SUMMARY:

Property Manager Jobs | Student Accommodation | Johannesburg | Residential Property | Hospitality | Property Operations

Property Manager | Student Accommodation | Johannesburg, Gauteng

Lead the Property. Lead the Team. Create an Exceptional Student Living Experience.

Are you an experienced Property Manager, Residence Manager, Hospitality Manager or Residential Property Manager who understands that successful property management is about much more than managing a building?
A leading Student Accommodation Property Management Company is seeking an experienced Property Manager to take responsibility for the operational management of student accommodation in Johannesburg, Gauteng.

This is a highly operational and people-focused role requiring a strong leader who can manage the day-to-day property operations, resident experience, operational teams, budgets, service delivery, compliance and operational readiness of a busy student residence.

If you come from Student Accommodation, Hospitality, Hotels, Residential Property or Residence Management and have successfully managed a customer-focused property operation, this could be an excellent opportunity to move into the growing student accommodation sector.

POSITION INFO:

About the Role

Reporting to the Operations Executive, the Property Manager will take ownership of the day-to-day operation and performance of the residence. The position manages operational teams that may include Residence/Building Managers, Front Office and Administration, Reception, Housekeeping, Cleaning, Security and Student Life personnel.

Your objective will be to ensure that the residence consistently delivers:
Excellent service. Strong operational standards. Effective cost management. A positive resident experience. A safe, welcoming and professionally managed student community.

Key Responsibilities

Property & Residence Operations

Take responsibility for the smooth day-to-day operation of the student residence, including:

• Front office and reception operations
• Resident administration and communication
• Customer service
• Cleaning and housekeeping standards
• Security service delivery
• Common-area presentation
• Operational inspections
• Move-in and move-out processes
• Inventory management
• Operational risk management
• Customer-service complaint resolution
• Maintaining consistent property and service standards

The Property Manager is expected to ensure that the property operates consistently according to company standards.

Student & Resident Experience

Create an environment where students feel welcomed, supported and part of a community.
Responsibilities include:

• Build positive relationships with residents.
• Deliver excellent customer service.
• Manage student enquiries and complaints.
• Monitor resident satisfaction.
• Drive resident retention.
• Support Student Life initiatives.
• Promote community engagement.
• Resolve customer-experience complaints efficiently and professionally.

Resident satisfaction, complaint resolution, student retention, community engagement and customer-service quality are key measures of success in this position.

Team Leadership & People Management

Lead and develop a multi-disciplinary operational team by:

• Setting clear performance objectives.
• Conducting regular team meetings.
• Coaching and mentoring employees.
• Managing staff performance.
• Identifying training and development requirements.
• Promoting accountability and teamwork.
• Supporting recruitment and onboarding.
• Driving employee engagement and retention.

You will need to be a visible, hands-on operational leader who can build a high-performing service culture.

Operational Readiness & Student Intake

Student intake periods require exceptional planning and execution.
The Property Manager will:

• Coordinate annual intake preparations.
• Manage room inspections.
• Ensure rooms are cleaned and appropriately furnished.
• Verify operational equipment.
• Coordinate outstanding maintenance with the Facilities team.
• Complete operational readiness checklists.
• Ensure operational standards are achieved before students arrive.
• Ensure compliance with relevant institutional and NSFAS accreditation requirements.

Financial & Budget Management

Take responsibility for the property's operational budget, including:

• Prepare annual operational budgets.
• Monitor expenditure.
• Perform monthly budget forecasting.
• Control operational costs.
• Manage approved purchases.
• Review supplier invoices.
• Identify cost-saving opportunities.
• Drive efficient use of operational resources.
• Monitor budget performance and operational efficiencies.

Strong financial acumen and budget-management capability are important for this role.

Governance, Risk & Compliance

Ensure the residence operates in accordance with:

• Company policies and procedures
• Operational standards
• University requirements
• Internal controls
• Risk-management procedures
• House rules
• Service standards
• Incident-reporting procedures

You will work closely with the Facility Manager regarding statutory compliance, Health & Safety and technical building requirements.

Property Inspections & Quality Standards

Conduct regular inspections across:

• Student rooms
• Common areas
• Reception areas
• Outdoor areas
• Cleaning standards
• Security standards
• Furniture and equipment

Identify operational issues quickly and ensure appropriate corrective action is implemented.

Facilities Coordination

Although this is an operational Property Management role rather than a Facilities Manager position, you will work closely with the Facility Manager to ensure building-related issues do not negatively impact residents.
This includes:

• Reporting maintenance requirements.
• Prioritising operational maintenance needs.
• Coordinating room access.
• Monitoring completion of maintenance.
• Supporting preventative maintenance planning.
• Minimising disruption to students during maintenance activities.

Operational Reporting & Property Management Systems

Prepare and maintain accurate operational information, including:

• Weekly operational reports
• Occupancy reports
• Operational KPIs
• Resident incident reports
• Customer-service statistics
• Property inspection reports
• Budget reports
• Risk reports

The role uses FG Nexus to maintain resident records, monitor dashboards, manage digital inspections, record incidents, track service requests and produce operational reports. Experience with FG Nexus or a similar Property Management System will therefore be valuable.

Minimum Requirements

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or Diploma in Property Management, Business Management, Hospitality Management or a related field.
• Professional Property Management qualifications will be advantageous.
• SAPOA or SAFMA membership will be advantageous.
• Health & Safety knowledge will be beneficial.

Experience

• Minimum 5 years' experience in Property Management, Hospitality or Residence Management.
• Minimum 3 years' management experience.
• Proven experience managing multi-disciplinary operational teams.
• Experience within Student Accommodation, Hospitality or Residential Property Management will be highly advantageous.

Hospitality Experience? Your Skills Could Be Highly Relevant

We are particularly interested in candidates who understand high-occupancy, customer-focused property operations.
If you have managed a hotel, student residence, residential property, serviced apartment or similar hospitality operation, your experience in:

Guest/Resident Experience | Front Office | Housekeeping | Security | Operational Budgets | Team Leadership | Service Standards | Complaints | Property Presentation | Operational Readiness could translate extremely well into this position.

The role requires knowledge of property operations, customer-service management, budget management, staff management, risk management, operational planning and residence management.

Key Skills

Property Management | Student Accommodation | Student Housing | Residence Management | Residential Property Management | Hospitality Management | Property Operations | Building Operations | Resident Experience | Customer Service Management | Front Office Operations | Team Leadership | Staff Management | Operational Budgeting | Cost Control | Occupancy Management | Operational Readiness | Property Inspections | Risk Management | Compliance | Student Experience | Operational Reporting | Property Management Systems | Facilities Coordination

Who We're Looking For

We are looking for a professional, organised, resilient and results-driven Property Manager with excellent leadership and customer-service skills.

You should be comfortable making decisions, resolving problems, managing conflict and holding teams accountable while maintaining positive relationships with residents, staff and internal stakeholders. The role specifically requires strong planning, problem-solving, quality management, communication, relationship-building and customer-service capabilities.

Most importantly, you should understand the balance between people, property and performance.

A successful Property Manager will ensure that the residence delivers an exceptional student experience, maintains high operational standards, manages budgets effectively, develops a motivated team and remains fully operationally ready for each student intake.

Why Consider This Opportunity?

• Join a growing Student Accommodation Property Management environment.
• Take ownership of a high-energy residential operation.
• Lead and develop multi-disciplinary operational teams.
• Influence the student experience and resident retention.
• Gain exposure to operational and financial property management.
• Work closely with Facilities, Finance, Leasing, Student Life and other specialist teams.
• Build your career within the growing Student Accommodation / Student Housing sector.

Location

📍 Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Apply Online

If you're an experienced Property Manager, Residence Manager, Residential Property Manager, Hospitality Manager, Hotel Operations Manager, Accommodation Manager or Residence Operations Manager with strong operational leadership and financial acumen, we'd like to hear from you.

 

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