Director of Operations

We’re Houst: A professional management service for properties. Our mission is to make hosting on websites hassle-free for everyone using technology to disrupt the short-term accommodation sector. We’ve grown fast. Since launching in 2015, we’ve partnered with thousands of happy hosts, helping them to make important earning.

We are looking for an Operations Director who is driven, innovative, and passionate about delivering operational excellence in a dynamic and fast-paced environment. The successful candidate will be a key member of our Senior Leadership team, helping to shape the future of our business and drive growth in our global markets.

Responsibilities:

• Provide leadership across all operational areas of the company, setting the strategic direction, and ensuring effective execution of the operational plan.
• Use data to identify problem root causes and build metrics to track and evaluate solutions. We are a data-driven company, and success in this role relies on your ability to distinguish signal from noise and interpret diverse data sources with confidence.
• Work collaboratively with Commercial and Client Success teams to develop a long-term operating model that drives efficiency and effectiveness across all areas of the business.
• Develop and implement a global operations strategy to drive retention and growth of Houst's inventory of homes, in both current and new markets.
• Ensure excellent guest and host satisfaction through close collaboration with all heads of departments.
• Manage supplier relations and negotiate contracts with suppliers to ensure quality services and competitive pricing.
• Oversee maintenance operations, ensuring that all properties are well-maintained and meet our high standards of cleanliness and safety.
• Develop and implement guest experience strategies to enhance guest satisfaction and loyalty across different cultures and regions.
• Manage all channels including Airbnb, Booking.com, and other distribution platforms, ensuring listings are optimised, rates are competitive, and availability is up-to-date in various markets.
• Create and implement standard operating procedures to ensure consistency and efficiency across all areas of the business.
• Develop and manage budgets for each area of responsibility, ensuring that expenses are within budget and revenues are maximised in different currencies.
• Build and manage a high-performing global operations team, providing coaching, training, and mentoring to develop their skills and expertise. With direct line management of the 3 senior managers leading Guest Experience, Supplier and Maintenance Operations and Channels departments, with overall indirect reporting numbers of 70+ employees
• Collaborate with other departments such as Commercial, Growth, Tech, People and finance, to achieve company goals and objectives.
• Be a member of the Senior Leadership team, helping to define our overall growth strategy.

Requirements:

• 10+ years of experience in operations management with a track record of delivering results in a hyper-growth environment.
• Proven experience in using data to make decisions. Knowledge of SQL preferred, ability to analyse data in Excel / Google Sheets required.
• Strong leadership skills and experience building and managing high-performing teams.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills with the ability to build and maintain effective relationships with internal and external partners.
• Experience managing supplier relations and negotiating contracts.
• Strong understanding of maintenance operations and guest experience strategies.
• Proven experience in managing distribution channels and optimising listings.
• Experience in developing and implementing standard operating procedures.
• Strong financial acumen and experience managing budgets.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills with the ability to work cross-functionally with different departments.

Benefits:

• 25 days paid holiday (plus public holidays)
• Hybrid working (3 days in London HQ, 2 days WFH)
• An extra day off for your birthday - because who wants to work on their birthday?
• Employee discounts – at heaps of restaurants, shops, gym memberships, cinema tickets and more
• Pawternity - We encourage proud parents of new pets to work from home to help their new member settle in
• Betterhelp coverage for mental health support
• MacBook - for business use
• Salary: £80k - £100k

At Houst, we embrace diversity and inclusion as fundamental pillars of our workplace culture. We believe that a diverse team fosters creativity, innovation, and success. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and has equal opportunities to contribute and succeed.