Land Manager: Stewardship, Operations, and Animal Care
Role Overview
7care on a private estate, working closely with the Principal and Chief Operating Officer (COO). This role blends hands-on care with thoughtful leadership, ensuring that the estate reflects the values and vision of the Principal while fostering a welcoming and harmonious environment. You will manage the land, infrastructure, and animals, while also supporting a culture that aligns with the estate’s values.
This is a role for someone who is passionate about land stewardship and animal welfare, enjoys operational oversight, and values a strong team-oriented, sustainable approach to estate management. You will play an essential part in ensuring the estate thrives as a beautiful, functional, and inspiring space.
Key Responsibilities
Land and Animal Care
• Estate Stewardship: Maintain and enhance the estate’s landscapes, including gardens, wooded areas, trails, and water features, ensuring it reflects a sustainable and healthy environment for both people and animals.
• Animal Care: Provide exceptional care for the estate’s animals, ensuring their well-being and healthy living environments. This includes feeding, health monitoring, and providing a safe and nurturing space.
• Wildlife and Habitat Management: Foster balance between domestic animals and native wildlife, creating a harmonious environment where both can thrive. Promote sustainable land practices that support biodiversity.
• Ethical Practices: Maintain the highest standards of animal welfare and land management, ensuring that all practices align with the estate’s values.
Daily Operations and Maintenance
• Infrastructure Oversight: Ensure that all estate infrastructure, including fences, pathways, and irrigation systems, is well-maintained.
• Equipment Management: Oversee the care and maintenance of estate tools, vehicles, and machinery to ensure they are in optimal working order.
• Vendor and Contractor Coordination: Collaborate with external vendors and contractors to maintain high-quality standards for estate maintenance and projects.
• Operational Efficiency: Streamline processes to optimize workflows and ensure daily operations align with the Principal’s preferences and long-term goals for the estate.
Collaboration with Principal and COO
• Frequent Communication: Maintain open and regular communication with the Principal and COO, keeping them updated on estate conditions, animal care, and progress on projects.
• Vision Alignment: Work closely with the Principal and COO to ensure all activities and decisions reflect their personal values and the broader mission of the estate.
• Strategic Planning: Provide practical input into future estate developments, offering insights and recommendations that contribute to the estate’s long-term growth and sustainability.
Team Leadership and Development
• Recruitment and Training: Hire and onboard new team members who share the estate’s values and vision, ensuring they are equipped with the tools and knowledge needed to excel in their roles.
• Performance Management: Conduct performance reviews, acknowledge achievements, and provide constructive feedback to help team members grow and develop in alignment with the estate’s principles.
• Conflict Resolution: Foster a positive and respectful work environment, addressing challenges with empathy and fairness to maintain a supportive and collaborative team atmosphere.
Financial and Budget Oversight
• Budget Management: Collaborate with the COO to develop and manage budgets for land maintenance, animal care, and operational needs.
• Invoice Oversight: Ensure all invoices from vendors, contractors, and suppliers are processed accurately and promptly.
• Cost Awareness: Proactively identify opportunities to optimize spending, ensuring high standards are met without compromising the estate’s vision of quality and sustainability.
Future Planning and Sustainability
• Sustainable Practices: Promote environmentally friendly land and animal management practices that reflect the estate’s commitment to sustainability.
• Long-Term Land Use: Assist in the planning and development of the estate’s land, ensuring its preservation and enhancement for future generations.
• Record Keeping: Maintain thorough records of all activities, including animal care logs, maintenance schedules, and project milestones.
Transparent Communication and Stakeholder Engagement
• Internal Liaison: Serve as the primary point of contact between the Principal, COO, team members, and contractors to ensure that everyone remains informed and aligned with the estate’s values and vision.
• Stakeholder Relationships: Build strong relationships with vendors, contractors, and local agencies, ensuring smooth collaboration and alignment with the estate’s standards of excellence.
• Problem Solving: Tackle challenges head-on by offering thoughtful and creative solutions that support the estate’s operations.

Pillars of the Estate
The Land Manager will work within the framework of the following Pillars, which guide every aspect of the estate’s operations and culture:
Health
We prioritize holistic well-being, encouraging a lifestyle that fosters physical, mental, and emotional health. The Land Manager plays an essential role in maintaining the estate’s landscapes and ensuring the animals’ welfare, creating an environment that promotes the health of all who interact with it.
Creativity
Creativity fuels our community, inspiring innovative ideas and solutions. The Land Manager is encouraged to bring creative thinking into land management and animal care practices, seeking new ways to improve the estate’s operations and aesthetics, while creating a dynamic and inspiring space.
Community and Connection
Our estate is built on strong relationships and a sense of belonging. As Land Manager, you’ll foster positive relationships within the estate team and with external contractors and stakeholders, ensuring everyone feels supported and connected. The Land Manager is also responsible for ensuring that the estate’s land and animals create a welcoming environment for all who visit.
Fun and Joy
We embrace joy in all we do. The estate is a place of beauty and enjoyment, where both animals and people can thrive. The Land Manager will help create an environment that encourages playfulness and joy, ensuring the estate is a joyful and enjoyable space for everyone.

Key Skills and Attributes
• Expertise: Proven experience in land and animal care, estate management, or related fields, with a focus on sustainability and high standards.
• Leadership: Collaborative leadership that fosters a supportive, team-oriented environment, while ensuring alignment with the Principal and COO’s vision.
• Communication: Strong interpersonal skills to maintain clear and open communication across all levels of the estate team and with external stakeholders.
• Creativity and Adaptability: Ability to balance day-to-day tasks with long-term planning while promoting creative problem-solving and adaptability.
• Commitment to Excellence: A passion for maintaining high standards in all areas of the estate, with an eye for detail and a dedication to care.
What We’re Looking For
• A passion for working in a private estate environment, with a love for nature, animals, and sustainable practices.
• Strong leadership skills, with a collaborative, people-first approach to team management.
• Proven experience in property operations, land management, or animal care.
• A proactive, solutions-focused attitude that aligns with the estate’s values and vision.

We are working on one of the coolest opportunities! We are helping a client find a top notch estate manager for his gorgeous 1400 acre horse farm in Lexington, Kentucky. The principals are so kind, but are really looking to establish boundaries and create a new standard with their staff. This family retains staff – they have had people working for them for 40 years!! The new estate manager will be managing the housekeepers, gardeners, vendors and chef. There is a barn manager who manages the employees that work with the horses and inside the barn. The employees have all been here for a long time, so new standards need to be set with the staff. Most of the staff needs to be re-trained. Daily walk throughs of the property are needed to ensure you stay on top of preventive maintenance. A construction background is required for this role, as there are constant renovations happening. There are 10 guests houses on the property that you will also manage. There are several, high profile events that are hosted on the farm every year. They work with an event planner, but you will need to manage leading up and day of. Understanding how to obtain bids and negotiate is also important for this role.

Other duties include:
-Hiring and firing
-Vendor management
-Supervising construction and vendors
-Farm knowledge is a plus but not required
-Travel to their other properties to get the homes ready make sure staff in those homes are operating at highest standard
-Setting a new standard for quiet months on the farm (deep cleaning projects, training etc)
-Knowledge of antiques is super important
-Vast knowledge of how to maintain a wine cellar inventory is important
-Spanish speaking is a huge plus!!

There is a small cottage on the home that is available for you to live in, but it would only comfortably fit a single person. Otherwise, living off site is best if you have a partner family. If this sounds like your dream job, send us your resume! heather@thehelpcompany.com

We have the pleasure of helping one of the nicest families in Rancho Santa Fe find an entry level house manager. Are you a nanny or family assistant and you are looking to transition into a position with more responsibility, but you still love working with kids? Then this might be your dream job! Mom and Dad are busy entrepreneurs with the sweetest 10 and 12 year olds. This family is a Christian family that hosts weekly bible studies, so please be okay with faith based families. They are also looking for someone who will be a role model to their 2 children, so no visible tattoos and professionally dressed works best with this family. Mom is in fashion, so someone who loves fashion is a big plus!! They are also looking for someone with professional boundaries – mom and dad work really hard all day, so they like to get the daily report from their HM and then spend time with their children. Knowing how to read the room is super important here!

Here are a few other item points they are looking for:
-non smoker 
-enjoys cooking and willing to explore recipes that cater to their dietary needs (they are 100% gluten free and mostly paleo and organic as much as possible)
-enjoys organizing 
-can take dogs out for little walks around the neighborhood 
-has a safe car to drive kids and to drive back and forth between both houses as needed
-can pick up kids from school and drive them to their play dates extracurricular activities 
-can help run errands 
-can help pick up and tidy around the house
-help with laundry and dishes
-help shopping for clothes, etc
-is a fast worker, professional, takes initiative, communicates well, is flexible to pivot with day to day tasks 
-is proficient in booking appointments, scheduling maintenance, booking kids program and events, helping plan family vacations, and helping manage the family calendar
-is service oriented and task oriented, kind and calm
-can help with events that they host
-is looking for a family to grow with

health insurance, 2 weeks PTO

If all of this sounds right up your alley and you are looking to grow with a family and stay with them for several years – send us your resume!! heather@thehelpcompany.com