Who are we?

aparto is an accommodation and student experience provider based in the UK and Ireland, providing amazing experiences in all of our communities by investing in our people, our facilities and our brand. We believe in student homes, not student rooms, and we want to provide the best experience possible. We strive to constantly improve. To take feedback from our teams, our residents and our business partners. We aim to provide safe, fun places to live and work.

Role Profile

The Assistant Manager plays a key role in the successful day-to-day operation of the property, supporting the General Manager to deliver a safe, welcoming and high-performing community. Working across resident experience, leasing, financial administration, property standards, health and safety and team leadership, the Assistant Manager ensures aparto standards are consistently delivered and operational priorities are completed effectively. The Assistant Manager acts as deputy to the General Manager when required, providing leadership to the property team and taking ownership of day-to-day operations in their absence.

Operational Leadership

• Support the General Manager in the day-to-day operation and performance of the property.

• Act as deputy to the General Manager when required, providing direction and support to the property team.

• Ensure operational routines, processes and aparto standards are consistently followed.

• Support delivery of property KPIs and action plans, escalating risks or performance issues appropriately.

• Ensure accurate property information and operational data is maintained across aparto systems.

• Support audit readiness, maintain property standards and ensure assigned improvement actions are completed within agreed timescales.

• Participate in the on-call rota as required, providing operational response and escalation support for emergencies and significant incidents.

Commercial Performance

• Support the General Manager in delivering occupancy, revenue and financial targets for the property.
• Monitor leasing enquiries, viewings, conversion, renewals and rebookers and proactively follow up sales opportunities.
• Conduct property tours and viewings, ensuring prospective residents receive a professional and engaging experience.
• Support local sales and marketing activity, open days and accommodation fairs as required.
• Monitor rent collection and outstanding balances, supporting the management of arrears and escalating issues appropriately.
• Support financial administration including invoices, purchase orders, resident charges and other property transactions.
• Identify opportunities to generate additional income, including summer and ancillary revenue.
• Maintain awareness of competitor activity, pricing and local market conditions and share relevant insight with the General Manager.

Resident Experience

• Deliver a warm, welcoming and professional experience for residents, prospective residents, parents and visitors.
• Build positive relationships with residents and ensure enquiries, requests and complaints are handled promptly and professionally.
• Support the General Manager with escalated or sensitive resident matters.
• Monitor resident feedback, reviews and service performance and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Support the planning and delivery of resident events, wellbeing initiatives and community activities.
• Maintain regular communication with residents, ensuring they are appropriately informed about property matters, works and events. 

Property & Facilities Management

• Support the General Manager in ensuring the property is safe, clean, well maintained and presented to a high standard.
• Support the effective delivery of planned preventative and reactive maintenance, monitoring progress and escalating issues where required.
• Liaise with maintenance teams, contractors and suppliers as applicable, monitoring service quality and escalating issues where required.
• Undertake regular inspections of rooms, communal areas and property facilities.
• Support delivery of summer turnaround, move-in, move-out and other key operational periods.
• Support refurbishment, lifecycle and capital works as required.
• Ensure defects and property issues are appropriately recorded, tracked and resolved. 

Health, Safety & Compliance

• Support the General Manager in maintaining a safe environment for residents, colleagues and visitors.
• Complete and oversee required daily, weekly and periodic health and safety checks and ensure records are accurate and up to date.
• Support statutory testing, inspections, risk assessments and audits as required.
• Ensure incidents, accidents, hazards and near misses are reported and escalated in accordance with aparto procedures.
• Track actions arising from inspections, audits and risk assessments and support their completion within agreed timescales.
• Ensure relevant aparto policies, procedures and local regulatory requirements are followed.

Team Management & Culture

• Support, motivate and provide day-to-day direction to the property team.
• Supervise and coordinate the team in the General Manager's absence.
• Support team rotas and staffing arrangements to ensure appropriate operational coverage.
• Assist with recruitment, onboarding, training and development of property team members.
• Provide regular feedback and coaching to support individual and team performance.
• Promote a positive, collaborative culture aligned to Service, Belonging & Community.
• Ensure mandatory training and agreed people processes are completed. 

Sales, Marketing & Stakeholder Relationships

• Promote a strong sales culture within the property and ensure opportunities are followed through effectively.
• Support viewings, open days, digital enquiries and other property-level sales activity.
• Ensure marketing collateral and property information are accurate, current and appropriately presented.
• Build positive working relationships with universities, local partners, suppliers and contractors.
• Represent aparto professionally with residents, parents, universities and other stakeholders. 

Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Support preparation of operational, financial, leasing and resident experience reporting.
• Monitor performance against agreed targets and escalate issues or emerging risks to the General Manager.
• Identify opportunities to improve service, processes and operational efficiency.
• Support implementation of new systems, processes and business initiatives.
• Actively contribute ideas and feedback to improve the resident and team experience.

Person Specification

• Experience in student accommodation, hospitality, residential, hotels or another customer-focused operational environment.

• Previous supervisory or management experience, with the ability to lead and motivate a team.

• Strong customer service skills with the ability to handle sensitive or challenging situations professionally.

• Commercial awareness with an understanding of sales, leasing and the importance of occupancy and revenue performance.

• Good financial and numerical capability, with experience of budgets, invoices, payments or similar financial administration.

• Good understanding of health and safety and operational compliance within a property or service environment.

• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.

• Confident using IT systems and Microsoft Office applications.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to engage residents, colleagues and external stakeholders.

• Proactive, adaptable and solutions-focused, with the confidence to use initiative and make appropriate decisions.

• Willingness to work flexibly and participate in out-of-hours arrangements where required.

At Hines, we believe the built world is ultimately about people. As one of the world’s largest privately held real assets firms, we bring nearly seven decades of investment, development, and management experience to work that shapes cities and communities around the world.

Our people make that possible. Across 29 countries, more than 4,600 colleagues bring different perspectives and expertise to Hines, with opportunities to take on meaningful responsibility, learn from leaders across the business, and build a career with room to evolve. We support that journey through professional development, competitive rewards, comprehensive benefits, and a culture grounded in trust and high standards.

Hines is proud to be named to Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2024.

We are an equal opportunity employer and support workforce diversity.

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