The Estate Manager (EM) will oversee the daily household operations, staff, and property management of a private family’s California-based residential portfolio. The portfolio consists of a historically significant primary residence in Montecito, a newly acquired house adjacent to the primary residence, two homes on 100 acres in remote Gaviota, CA, and a home in Santa Cruz, CA. This hands-on role will develop efficient workstreams and resources, deliver and execute protocols, and ensure that the properties are maintained in proper working order and that logistical operations run smoothly to create a synonymous experience for the Principals. The Estate Manager will maintain and execute protocols and ensure that the properties are in ‘owner-ready’ condition to accommodate usage by the Principals, family, and guests. This role will embody the family’s values around hospitality, privacy, discretion, and thoughtful management strategies to ensure their homes are meticulously maintained in proper working order and logistical operations are always running smoothly.
The Estate Manager will report to the Managing Director. This role will be responsible for managing the housekeeping, facilities, and grounds team, comprised of employees of the Family Office and outsourced contractors and vendors, and the Lifestyle to Culinary Manager (who is responsible for all residential aesthetics, culinary, events, and special project management). This role will also collaborate closely with the Principal’s team, including Legal, Finance, Design to Construction, and Security, to coordinate and execute a seamless user experience.
From a values perspective, the Principals aspire to have an organization whose members are exceptional, always professional, and strive toward the following three forms of sustainability: (1) economically smart stewards of the dollar; (2) eco-sustainability – are stewards of the earth; (3) personally sustainable – are stewards of ourselves and those around us. As professionals, the Principals envision an environment where the organization’s members strive to be exceptional, to be of service, and to be themselves. They seek to encourage a deliberate mindset where the team is empowered to pause, think, and ask themselves if their approach to a task is the smartest way to do it. This role will take a stewardly approach to ensure that the team constantly embodies and fosters the family’s values inside and outside the organization. This hands-on leadership role requires a forward-leaning mindset with an instinctual default to jump into problems, find solutions, and collaboratively execute them.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
PROPERTIES to FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
• Lead the team with all on-the-ground household, property, and project needs for all California properties. Establish routine preventative maintenance schedules, including daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly task lists.
• Collaborate with the internal team to institute and maintain emergency preparedness procedures and physical safety protocols to protect occupants and assets.
• Institute regular reporting protocols for estate staff and vendors to keep the Principals fully apprised of property to project status.
• Assist in assembling annual home and property expenditure budgets, managing, tracking, and auditing expenses, and serving as a responsible steward of the principal’s resources.
• Be proactive in surveying and recording property conditions, maintenance needs, and deficiencies and take action and facilitate modifications in a timely manner.
• Coordinate and oversee physical move management processes, including specialty services such as high-end furniture, AV IT, or art handling.
• Support the Managing Director during construction planning and execution phases for new developments.
• Maintain the Property Management to Hospitality Database Digital Operations Platform along with the Lifestyle to Culinary Manager to include established standards, curated content, and procedures based on site-specific needs. To include the following estate functions:
o Property Content to Personal Effects – including furnishings, finishes, fixtures, artwork, wardrobe, and personal and household supplies.
o Property Management to Facilities Systems – including building access, maintenance logs, construction documents, user instructions, operating manuals, warranties, records, etc.
o Insurance records – associated with personal property contents and items pending coverage.
o Stocking Par Lists to Reordering – for facilities, household, personal supplies, perishable items, replacement parts, etc.
o Asset Care to Maintenance Protocols – reflecting specific proper care to maintenance protocols.
o Hospitality Delivery – including household, housekeeping, culinary, and personal services protocol
•Develop and manage a supplier and vendor list; arrange for and oversee the work of vendors, suppliers, and consultants. Ensure that all service providers are appropriately scheduled and monitored by staff and that tasks are performed correctly. Monitor budgets contracts and verify adherence to all agreements.
•Monitor or oversee renovation, maintenance, and special projects for all properties. Communicate effectively and proactively with the Principal, architects, builders, designers, consultants, governmental officials, legal professionals, and others involved in various projects to meet the Principal’s objectives.
•Reporting to Community Relations—Communicate effectively with the Principal concerning project progress, problems, and other information of interest. Appropriately represent the Principal to neighbors, local communities, service providers, consultants, and legal and financial partners.
•Vehicle Maintenance—Develop processes for the Facilities to Grounds Supervisor to track vehicle licenses, registrations, preventative maintenance, detailing, and fueling protocols.
VENDOR AND STAFF MANAGEMENT
•Source, vet, schedule, and manage California service providers and property employees providing specialty household services, including housekeeping, laundry, and pet care.
•Oversee the maintenance and repair services for properties, grounds, facilities systems, pools and water features, and vehicles. Miscellaneous trade services, including specialty artisans and craftsmen.
•Provide initial review of vendor and service contracts for accuracy, appropriateness, and consistency. Ensure that all vendors meet privacy and discretion standards and have provided COIs for work performed on properties. •Coordinate and supervise site access according to established security protocols.
•Provide on-site oversight of all household and property maintenance activities, ensuring timely and high-quality completion of all tasks.
•Facilitate efficiency and maximize performance by paying close attention, providing measurement and feedback, and driving consensus with vendors on deliverables and deadlines.
•Mentor and provide resources to staff vendors and encourage ongoing professional development. Compose and conduct employee performance reviews alongside the Managing Director, and develop formal ongoing education and skills enhancement roadmaps.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
•Oversee home meeting set-up, track online accounts, troubleshoot, and test AV IT equipment and systems.
•Move quickly with the changing environment and stay updated with the latest technology products and services.
•Proficiency with different home operating systems (Lutron, Savant, Crestron, etc.) and productivity tools (e.g., Zoom, Google, Apple, and Microsoft products). Prior experience using Monday.com is a plus.
HOSPITALITY SERVICES
● Principals, Family, and Guest Reception, Visit and Departure Support
o Coordinate with the Managing Director and the Lifestyle to Culinary Manager to confirm visitation occupancy schedules and related stay details.
o Maintain the homes and grounds in ‘owner-ready’ condition, prepare for Principals, family, and guest arrival, and ensure a smooth stay for all parties.
o Conduct post-stay-home and grounds reviews and facilitate the correction of any discovered issues.
● Events to Occasions
o Coordinate closely with the Managing Director, the Lifestyle and Culinary Manager, and relevant staff or vendors on organizing and executing events at the property.
o Ensure property readiness, manage neighbor relations and property staffing schedules, manage equipment load-in and strike schedules, and monitor the site for quality and safety standards.
o Collaborate with security if needed to ensure that all events are being monitored appropriately and all vendors have been vetted and adhere to privacy standards.
● Owner Preferences—With assistance from the Lifestyle to Culinary Manager, oversee the residences’ organizational standards and orderly and meticulous operation. Ensure the smooth flow of information for all personnel to perform jobs effectively and provide recommendations to promote enhanced service to the Principal.
QUALIFICATIONS
Education to Experience
o A bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 5 years of management experience in a privately owned environment. Must have prior private residential experience and knowledge of all matters pertaining to private service.
o Possess familiarity with elevated design aesthetics and construction practices. Demonstrated project management experience with capital improvement projects, contract negotiation, and directing large groups of vendors, including architects, engineers, consultants, and interior to landscape designers.
o Demonstrated experience in maintaining the confidentiality, safety, security, and privacy of a private employer.
Personal Qualities to Character Sketch
o You have a keen eye for picking up on details and preferences.
o You find deep satisfaction from being in service of a principal and anticipating their needs before they do.
o You can efficiently juggle competing deadlines while remaining calm and attentive to detail.
o You love technology and regularly adopt experiment with new forms of technology.
o You are highly organized, driven by details, and a creative and resourceful problem solver with a strong execution ability.
o You have strong and succinct written and oral communication skills.
o You can collaborate with various personalities, build strong, trusting relationships, and see the value of clear dissemination of information to support the principal and greater team.
o You possess self and situational awareness, remain accessible but not intrusive, and always display tact and diplomacy.
o You have high emotional intelligence and an ability to establish strong and trusting relationships. o You possess a flexible and positive “no task too big or too small” attitude.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
● Work location: This role will be on-site in Montecito, CA.
● Compensation: Competitive DOE plus benefits.
● The family has pets, and the candidate must be comfortable around pets.
● All qualified finalists require verifiable references and a thorough background check.
