Director of Residences

Company Description

SO/ is a coveted collection of hotels, rooted in the world of fashion. Making its stylish debut on the global hotel scene in 2011, SO/ continues to command attention with its avant-garde design and creative approach to the world of luxury.

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced and visionary Director of Residences to lead our residential operations in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In this pivotal leadership role, you will oversee all aspects of residential management, ensuring exceptional living environments and experiences for our residents while maintaining operational excellence and financial accountability. This position offers the opportunity to shape residential culture, drive strategic initiatives, and lead a dynamic team in a vibrant, multicultural setting.

• We are seeking an experienced and visionary Director of Residences to lead our residential operations in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In this pivotal leadership role, you will oversee all aspects of residential management, ensuring exceptional living environments and experiences for our residents while maintaining operational excellence and financial accountability. This position offers the opportunity to shape residential culture, drive strategic initiatives, and lead a dynamic team in a vibrant, multicultural setting.

• Managing Property Operations

• • Works with Leadership Team to develop an operational strategy that is aligned with the brand’s business strategy and leads its execution.

  • Reviews Owner engagement survey and prepares yearly action plans comment cards, guest satisfaction results and other data to identify areas of improvement.

  • Adheres to operational excellence: Owner and employee engagement, financial excellence and Property Management

  • Evaluates if Operations Team is meeting service needs and provides feedback to operations team.

  • Participates in public space walk-throughs with Engineering and Housekeeping to ensure public space and back of the house areas are well maintained and preventative maintenance processes are in place.

  • Tours building on a regular basis speaking with team members, owners, and key stakeholders to understand business needs and assess operational opportunities.

  • Works with team to put sustainable work processes and systems in place that support the execution of the strategy.

  • Reviews reports and financial statements to determine the residential property is performing against the budget.

  • Communicates a clear and consistent message regarding departmental goals to produce desired results.

  • Identifies and corrects building and service defects while providing increase in value.

  • Implements high standards for all aspects of life safety, loss prevention, unit owner identity, and privacy protection.

  • Maintains complete inventory of: Unit owners’ information, parking and storage spaces, monthly Association common dues, Owners’ monthly/quarterly newsletter, hotel features, services, and hotel restaurant food concepts and information.

  • Maintains complete knowledge of and complies with all hotel and residence policies and procedures.

  Leading Operations Teams

  • Ensures team members are treated fairly and equitably.

  • Celebrates successes and publicly recognizes the contributions of team members.

  • Fosters employee commitment to providing excellent service, participating in daily stand-up meetings and models desired service behaviours in all interactions with guests and employees.

  • Develops and executes the necessary decisions to keep property moving forward toward achievement of goals.

  • Implements training and development programs related to property management reinforcing constant quality service.

  Managing Relationships with Property Stakeholders

  • Attends owners and stakeholder meetings where required, and provides monthly reports and financial statements to the key stakeholders

  • Establishes strong relationships with all owners, association to maintain a successful residential community.

  • Promotes synergy through education, communication and innovation.

  Managing Profitability

  • Works with direct reports to determine areas of concern and establish ways to improve the departments’ financial performance.

  • Prepares and operates within the constraints of the residences’ Annual budget.

  • Identifies key drivers of business success and keeping leadership focused on the critical few to achieve results.

  • Develops and implements property-wide strategies that deliver products and services to meet or exceed the needs and expectations of the brand’s target resident owner and employees and provides a return on investment.

  • Provides timely reporting of financial performance and projections to the Board.

  • Guides the Board on appropriate property management requirements and governance compliance.

  Managing the Owner Experience

  • Creates an atmosphere in all Residential common areas that meets or exceeds owners’ expectations.

  • Champions the brand’s service vision for product and service delivery and ensures alignment amongst the leadership teams.

  • Verifies core elements of the service strategy are in place to produce the desired results.

  • Establishes and maintaining open, collaborative relationships with direct reports and entire operations team. Ensures direct reports do the same for their team.

  • Interfaces with customers, (e.g., owners, vendors, guests) on a regular basis to obtain feedback on quality of product, service levels and overall satisfaction.

  • Adheres to the telephone etiquette.

  • Handles owner’s complaints by following the instant pacification procedure and verifying guest satisfaction.

  Managing and Conducting Human Resources Activities

  • Facilitates the development of creative solutions to overcome obstacles and manages the implementation to continually improve guest satisfaction results.

  • Verifies that employees are treated fairly and equitably.

  • Verifies that regular, ongoing communication is happening in Operations (e.g., pre-shift briefings, staff meetings).

  • Fosters employee commitment to providing excellent service, participates in daily stand-up meetings and models desired service behaviours in all interactions with owners, their guests, and employees.

  • Incorporates owner satisfaction as a component of staff/operations meetings with an emphasis on generating innovative ways to continually improve results.

  • Sets goals and expectations for direct reports using the performance review process and holds staff accountable for successful performance.

  • Solicits employee feedback, utilizes an “open door policy” and reviews employee satisfaction results to identify and address employee problems or concerns.

  • Verifies that property policies are administered fairly and consistently, disciplinary procedures and documentation are completed according to Standard and Local Operating Procedures (SOPs and LSOPs) and supports the Performance Review Process.

  • Conducts annual performance appraisal with direct reports according to Standard Operating Procedures.

  • Champions change, manages the implementation of brand and regional business initiatives and communicates follow-up actions to team as necessary.

Qualifications

• Minimum 7 years of progressive experience in residential operations management or related field
• Proven track record of successfully leading and managing residential teams of varying sizes
• Strong financial acumen with demonstrated experience in budget development, management, and analysis
• Excellent organizational and time management skills with the ability to prioritize multiple initiatives
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage diverse stakeholders
• Proficiency with property management systems and residential technology platforms
• Comprehensive knowledge of residential management best practices and industry standards
• Experience working in multicultural environments and managing diverse communities
• Strong problem-solving abilities and conflict resolution skills
• Demonstrated strategic planning and visionary leadership capabilities
• Knowledge of UAE regulations, labor laws, and local residential standards (preferred)
• Experience in hospitality or customer service-oriented environments (preferred)
• Project management experience with facility improvements or residential initiatives (preferred)
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and data analysis tools