Director of Operations

COMPANY OVERVIEW:

Abode is helping to pioneer the transformation of hospitality. We're combining exceptional spaces with the convenience and next-level service found in upscale hotels. Abodes are design-forward, tech-optimized, and curated to give travelers a truly home-like experience. By giving travelers convenient access to authentic living experiences in the most desirable neighborhoods Abode has created a hospitality experience that resonates with guests by merging the best attributes of home-sharing and hotels.

What we offer.

• Competitive compensation
• Benefits (Health & Dental Insurance with a generous zero out-of-pocket employer contribution for full-time employees)
• Abode Travel Perks: Travel is at the heart of what we do, and we can't wait to welcome you and your family and/or guests to one of our homes
• Mostly Remote Workforce: depending on the role, may work from anywhere
• We're a small team that encourages access and transparency. Our culture is inclusive, and we put a strong emphasis on fostering a fun and values-driven company culture
• A growing, fast-paced company that emphasizes work-life balance
• Your work makes a difference here, and we value the enormous contribution our team members make to Abode's success. Join us and help us to build the future of hospitality!

POSITION SUMMARY:

Core responsibilities include managing property level housekeeping, maintenance, inventory, and guest experience services to ensure Abode residential units “Abodes” are well maintained, stocked, clean, staged, and ready for guest stays and to facilitate best-in-class guest experiences during their stay. Also responsible for managing and maintaining positive relationships with the property managers and residents of the residential communities that Abode operates in. Abode’s furnished short-term rental accommodations operations and service concept most closely resemble vacation rental or limited-service hotel management, generally in a multifamily residential setting.

This is a matrix responsibility role within the Hospitality division, reporting to the Head of Operations & Destination Services and working very closely with the Guest Experience management team. This position requires the incumbent to interact with all departments, continually monitoring multiple tasks and facilitating priority activities through to completion. It requires a positive, upbeat, and engaging work style and a strong self-starter who can take ownership of the destination services management roles and responsibilities without constant supervision. Specific job duties may change as the company grows.

Our guest experience and destination services teams are the face of Abode and the destination services teams are our eyes, ears, hands, and feet on the ground in our destinations. We're looking for a customer-focused and multifaceted individual who can help us provide best-in-class residential stay experiences for our guests and assist us in managing the day-to-day operations, cleanliness, and upkeep of our Abodes.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

PROPERTY OPERATIONS AND GUEST EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT

• Develop proficiency with company communications, project management, reservations, smart home, and other technology systems to support the company’s ability to meet and exceed guest experience expectations. Assist the company in implementing, standardizing, and maintaining business systems operations, including the development of training materials and training other team members as required.  Systems include
  • Electronic intercom, keypad door locks, and/or lockbox access system operations and troubleshooting
  • Electronic noise monitoring devices and related software
  • Smart TV and thermostat systems
  • Team messaging app
  • Project and task management systems
  • Reservations and property management systems
  • Scheduling, quality control, and maintenance ticket management systems
  • Operating equipment and supplies inventory management systems or spreadsheets
• Provide experience management services for guest stays including but not limited to coordinating with remote guest experience and onsite destination services teams to facilitate check-ins and check-outs, in-house guest communications, experience curation, quality control, and issue resolution. Will require after office hours, weekend and holiday shifts, and on-call availability.
• Proactively identify residence and service-related issues and coordinate with appropriate resources to resolve them for current and future guest stays. Examples include pre-arrival information/expectations, maintenance and housekeeping, telecom/entertainment service, furnishings condition, and operating/guest supply inventory issues.
• Manage maintenance, repairs, and troubleshooting on any residence issues, training destination services teams to take care of smaller issues themselves, and coordinate with building management’s maintenance resources or outside contractors as necessary.
• Assist in the development and implementation of operating procedures, training materials, training programs, and feedback loops. Coach and mentor team members.
• Conduct regular site visits and complete residence quality control inspections.
• Assist with onboarding and setup of new Abodes and related operations including the recruitment and training of housekeeping and destination services teams.
• Manage housekeeping, laundry, maintenance, and inventory control operations within quality and budgetary guidelines.
• Assist in refinement and implementation of Guest Review and Satisfaction Scorecards for the destinations to help identify sources of dissatisfaction and areas for improvement and implement actions and systems to maintain guest satisfaction within target levels.
• Work closely with purchasing and destination services teams to ensure properties are well stocked and maintained including rolling out the quarterly inventory and furnishings & decor quality and condition checks and refresh initiatives.

PROJECT COORDINATION

• Provide support for multiple project management activities including onboarding new properties and refresh initiatives, preventative maintenance, and quarterly deep clean and inventory programs.
• Utilize initiative and independent judgment in resolving project issues and ensuring timelines are met.
• Coordinate collection, assimilation, and distribution of research and information through internal and external resources and consultants.

QUALIFICATIONS:

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

• Strong knowledge of hospitality customer service operations, project management, housekeeping, residential maintenance, and administration. Ability to quickly learn and master the use of multiple business technology platforms. Solid organization, administration, project coordination, operating systems, and training material development and implementation experience. Strong coaching and mentoring skills. Familiarity with residential appliances, building, and residential operating systems, and maintenance needs. Able to manage service vendors and maintenance contractors and interface with property owners and managers to facilitate the operations and maintenance of the Abode residential units.
• Two years experience as a Vacation/Short-term Rental, Property, or Hotel Manager. Five years related experience in hospitality, property management, or customer service-related fields.
• Available to work 40+ hours each week and can be flexible with your schedule in order to provide on-call services to assist on nights, weekends, and holidays as emergencies arise. Able to travel for new property onboarding and refresh projects, destination services team hiring and training, and ongoing quality control management.
• Computer literate and able to quickly learn new communication and management systems. Extensive experience with main modules of Google G Suite or Microsoft Office Suite (Word Processing, Spreadsheets, Presentations). Preferably familiar with hospitality reservations systems, TV and Internet service troubleshooting, smart home technology, including Yale keyless entry lock systems, Roku streaming devices, Nest thermostats, and Google Home smart speakers, team messaging applications (Slack or similar), and task management systems (Asana or similar).
• Minimum four-year relevant undergraduate degree preferred. Formal hospitality training and experience are strongly preferred.
• Exceptional written and spoken English communication skills. Ability to effectively communicate and respond to questions from staff members, clients, partners, and the general public. Fluent or conversational Spanish is preferred.
• Ability to manage expenses against budgets for housekeeping, maintenance services, other operating services, and operating equipment and supplies expenses.
• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
• Comfortable lifting up to 50 pounds.

REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL ABODE TEAM MEMBERS

• An unrelenting focus on quality and attention to detail (we want to catch issues before guests do!)
• Excellent organization, time-management, and problem-solving skills.
• Enjoys technology and is eager to learn new systems and platforms.
• Motivated and sees opportunities to improve processes.
• High energy and always ready to do everything you can to make sure our guests have a great stay.
• Able to handle stressful situations in a calm, positive and professional manner.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

Annual Salary: $60,000 - $80,000

Benefits:

• Paid time off such as PTO, sick days, and vacation days
• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Retirement benefits or accounts
• Relocation assistance
• Telecommuting options