Household Manager

Overview

The Household Manager will be responsible for managing the family’s main household operations for a family of 7 (including five children under 11), overseeing up to 15 staff and ad hoc contractors, and providing daily support for all household needs, with the core of the role centered on the children’s well-being.

The Household Manager (H.M.) will be an experienced self-starter with a professional outlook and leadership mindset, required to proactively problem-solve with a high level of independence, discretion, and trustworthiness, and exercise both assertiveness and compassion in staff management. A degree of flexibility for after-hours support is required, adapting to the estate’s and Principals’ dynamic needs.

They will report to the Estate Manager (E.M.), working with the E.M. and Principals to implement family plans/visions, and continually develop and improve systems. Core duties include managing inventory and purchasing, overseeing staff, managing schedules, onboarding, and vendor management for household maintenance.

• Professional: consistently on time and dependable; adheres to expectations around confidentiality and high professional conduct; able to commit to getting the job done and managing potentially stressful scenarios with competing goals while maintaining high quality in their own and others’ work.
• Interpersonal: able to adapt and resolve conflicts, communicate, listen, and manage relationships with both adults and children.
• Organized: capable of juggling priorities under pressure, managing multiple calendars, and using time efficiently.
• Team player: works well with other household staff, supports and nurtures colleagues, and contributes to building a positive team spirit.
• Flexible: naturally capable of dealing with fluid environments and managing sometimes chaotic scenarios.
• Highly desirable:
  Spanish speaking; experience managing a fully staffed household.

• Onboarding and training staff as needed for the Principals’ primary residence.
• Manage staff scheduling, including vacation and sick leave, ensuring all shifts and needs are always covered.
• Act as a key resource for Human Resources-related issues, with knowledge and appropriate implementation of house rules, policies, and procedures.
• As the Principals’ needs shift and the property grows, manage additional vendors and providers as needed to maintain estate standards, e.g., groundskeepers, pool maintenance, etc.

• Adjust childcare to reflect the needs of the Principal family, with regular observation and reviews of childcare to ensure all children are well cared for and are receiving age-appropriate interactions.
• Coordination of educational, health, and recreational activities for the Principals and their children, including schedules/calendars.

• Oversee housecleaning services, guiding cleaning and Principal preferences.
• Overall responsibility for cleanliness and organization of Principals’ main residence and other facilities such as office, storage, etc., managing cleaning processes, including ensuring:

• Daily and weekly work assignments are tasked appropriately.
• General cleaning standards are followed with attention to specialty decor and furniture items.
• Equipment and supplies are appropriate and sufficient to provide high-quality service.
• Staff training is consistent with established processes.
• Responsibility for the daily opening of the main residence.
• Clearing out personal items before contractor work is done to maintain client privacy.

• Household inventory and purchasing, including maintenance of an organized system for household tools, supplies, and repair inventory.
• Financial management, including budgeting for operational expenses and coordination with household bookkeepers.
• Management of documents and paperwork needed for legal, tax, and insurance matters, and organizing private documents, e.g., travel forms, driver’s licenses.
• Perform initial assessment and thereafter continuous improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency and service quality in the household.
• Monitor continuous improvements and update the E.M. on employee handbook and…