Head of Property Management (Student Housing)
Location: Manchester (with UK travel as required)
About Homie
Homie is a fast-growing student housing company building a UK-wide portfolio of shared homes for second and third year students. Our mission is to build student homes that look amazing and offer a rental experience that is better than the market norm.
Launched in 2024 and already scaling quickly, Homie operates across Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Durham, Liverpool and Bristol, with a new Manchester-area hub opened in April this year. As we grow, we are building an in-house operations team to deliver a best-in- class service to our residents and drive the business forward.
About the Role
Reporting directly to the Operations Director, the Head of Property Management will be responsible for the overall performance, standards and operational delivery of Homies growing property portfolio across the UK and delivering a best in class customer service to our residents.
Whilst Manchester will be the primary region, with direct oversight of the local portfolio and property team, you will provide leadership, support and direction across all Homie regions. You will oversee Regional Property Managers, ensuring a consistent approach to customer experience, compliance, maintenance, lettings performance and operational excellence.
As Homie continues to scale through acquisitions and new market expansion, this is a critical role in onboarding new portfolios, developing scalable processes and systems, driving operational efficiencies and ensuring the business is positioned for sustainable growth.
Working closely with the Operations Director and wider leadership team, you will contribute to strategic business initiatives, organisational development and continuous improvement projects. You will work alongside our national compliance and leasing leads to ensure robust operational governance and leasing performance are maintained across the portfolio.
This is a hands-on leadership role that combines operational delivery, people management, commercial accountability and strategic thinking, offering the opportunity to shape and build a best-in-class property management function within a fast-growing business.
Key Responsibilities
Regional & Portfolio Leadership
* Own the operational performance of the national property portfolio across all regions, ensuring service delivery, property standards, compliance and resident experience remain market-leading.
* Balance strategic oversight of the national portfolio with hands-on operational leadership within Manchester, ensuring local and portfolio-wide objectives are achieved.
* Lead, coach and develop Regional Property Managers, ensuring consistent performance and accountability.
* Establish portfolio-wide operating standards, service levels, KPIs and reporting frameworks.
* Monitor and improve portfolio performance including occupancy, tenant satisfaction, compliance, maintenance delivery and operational efficiency.
* Act as the senior escalation point for complex operational issues, complaints and resident concerns.
* Recruit, onboard and develop talent as the business scales.
* Create a high-performance culture focused on accountability, customer service and continuous improvement.
* Develop training programmes, operating manuals and competency frameworks.
* Ensure clear communication and alignment between regional teams and central functions.
Property Management Operations
* Develop and continuously improve property management processes, systems and operational controls.
* Ensure high standards of property compliance, maintenance delivery and asset performance across all regions.
* Lead contractor management and procurement activities, driving service quality, responsiveness and value for money.
* Support the implementation of technology, reporting and audit frameworks that enhance operational efficiency, governance and resident experience.
Portfolio Onboarding & Mobilisation
* Lead the onboarding and mobilisation of newly acquired portfolios and properties.
* Develop and continually refine acquisition integration processes and playbooks.
* Coordinate cross-functional teams to ensure seamless transition and integration of newly acquired assets.
* Identify operational risks during acquisition and mobilisation phases and develop mitigation plans.
Customer Experience
* Develop and embed customer service processes, training and best practices that support portfolio growth whilst maintaining an exceptional resident experience.
* Ensure smooth customer journeys throughout the tenancy lifecycle, from onboarding and move-in through to renewal, move-out and deposit resolution.
* Drive a customer-first culture across the property management function, balancing commercial objectives with resident satisfaction and retention.
Financial Management & OPEX Performance
* Own property management operating expenditure (OPEX) performance across the portfolio.
* Develop budgets and forecasts in partnership with the Operations Director and Finance team.
* Identify and deliver cost efficiencies without compromising resident experience or asset quality.
* Monitor contractor spend and procurement activity to maximise value for money.
* Drive accountability for regional budget performance through effective reporting and management.
Strategic Projects & Business Growth
* Support the Operations Director in delivering key business initiatives.
* Contribute to business planning and operational strategy development.
* Provide operational insight and recommendations to support investment decisions.
* Identify opportunities for innovation and process improvement across the business.
Reporting & Governance
* Produce and present weekly, monthly and quarterly operational performance reports.
* Develop portfolio dashboards and management information frameworks.
* Monitor and report on key performance indicators across all regions.
* Provide operational updates and recommendations to senior leadership.
Experience & Skills
Essential
* Significant experience in HMO residential property management or related sector
* Experience managing multi-site property portfolios.
* Proven leadership experience managing and developing operational teams.
* Strong understanding of compliance, health & safety and property legislation.
* Demonstrable experience managing operational budgets and driving cost efficiencies.
* Experience implementing and improving operational processes at scale.
* Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.
* Highly organised with excellent project management capabilities.
* Strong analytical and commercial decision-making skills.
* Ability to thrive in a fast-growing and evolving business environment.
* Driving license*
Desirable
* Experience within a scaling property platform, operator or start-up environment.
* Experience mobilising newly acquired portfolios.
* Professional property qualification (ARLA, IRPM, RICS or equivalent).