Director of Property Operations

Director of Property Operations

Remote (within South Africa)

Full time US (EST) working hours - 3pm-11pm/4pm-12am SAST

Our client is a furnished housing operator managing approximately 250 units across 800+ bedrooms in New York City, with an active expansion underway in Boston. We offer fully furnished, all-inclusive shared living designed for young professionals. 

ROLE OVERVIEW

The Director of Property Operations is responsible for the operational performance of all buildings, overseeing maintenance, vendor management, unit turnovers, cleaning, and inspections to ensure properties remain market-ready and efficient. This is a strategic leadership role where you manage a small team, including a senior field coordinator who handles on-site execution, while you focus on systems, standards, and decision-making. The role is largely non-customer-facing, with work orders funneled through Member Experience, and requires strong oversight to ensure timely resolution and proactive maintenance. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Maintenance Operations

• Own all open work orders routed from Member Experience — triage, assign, schedule, and close via Zoho Projects (or different system)
• Maintain a target completion timeline for all maintenance categories (routine, urgent, emergency)
• Conduct root cause analysis on recurring issues and develop preventive maintenance schedules to reduce reactive volume
• Ensure all maintenance logs are properly documented and closed in Zoho Projects before ticket is resolved in Zoho Desk

Vendor & Contractor Management

• Own the full vendor roster — plumbers, electricians, handymen, HVAC, locksmiths — for NYC and Boston
• Negotiate and manage ongoing service relationships, pricing, and response time agreements
• Evaluate vendor performance regularly; replace underperforming vendors proactively
• Maintain a preferred vendor list by trade category with backup options for each

Unit Turnover & Cleaning

• Own the unit turnover process from move-out through next member move-in — cleaning, inspection, repairs, furniture check, and final sign-off
• Manage cleaning vendor relationships; maintain quality standards across all buildings
• Coordinate turnover scheduling with Member Experience around confirmed move-out and move-in dates

Building Standards & Inspections

• Direct building walkthroughs across the NYC portfolio through the senior field coordinator; establish equivalent cadence and standards for Boston
• Maintain a building condition log in Zoho Projects for proactive issue identification
• Ensure all units and common areas meet clients furnishing, cleanliness, and equipment standards at all times
• Own compliance with any landlord or building management maintenance obligations

Team & Systems

• Manage and develop 2 direct reports, including a senior field coordinator who owns on-site execution and a property operations coordinator; set clear accountability structures for each
• Set clear role expectations, accountability structures, and daily/weekly workflows for the team
• Own Zoho Projects configuration for the Property Ops function — job types, status workflows, assignee routing
• Provide weekly maintenance reporting to CEO including open work orders, overdue items, and vendor flags

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• 5+ years in property operations, facilities management, or building operations — multifamily, co-living, or hospitality preferred
• Direct experience managing vendors and contractors across multiple trade categories
• Strong organizational skills — you are managing many open items simultaneously and nothing falls through the cracks
• Comfortable using project management tools (Zoho Projects, Asana, or similar) to track work orders at scale
• Proactive by nature — you find problems before members do
• Capable of operating autonomously while keeping leadership informed through structured reporting