Manager of Operations

COMPANY OVERVIEW:

We built Wanderlust in 2019 after personally experiencing the challenges of short-term and hearing stories from others with unfortunate experiences. We became acutely aware of how frustrating it can be to spend a lot of money on a high-end vacation rental and receive a subpar experience. We knew we could do better.

We want our guests to feel like they are in their own home, not in a hotel room.

We want them to experience five-star luxury at a price that is often half of what it would cost at a five-star luxury hotel. We want our guests to feel welcome. If they would like someone to greet them at their vacation rental, we’re more than happy to do so. If they would like to arrive and enter on their own, that’s fine, too.

At Wanderlust we make short-term rentals easier for property owners and do our very best to take away all the hassle of doing it on their own. We handle the preliminary work to prepare our properties for success in the vacation rental market and provide attention to detail in every aspect of our homes. We keep track of ongoing maintenance issues and work side by side with our homeowners to fix what needs fixing.

In only two years, we went from 1 property to over 50 in Santa Barbara and are growing more each month.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Director of Operations position will report directly to the General Manager and is responsible for leading and managing the daily operations of the company, including maintenance, reservations, guest relations, housekeeping, and owner services. This role requires strong management and leadership skills with the ability to effectively communicate with staff, vendors, guests, and homeowners. Your team must be able to rely on you to pitch in where needed to deliver exceptional guest and owner experiences. We are looking for an effective problem solver, quick on their feet and able to resolve a wide variety of issues. Strong communication skills, ability to multitask, attention to detail, and timely follow-up are the key to success.

The Director of Operations will be a part of the leadership team and must have both a strategic and a customer-focused perspective. In this role, you will be expected to execute on financial performance, operational excellence, and maintenance of properties while leading by example, training, and holding other team members accountable.

All duties and responsibilities of this position are to be performed with exceptional caring and genuine guest service upholding Mountain Time Vacation Rentals standards and culture at all times.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Schedule and manage all repairs and upgrades with homeowners, guests, and vendors
• Actively work with homeowners on opportunities to grow their revenue through property updates
• Assist in the development and implementation of operating procedures, and training materials. Coach and mentor team members
  Assist with the onboarding and setup of new homes working closely with the marketing manager and homeowner
  Provide exceptional service to homeowners and guests, quickly addressing feedback in a professional and timely manner
  Cultivate strong relationships, negotiate agreements, and manage the onboarding of strategic 3rd party vendors
  Make minor home repairs as needed on an occasional basis
  Manage work order tracker, billing, and timely closeout of all work orders with vendors
  Escalation point for guest/owner property troubleshooting and resolutions
  Assist with Inventory Management (Consumables/Linens)
  Work with office manager on order placement and tracking par levels
  Work with housekeeping manager to optimize Laundry Operations and ensure cleanings are completed to Mountain Time standards
  Identify issues quickly and creatively to resolve problems in the field
  Understand and execute company emergency procedures
  Audit fieldwork to ensure quality meets Mountain Time Vacation Rentals Standards and Scope
  Participate in Manager on Duty as needed and available to work a varied schedule including holidays and weekends

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Minimum of 2 years of professional management experience in relevant fields (property management, hotels/resorts, vacation rentals)
• Strong knowledge of hospitality customer service operations, project management, housekeeping, residential maintenance
• Tech-savvy with the ability to quickly learn multiple business software applications. Extensive knowledge of Property Management Software (preferably Track) along with Google and Microsoft applications (presentations, spreadsheets, and word)
• Strong coaching and mentoring skills with experience managing teams
• Solid understanding of residential systems including appliances, Wi-Fi, HVAC, Plumbing, and Electrical repairs
• Management Experience supervising employees or vendors: 3+ years
• Must be eligible to work in the United States of America
• Must be available to support a 24/7 operation that includes holidays and weekends
• Must have reliable transportation, valid Drivers’ license, and smartphone
• Someone who believes in the motto work hard and play hard
• Adhere to safety guidelines and policies set forth by the company
• Pleasant, positive, and upbeat with a hospitality mindset and passion for customer service
• Due to the nature of the hospitality industry team member should be flexible with his/her hours. Due to possible guest issues, you should be able to get to a property within 30 minutes if needed. Weekends and Holidays will generally be busy with guest arrivals and departures and are considered higher traffic working days. We encourage all team members to take off 2 days per week where possible but realize that guest arrival times and issues are unpredictable. A team member should generally be available from 8 am-6 pm but may vary seasonally based on home occupancy levels with peak season in the summer months. The individual should be available for after-hour calls for escalation support as needed.
• College degree -- ideally from a four-year university
• Experience in short-term vacation rental property management -- ideally in sales and operations
• Proficient in Streamline and Breezeway software ideal

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

Annual Salary: $65,000.00 - $80,000.00

Bonus Details:

Meets or exceeds 9 goals each worth a % of the total bonus per calendar year:
1) Annual sales - Signed and approved contracts of 12 additional properties (20%)
2) Quota success - Meet annual pipeline generation of 36 qualified leads (10%)
3) Full sales cycle closing - Self-initiated sales and close of 4 properties (10%)
4) Broker initiative - Attend a minimum of 24 broker open houses per month and provide
notes (in Slack Broker Tour Comments channel) (10%)
5) Marketing - Distribute at least one company newsletter per quarter – announcing
corporate initiatives and new properties (10%)
6) Congratulations letter - Initiate and oversee monthly mailings of congratulations letters
to brokers and new homeowners for all home sales (outsourced labor) (10%)
7) Guest satisfaction - Less than 4 negative guest reviews (10%)
8) Owner satisfaction initiative - Create and implement a quarterly survey (10%)
9) Owner retention - Less than 3 properties end contract with Wanderlust (10%

Benefits:

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