Director of Operations - UK & Ireland in London

At aparto, we are more than just student accommodation; we are a community that acts as a home-away-from-home for students across the UK, Ireland, Italy, and Spain. 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

• Responsible for oversight of the UK and Ireland aparto business, currently comprising 10 properties across the UK and 6 in Dublin, with further growth anticipated.
• Maintain responsibility for financial performance and achievement of performance goals across all properties.
• Ensure successful administration of talent management, operations, quality control, governance, procurement, and supporting investor/owner/client communication activities for UK and Ireland.
• Ensure that our buildings operate safely, efficiently, and profitably, while delivering an outstanding resident experience.
• Lead a team to drive continuous improvement and partner closely with asset management, marketing, and finance to ensure the portfolio meets commercial objectives.

Operational Leadership

• Lead the sales and operational strategy for the UK & Ireland portfolio, ensuring consistent, high-quality service delivery across all properties.
• Oversee day-to-day operations, including health and safety, compliance, facilities management, guest experience, and community engagement.
• Ensure all buildings operate in line with brand standards, legal requirements, and investor expectations.
• Oversee third-party client relationships and develop an industry-wide network.

Commercial Performance

• Work closely with Asset Management to deliver annual budgets, operating plans, and financial targets.
• Collaborate with Marketing Managers to develop and deliver marketing strategy.
• Oversee the sales function including agent strategy.
• Monitor occupancy, revenue, cost control, and financial performance across the portfolio.
• Identify opportunities to enhance income, reduce costs, and improve operational efficiency.

Property & Facilities Management

• Partner with the Facilities Management team to ensure buildings are well-maintained, safe, and aligned with lifecycle plans.
• Support mobilisation of new developments and refurbishments, ensuring smooth handover into operations.
• Oversee procurement and contractor performance to ensure value for money and service quality.

Health, Safety & Compliance

• Ensure full compliance with statutory and brand standards across all buildings.
• Oversee risk management, incident reporting, and audit processes.
• Drive a proactive safety culture across the operational teams.

Team Management & Culture

• Lead, coach, and develop Regional Operations Managers and central support teams.
• Build a culture of accountability, empowerment, and hospitality-led service.
• Ensure staffing models, recruitment, and training programmes support operational excellence.
• Champion the aparto brand and ensure a consistently exceptional resident journey.

Strategic Projects & Innovation

• Support initiatives to improve systems, processes, and resident experience.
• Support digital transformation across operations, including CRM, FM systems, and resident engagement platforms.
• Benchmark aparto against competitors and wider hospitality sectors to maintain market-leading standards.

Qualifications

• Essential: Experience in a similar Director of Operations role within student accommodation, proven track record of managing multi-site operations, strong commercial acumen, deep understanding of health and safety, compliance, and property operations, exceptional leadership skills, strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Desirable: Experience mobilising new developments or large refurbishments, experience working with private equity or institutional investors, knowledge of UK and Irish regulatory frameworks for residential accommodation.

Personal Attributes

• Passionate about delivering exceptional service.
• Strategic thinker with a hands-on, solutions-focused approach.
• Calm under pressure, resilient, and adaptable.
• Collaborative, transparent, and commercially minded.
• A natural leader who builds trust and drives performance.

We are an equal opportunity employer and support workforce diversity.