Operations Manager – Country Lead

Overview
Who are we?
At aparto, we're more than just student accommodation, we're a community that acts as a home-away-from-home for students across the UK, Ireland, Italy, and Spain. We understand that university life is a significant transition for many, often marking the first time they've lived away from their families. That's why we strive to make aparto not just a place to stay, but a vibrant, supportive environment where students can make lifelong friends, discover new possibilities, and have experiences that will shape their futures.
Responsibilities
The Operations Manager is accountable for the operational and commercial performance of the aparto portfolio in Italy. Acting as the country operations lead, the role ensures our properties operate safely, efficiently and profitably while delivering an outstanding resident experience that differentiates aparto in the market.
The role leads and develops the operational teams across Italy and is responsible for driving consistent standards, strong financial performance and continuous improvement. Working closely with Asset Management, Marketing, Finance and other central functions, they will ensure the portfolio meets its commercial objectives while leading key investor, owner and client relationships in Italy.
Lead day-to-day operational performance across the Italian portfolio
Manage the operational and financial performance of the properties and their teams
Coach and support General Managers to deliver high standards and consistent execution
Ensure service delivery, property presentation and operational routines align with aparto standards
Review performance data and implement actions to improve occupancy, revenue, cost and resident experience
Build and maintain strong relationships with key investors, owners, clients, universities, partners and other stakeholders
Monitor market trends, competitor activity and legislative developments that may impact operational or commercial performance in Italy
Provide out-of-hours support to site teams as required, ensuring issues are escalated and managed in accordance with agreed procedures
Take full responsibility for the financial performance of all assigned properties, including P&L management, budgeting, and financial reporting
Work with Asset Management, Marketing and Sales to deliver annual budgets and occupancy plans
Monitor property performance against budget, identifying trends, variances and opportunities and implementing clear action plans to maximise profitability while protecting the resident experience
Monitor and manage rental rates, leasing, renewals, rebookers, summer revenue and ancillary income, using local market and competitor insight to inform commercial decisions
Oversee rent collection, deposits, charges, arrears and bad debt, ensuring timely reconciliation and appropriate action with General Managers and Finance
Identify and deliver opportunities to generate additional income, including summer lettings and other non-academic revenue streams
Support new business budgeting and expedite material commercial risks and opportunities with clear recommendations and action plans
Ensure all properties are well maintained, safe and presented to a high standard
Partner with Facilities and contractors to deliver planned maintenance, lifecycle works and service quality
Oversee summer turnaround, readiness and defect resolution
Support refurbishments, capex works and asset enhancement projects
Ensure that each building and its processes are compliant with the relevant local and national current legislation and regulations for all operational matters, and aparto policies
Drive a proactive health and safety culture across all sites
Ensure audits, inspections, training, risk assessments and incident reporting are completed on time
Track and close out actions from audits and compliance reviews
Lead, coach and develop GMs and site leaders across Italy
Build a high-performance culture aligned to Service, Belonging & Community
Support recruitment, onboarding, performance management and succession planning
Ensure regular communication, 1:1s and reviews are in place across the country
Champion the resident journey, community standards and service responsiveness
Use feedback, reviews and NPS insight to drive continuous improvement
Ensure escalations are handled professionally, promptly and with accountability
Support events, wellbeing activity and local community engagement
Support mobilisation of new properties and operational transitions, refurbishments and minor capex projects
Implement group initiatives and share best practice across the Italian portfolio
Benchmark against competitors and identify opportunities to improve performance
Support process, systems and reporting improvements that drive efficiency and consistency
Qualifications
Minimum Requirements include:
Proven experience