Downing
Residence Manager
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Residence Manager - Acer
Location
Manchester
Job Type
Full-Time
Permanent
Overview
Based at Square Gardens, Manchester, one of the UK’s largest and most prestigious co-living communities, the Residence Manager is responsible for the day-to-day leadership and operational performance of a premium, service-led student living experience at Acer Tower, a residential community of 1,200 beds. This is a visible, hands-on role requiring strong leadership of a multidisciplinary site team, with direct management responsibility for the Resident Services and Maintenance teams and responsibility for directing the day-to-day activities of contracted Cleaning and Security teams.
Working closely with central Operations, Sales, and other support functions, the Residence Manager will maintain high operational standards, ensure issues are owned through to resolution, and retain clear accountability for delivery within Acer.
About the Company
Downing are an award-winning leading developer, owner, and operator of bespoke, luxury student accommodation, co-living, residential, and commercial property across the UK. We have been operating for over 35 years and currently have 14 operational schemes in 10 major cities, with a further £1.6bn of upcoming developments in our pipeline.
Key Responsibilities
- Take overall responsibility for the day-to-day operation of Acer, providing visible leadership and ensuring consistently high standards across the building.
- Lead, manage, and develop the Resident Services and Maintenance teams, fostering a collaborative, accountable, and high-performing site culture.
- Oversee contracted Cleaning and Security services, delegating day-to-day tasks and monitoring performance against agreed standards and SLAs.
- Deliver an excellent resident experience throughout the student journey, from arrival and induction through to departure, ensuring issues and complaints are resolved promptly and effectively.
- Monitor resident feedback, satisfaction, and service performance, working towards the Square Gardens Net Promoter Score (NPS) target of +60.
- Build effective relationships with university accommodation and residential life teams, ensuring commitments to university-nominated residents are met.
- Lead operational planning for student arrivals, departures, and room readiness, coordinating Resident Services, Maintenance, Cleaning, and university partners.
- Oversee planned and reactive maintenance, building inspections, and contractor activity, ensuring issues are prioritized, communicated, and followed through to resolution.
- Ensure compliance with the ANUK/Unipol National Code, company procedures, Health & Safety requirements, and fire safety standards, maintaining accurate records and audit readiness.
- Monitor operational KPIs, manage controllable expenditure, and provide accurate reporting to senior management.
- Work collaboratively with central Sales teams to support occupancy, retention, rebooking, and resident-facing sales activity.
- Promote resident engagement, wellbeing initiatives, and community activities while maintaining an inclusive and supportive living environment.
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Person Specification
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- Proven management experience within student accommodation, residential property, hospitality, or a comparable customer-focused operational environment.
- Experience leading and developing customer-facing teams, ideally including maintenance or facilities colleagues.
- Strong operational management skills, with the ability to take ownership of a large, complex building and prioritize competing demands.
- A track record of delivering excellent customer service, resolving complaints, and improving resident satisfaction against measurable targets.
- Good understanding of Health & Safety, fire safety, and operational compliance; knowledge of the ANUK/Unipol National Code is desirable.
- Experience working with contractors, external stakeholders, and university accommodation teams is advantageous.
- Commercial awareness, including an understanding of occupancy, retention, rebooking, and operational expenditure.
- Excellent communication, organizational, and people-management skills, with a hands-on approach to leadership and problem-solving.
- Comfortable using operational systems, reporting tools, and Microsoft Office applications.
Additional Information
- Requirement to work 1 Saturday in 5 on a rota basis with a lieu day off the following week.
- Requirement to work overtime on weekends in line with peak tenancy periods.
Benefits
- Competitive salary.
- 25 days holiday, plus bank holidays.
- Paid overtime.
- Pension scheme.
- Life Assurance cover.
- Employee Assistance Scheme.
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