Operations Manager - Country Lead

Overview

Who are we?

At aparto, we're more than just student accommodation, we're a community that acts as a home-away-from-home for students across the UK, Ireland, Italy, and Spain. We understand that university life is a significant transition for many, often marking the first time they've lived away from their families. That's why we strive to make aparto not just a place to stay, but a vibrant, supportive environment where students can make lifelong friends, discover new possibilities, and have experiences that will shape their futures.

Responsibilities

The Operations Manager is accountable for the operational and commercial performance of the aparto portfolio in Italy. Acting as the country operations lead, the role ensures our properties operate safely, efficiently and profitably while delivering an outstanding resident experience that differentiates aparto in the market.

The role leads and develops the operational teams across Italy and is responsible for driving consistent standards, strong financial performance and continuous improvement. Working closely with Asset Management, Marketing, Finance and other central functions, they will ensure the portfolio meets its commercial objectives while leading key investor, owner and client relationships in Italy.

• Lead day-to-day operational performance across the Italian portfolio
• Manage the operational and financial performance of the properties and their teams
• Coach and support General Managers to deliver high standards and consistent execution
• Ensure service delivery, property presentation and operational routines align with aparto standards
• Review performance data and implement actions to improve occupancy, revenue, cost and resident experience
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key investors, owners, clients, universities, partners and other stakeholders
• Monitor market trends, competitor activity and legislative developments that may impact operational or commercial performance in Italy
• Provide out-of-hours support to site teams as required, ensuring issues are escalated and managed in accordance with agreed procedures
• Take full responsibility for the financial performance of all assigned properties, including P&L management, budgeting, and financial reporting
• Work with Asset Management, Marketing and Sales to deliver annual budgets and occupancy plans
• Monitor property performance against budget, identifying trends, variances and opportunities and implementing clear action plans to maximise profitability while protecting the resident experience
• Monitor and manage rental rates, leasing, renewals, rebookers, summer revenue and ancillary income, using local market and competitor insight to inform commercial decisions
• Oversee rent collection, deposits, charges, arrears and bad debt, ensuring timely reconciliation and appropriate action with General Managers and Finance
• Identify and deliver opportunities to generate additional income, including summer lettings and other non-academic revenue streams
• Support new business budgeting and expedite material commercial risks and opportunities with clear recommendations and action plans
• Ensure all properties are well maintained, safe and presented to a high standard
• Partner with Facilities and contractors to deliver planned maintenance, lifecycle works and service quality
• Oversee summer turnaround, readiness and defect resolution
• Support refurbishments, capex works and asset enhancement projects
• Ensure that each building and its processes are compliant with the relevant local and national current legislation and regulations for all operational matters, and aparto policies
• Drive a proactive health and safety culture across all sites
• Ensure audits, inspections, training, risk assessments and incident reporting are completed on time
• Track and close out actions from audits and compliance reviews
• Lead, coach and develop GMs and site leaders across Italy
• Build a high-performance culture aligned to Service, Belonging & Community
• Support recruitment, onboarding, performance management and succession planning
• Ensure regular communication, 1:1s and reviews are in place across the country
• Champion the resident journey, community standards and service responsiveness
• Use feedback, reviews and NPS insight to drive continuous improvement
• Ensure escalations are handled professionally, promptly and with accountability
• Support events, wellbeing activity and local community engagement
• Support mobilisation of new properties and operational transitions, refurbishments and minor capex projects
• Implement group initiatives and share best practice across the Italian portfolio
• Benchmark against competitors and identify opportunities to improve performance
• Support process, systems and reporting improvements that drive efficiency and consistency

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements include:

• Proven experience leading multi-site operations in PBSA, residential, hospitality or similar
• Strong knowledge of the Italian market and local regulatory environment
• Proven ability to lead, coach and develop General Managers and high-performing multi-site teams
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, with experience managing P&Ls, budgets and delivering improved financial performance
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills
• Strong understanding of health and safety, compliance and property operations
• Fluent Italian and English
• Highly organised, adaptable and solutions-focused
• Strong communication skills with the ability to engage diverse audiences
• Willingness to travel extensively across Italy

Closing

At Hines, we strive for excellence as a leading global real estate investment manager, driven by our by our belief that real estate is fundamentally about people. Our diverse portfolio spans $93.2 billion¹ of assets across such property types as living, office, retail, mixed-use, logistics and life science projects – all designed to enhance value, connection and inspiration. Our strategic approach integrates local expertise with global knowledge, taking calculated risks aligned with our convictions to exceed expectations and tailor solutions to our clients' needs.

While our projects are renowned for enhancing cities and pioneering sustainable practices, we recognize that the true driving force behind Hines' success is our 5,000 dedicated employees in 30 countries who draw on our 65-year history to build the world forward. This is why we prioritize investing in our people, offering comprehensive training, competitive compensation, robust benefits and generous vacation packages. By centering our focus on the growth and wellbeing of our team, we cultivate an inclusive environment where everyone, including our clients, can thrive.

Hines is proud to be named to Fast Company’s prestigious annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2024. ¹Includes both the global Hines organization and RIA AUM as of December 31, 2023.

We are an equal opportunity employer and support workforce diversity.