Job Focus: Household Manager
A large and perfectly appointed home is undoubtedly a wonderful thing to own, it’s where you’re able to spend time with your family and entertain friends. However, the responsibilities of keeping the house as you envision, administering to the reams of paperwork it generates and managing the staff you’ve hired to support your lifestyle is a full time job in itself, leaving little time for the important things in life. Enter the Household Manager.
A household manager (sometimes called a House Manager, or the term Estate Manager might be used depending on the property in question) will handle the day-to-day operations of a household. If the residence is part of a larger estate they might have responsibility for one property, and report to an estate manager or chief of staff.
Within the household they will manage and delegate to other members of staff, oversee longer term household projects and take the weight of managing the myriad of small, everyday tasks off your plate. For example, a house manager might regularly make appointments for repairs and maintenance, ensure the required inventory is stocked, make sure the home is kept tidy and well organised, pay bills, house or pet sit while the family is away, and run any number of errands.
A household manager will also likely be responsible for managing the principals’ and/or their family’s agenda, or at least some aspects of it. This might include holidays/vacations, medical and dental appointments, social events, charity work, visits and guests, or indeed any of life’s varied occurrences.
Naturally in possession of a finely-honed work ethic, a house manager will be of the mindset to take whatever is thrown at them and process it quickly and efficiently. Flexibility and a can-do attitude are key attributes, and it’s quite obvious that being a meticulously organised multitasker is a must.
Excellent, clear communication skills are also necessary. The house manager will be in constant dialogue with the principals and their family, as well as other members of staff. They’ll require sufficient awareness to know what’s required, when to seek further details, when to delegate and when to roll their sleeves up and get stuck in. A level of leadership and responsibility is expected, as other members of the household staff will look to the household manager for direction, instruction and quality control.
Candidates for house manager positions will normally have experience within a household staff and be used to a role which requires organisational ability. They might also have more specific skills suiting them to a particular household, as every family is different with accordingly differing requirements. For example, experience in event coordination, complex travel planning, or an affinity with whatever the principals’ businesses or interests entail could be an advantage for particular roles.
Finally, confidentiality is, as with so many household roles, imperative. The house manager will be privy to all sorts of private and personal information, be it in the form of bills, letters and communications, knowledge of the schedules and undertakings of the principal and their family, or simply overheard conversations. In a role such as this trust is a foremost requirement.
Pembury Partners is, at the time of writing, offering a number of roles for household managers and associated positions. We source and place only the finest candidates in the strictest of confidence.
