Real Estate Operations Manager UK & Italy

Company Overview

Yellow Tree is a Gibraltar-based group dedicated to the ownership, development and management of commercial and residential real estate assets across capital and gateway cities, employing a tailored investment strategy to each geographic region. Our portfolio underscores long-term value and mirrors our dedication to excellence. Our philosophy centers on income generation, ensuring that 100% of our portfolio consistently delivers returns. We achieve this by taking an asset-by-asset approach, where each asset carries its own weight in contributing income without dilution. Each asset has its own business plan that is meticulously followed making sure that each asset performs as expected. We own and manage sustainable and high-quality properties, aligning with the objectives of leading national and international corporations. This ensures that Yellow Tree Group is synonymous with quality, reliability, and enduring success.

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Real Estate Operations Manager UK & Italy to oversee the operational and strategic management of our diverse real estate portfolio across UK and Italy, which includes hospitality, commercial, office, and mixed-use assets.

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Act as liaison to the Chief Operating Officer for operational activities in UK and Italy.
• Monitor and evaluate the organization’s property and asset management portfolio.
• Collaborate with the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer to monitor budgets and ensure optimal resource allocation.
• Build and maintain relationships with key customers, clients, and service providers.
• Lead and support outsourced operating teams and establish procedures.
• Contribute to the progress of redevelopment plans and resource needs.
• Collaborate with the development team to monitor redevelopment projects before handover.
• Oversee operational due diligence for new assets entering the portfolio.
• Coordinate with external suppliers and service providers to support operations.
• Monitor the performance of outsourced providers and suggest improvements.
• Implement operational strategies that align with short- and long-term objectives.
• Perform periodic visits on site to ensure that the tenants/guests are properly maintaining the spaces and conducting quality checks regarding the services rendered by the Facility/Property Management Providers.
• Take responsibility for obtaining, renewing and/or maintaining the necessary licenses/permits as outlined by the legal DD and ensure that all relevant providers and advisors are engaged to complete this aspect.
• In case of renovation – collaborate with the internal technical team and assist in implementing the business model – ensuring that the design, space usage etc. are all proper from a marketing perspective.
• Manage the marketing efforts of each asset as defined for each particular property – website creation, brochure drafting – liaising with marketing companies on design.
• Oversee contract management, legal actions, lease, and occupancy rates.
• Ensure legal compliance, asset maintenance, and accurate invoicing.
• Participate in negotiations, pre-approve payments, and provide updates at Board meetings.
• Manage maintenance cost approvals.
• Ensure the assets maintain appropriate insurances and manage the process of raising any claims when applicable.
• Ensure compliance with all legal requirements applicable to a landlord in the UK.
• Ensure that the company Ethics Policy is adhered to in relationships with general partners, external managers, brokers, research suppliers, and other vendors.
• Keep all documentation, minutes, decisions, offers, contracts organized in SharePoint accordingly per each project.
• Send all accounting documents to the outsourced accounting company/finance department.
• Manage the internal payment procedure, obtaining relevant approvals for provider payments, preparing payment requests and providing proof of payments to providers.
• Elaborate and propose cost optimization methods, submit costs for approval on the yearly budget.
• Post-acquisitions operations - Take ownership of the Project management and completion of the checklist provided by the legal team post-acquisitions and ensure that all relevant parties are engaged to complete each task, including updating utilities agreements with the relevant utility providers, ensuring that the property is properly registered and relevant taxes are paid.
• Develop leasing strategies for vacant spaces, negotiate and propose new contracts for management approval or manage outsourced property management/asset management providers (on a case-by-case basis).
• Engage, negotiate and manage the relationship with leasing brokers.
• Manage tenants and potential tenants database, including tenant engagement activities, relationship management directly or via management company.
• Negotiate the renewal of lease agreements and new agreements with potential tenants, overseeing the entire process of signing new tenants or renewing contracts for existing tenants by respecting the internal contracting flow, directly or via management company.
• Handover of spaces together with the handover protocol signing where applicable.
• Set-up of contracts/tenants/partners in the property management system and maintain the data throughout the lifetime of the agreement where changes appear (addendums, etc.) when applicable or liaise with third party outsourced property management company to properly set-up the tenants in their database.
• Ensure that the tenants are invoiced correctly per their agreements, including the annual indexation application or that any exceptions are applied (reductions, free month, etc.).
• Manage the utilities invoicing/reinvoicing on a case-by-case basis depending on the asset and provide the relevant information and manner of calculating to the outsourced accounting company, directly or via management company.
• Constantly review and analyse the expenses for each asset, assessing new options and providers to reach a good level between cost and quality.
• Manage the collection process together with the outsourced property management company or insourced when applicable – checking the collection reports on a day-to-day basis based on bank movements and updating tenant balances.
• In case of insourcing - contact tenants by phone or e-mail regarding rent collection, provide clarifications regarding invoicing and attend to tenants queries – responsible for the quality and accuracy of the information provided to the tenants or in case of outsourcing – ensure that the property management company properly covers this aspect and step in when necessary.
• Manage the process of sending written notifications in case of late payments on rent – whether the outsource property management company does it or whether it needs to be conducted in-house together with the legal advisors.
• Communicate to management possible problems/situations related to the collections process or red flags regarding the use of the leased properties.
• Document the file for tenants that go into default and prepare it for the outsourced legal advisors.

Desired Skills & Experience:

• Italian and English proficiency, with strong communication and presentation abilities.
• Willingness to travel from time to time to Italy and to other countries where the group has investments.
• At least 5 years of work experience in the real estate industry with a preference for candidates with real estate acquisitions experience and/or real estate operational/hospitality experience.
• Eligibility to work in UK, including a valid work permit if required.
• Have an undergraduate degree and/or real estate qualifications.
• Effective interpersonal skills and ability to source acquisition.
• Excellent work ethic and attention to detail with an ability to thrive in a high-performance culture.
• Strong computer skills including Word, Excel, Power.
• Strong financial modeling skills including cash flow analysis.
• Ability to multi-task, manage time, and workload.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure.
• Ability to work independently and think proactively and strategically.
• Driving license category B.
• Team player with good interpersonal skills and a collaborative mindset.
• Eagerness to take initiative, meet deadlines, and handle multiple tasks.
• Self-motivated and willing to develop in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• Positive, proactive attitude and flexibility in adapting to changing priorities and circumstances.

Salary: starting 40,000 GBP per annum

Benefits:

• We offer competitive salary packages, great learning and development opportunities.
• Opportunity to be part of a dynamic growing team in a fast-growing Real Estate group.
• Performance Bonus.
• Team Building Celebration and parties.
• Loyalty gifts.
• Gift Cards.
• Women’s Day & Men’s Day.
• Extra free days: on your birthday the company gifts you a day off.
• Birthday cake.
• Holiday Baskets.

Yellow Tree is a GDPR compliant company, by applying to this job post, you consent with your data being processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy which you can find on https://yellowtree.com/gdprrecruitmentpolicy.

Yellow Tree is an Equal Employment Opportunity and affirmative action employer. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability status, or any other applicable characteristics protected by law.