Job Focus: Palace Manager
We’ve written about house managers before, these are sometimes known as household managers or estate managers, depending on the role and the property in question. However, what does it take to go a step beyond this into the world of the Palace Manager?
A palace manager will be a very experienced house manager, in charge of the management of a Royal Palace or residence for a high profile, or indeed royal, family. They will often report directly to the principals, and will plan and execute the management of the property according to their exacting directives, overseeing the smooth running of the palace and its grounds and/or compound.
The household staff, ground staff and various contractors in such an establishment might be very numerous indeed – for example, private chefs, personal trainers, maintenance staff, housekeepers, engineers, construction workers, landscapers, nannies, pet carers… the list goes on. The criteria for the employment, operation, vetting and security arrangements for each member of staff can be extremely stringent, and it will fall to the palace manager to oversee, understand and delegate as appropriate.
As well as taking overall charge of the palace staff, the palace manager will ensure that the buildings, grounds and equipment are maintained, they will organise utilities and create and update manuals, inventories and policies. They might well be required to manage a portfolio of properties, often globally, and travel between them to maintain oversight. They’ll also often be the first point of contact in an emergency.
As the person with ultimate responsibility for the palace (or palaces) and for all the staff, with the aim of ensuring that the principals receive the best possible service, this is obviously a role for an extremely resilient and well organised individual.
Key Qualities
A candidate for a role as a palace manager will have extensive relevant experience of complex estate management, and experience of royal protocol and/or a formal UHNW (Ultra High Net Worth) environment. A background in five-star hotel management is sometimes required, in order to bring in nuances from the top of the hotel world.
The right individual will have a proven ability to manage a complex roster of staff, overseeing hiring and firing, vetting, training and day-to-day management. They will have good commercial awareness, and most importantly operate with complete discretion at all times.
This is a very “full on” role, suiting an extremely hard-working individual. They’ll need to be flexible, calm and collected under pressure, a natural leader and team player who knows when to delegate and when to involve themselves directly.
Whilst the responsibilities and requirements clearly speak of a very high calibre of candidate, the job can be very rewarding too. The salary and benefits are often excellent, and it’s often a live-in role with generous accommodation.
Pembury Partners finds and places household staff in the finest homes and palaces worldwide, with absolute discretion.
