balance competing operational and commercial priorities.
• A proactive, hands-on approach to leadership, with the ability to build an inclusive team culture and deliver consistently high standards.
• Knowledge of the Renters' Rights Act and wider residential tenancy legislation as desirable.
• Experience using property management or CRM systems such as HubSpot, MRI or KX as desirable.

Additional Information:

• There is requirement to work 1 Saturday in 5 on a rota basis with a lieu day off the following week.
• There will also be a requirement to work overtime on weekends in line with peak tenancy periods.