Block Manager - Watford & Barking in Stevenage

About our business

Many of us have experienced life in rented housing and understand the uncertainty that can come with not owning your home. ProperTies Living exists to make renting feel like home. Our mission is to create high-quality homes for rent where people can settle, build meaningful connections, and live comfortably in safe, secure environments. We want our residents to feel a genuine sense of belonging and pride in where they live. We have over 900 homes in development and expect to be managing over 450 homes by the end of the year. We also have a pipeline of 2,000 properties currently being acquired. Our growing portfolio reflects our long-term commitment to the rental market and to creating professionally managed communities where residents feel secure, supported, and proud to live. As a business, we are committed to delivering best-in-class customer service that is both effective and responsive across all our operations - from constructing new homes and letting apartments to managing communities. Our objective is to provide professionally managed rental homes that offer security, reliability, and a welcoming environment where residents can create lasting memories. Joining ProperTies Living means becoming part of a new and ambitious team that embraces collaboration, creativity, and professional growth. Supporting our people and providing clear pathways for career development and progression is key to our success.

About this role

We are seeking an experienced Block Manager to oversee the operational management of residential buildings, with initial focus on sites in Watford and Barking. You will work closely with the site teams, Residential Services hub, the Health & Safety Manager, and colleagues across the wider property team. Your direct line manager will be the Property Manager Team lead, while the Senior Property Services Manager will oversee overall operations. This role focuses on delivering best-in-class customer service, while being flexible for occasional evenings, on-call duties, and travelling between sites.

What you will do

• As a Block Manager, you will be responsible for the effective day-to-day management of residential buildings, ensuring they are safe, compliant, well-maintained, and deliver an exceptional living experience for residents.
• You will lead on operational delivery across your schemes, managing on-site teams and external contractors, while maintaining strong relationships with residents and internal stakeholders.

Operations and Building Management

• Lead the day-to-day management of schemes, ensuring all services are delivered efficiently and to a high standard.
• Carry out regular site inspections, including weekly, monthly and quarterly checks, ensuring high standards of presentation and safety.
• Identify, manage, resolve building defects, liaising with contractors and developers to ensure works are completed to the required standard and within agreed timeframes.
• Manage planned and reactive maintenance, allocating works to contractors and developers to ensure works are completed to the required standard and within agreed timeframes.
• Oversee contractor performance, ensuring compliance with service level agreements.
• Maintain robust Permit-to-Work and contractor control processes.

Health & Safety Compliance

• Ensure full compliance with all relevant legislation, including Building Safety Act 2022 and Fire Safety Act 2021.
• Manage site risk assessment and ensure corrective actions are completed within agreed timescales.
• Work closely with Health & Safety Manager to maintain compliance requirements records and certification.
• Support the development and maintenance of the Building Safety Case and Golden Thread.
• Lead on incident response, reporting, and escalation where required.
• Carry out regular safety inspections, audits, and monitoring activities.

Resident & Client management

• Deliver a high-quality, resident focused service, ensuring a positive customer experience.
• Manage tenancy lifecycle processes including move-ins, move-outs, and unit turnaround (target within 5 days).
• Handle fees related to apartment damage or dilapidation.
• Build strong relationships with residents, internal teams, and stakeholders.
• Support community engagement initiatives and resident events.

Financial & Administrative Management

• Support budget planning and ongoing financial management of schemes.
• Monitor expenditure and ensure cost control across all services and projects.
• Maintain accurate records, reporting, and documentation in line with company standards.
• Manage asset registers and oversee stock control where applicable.

General & Portfolio Management

• Support mobilization of new developments into the portfolio.
• Liaise with contractors and suppliers to ensure services delivery meets agreed standards.
• Attend regular meetings and provide updates to the Senior Property Services Manager.
• Attend and contribute to quarterly defect reviews, ensuring issues are tracked, reported, and resolved.
• Participate in an on-call Rota for major incidents.
• Travel regularly between sites within the regional portfolio.

People Management

• Lead, motivate, and develop team members to deliver high performance.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, and training of team members.
• Foster a positive, inclusive, and collaborative team culture.

You will be required to carry out other duties to assist the team during busy periods. You will be required to respond responsibly and promptly to out-of-hours emergencies (only where necessary and possible).

About you - your experience, knowledge, and skills.

Ideally you will have:

• Proven experience in block management, or BTR/Flex Living environments.
• Strong understanding of high-rise building compliance and health and safety requirements.
• Experience managing contractors, budgets, and service delivery.
• Knowledge of Building Safety Act 2022 and Fire Safety Act 2021 (essential).
• Experience managing or supervising teams.
• Strong customer service and stakeholder management skills.
• Demonstrate excellent IT skills, including proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and other relevant software.
• Ability to manage multiple sites and priorities effectively.
• Calm and professional approach when handling challenging situations.

Desirable:

• IOSH or NEBOSH qualification.
• Membership of a relevant professional body (IRPM, TPI).

You will be someone who:

• Is highly customer-focused and committed to delivering excellent service.
• Builds strong relationships with residents, colleagues, and contractors.
• Communicates clearly and confidently at all levels.
• Takes ownership and drives high-standards.
• Works well under pressure and meets deadlines.
• Is flexible, adaptable, and comfortable working across multiple sites.

What we offer

As well as working with a friendly, inclusive, and incredibly supportive team who care about their work and take immense pride in our buildings, we offer:

• A competitive salary range of £40,000 - £45,000.
• Discretionary bonus.
• 25 days holiday + 8 bank holidays (pro-rated if part-time).
• Personal Pension Plan (salary sacrifice available).
• Employee Assistance Program.
• Life Assurance.
• Optical vouchers.
• Cycle and Tech schemes.

Come and join us!

Right to Work in the UK: Please note: You must be resident in the UK and eligible to work. At this point in our journey, we are unable to sponsor visas.

Equal Opportunities, Diversity & Inclusion: We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive group of talent with a broad range of backgrounds, skills and capabilities and will give full and fair consideration to all applicants. If you have a disability or any other additional need that requires consideration, accommodation or adjustment to the role or recruitment process, please do let us know.