Location: London, UK
Salary: Negotiable, depending on experience
Contract: Full-time, permanent
Start Date: Ideally by mid-July 2026
The Opportunity
Oplu is discreetly representing an exceptional private London household seeking an experienced House Manager. This is a senior, hands-on appointment requiring confirmed private household experience, strong team leadership, calm discretion, and physical stamina inside a formal, fast-moving environment. Start required before mid-July 2026.
The Role
The House Manager runs the day-to-day operation of a high-standard private residence. The role carries full responsibility for standards, presentation, and the rhythm of the house. When the Principal is in residence, the household runs at pace. When the Principal is away, the residence is prepared and maintained ahead of the next return.
The House Manager leads a small permanent team day to day and steps up to lead a larger temporary team during periods of residence and formal entertaining, with the confidence to manage a large temporary team of up to 30 people when the Principal is in residence.
The right candidate holds standards without needing to be told what they are, communicates cleanly across staff, suppliers, and contractors, and protects the Principal’s time and privacy by default.
This is a formal household requiring a polished, professional and unflappable operator who is highly organised, proactive, meticulous, clear in communication, confident with IT, and able to lead by example while maintaining a harmonious working environment.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the day-to-day operation of a formal private residence to consistently high standards.
- Manage a small permanent team.
- Coordinate and lead a larger temporary team of up to 30 people during periods of residence and entertaining.
- Set the tone for the household team, lead by example, and maintain a harmonious, professional working culture.
- Walk the house daily; anticipate, resolve, and act before issues reach the Principal.
- Oversee suppliers, contractors, and maintenance schedules.
- Carry out basic maintenance checks, report issues promptly, and manage onsite contractors effectively.
- Hold the residence in a state of constant readiness.
- Prepare the residence ahead of the Principal’s return and support the rhythm of household life when in residence.
- Maintain excellent knowledge of special finishes and their correct care, ensuring all surfaces, details, and presentation standards are protected.
- Support formal household service standards, including hands-on silver service when required.
- Protect the household’s privacy and the Principal’s time with complete discretion.
Requirements
Must-Haves
- Proven experience already as a House Manager in a UHNW private household. This is not a step-up role.
- Minimum of five years’ house management experience.
- Experience working inside a formal household environment.
- Excellent spoken and written English. English is the working language of the household.
- Clear, confident communication across staff, suppliers, contractors, and principals.
- Good IT skills and confidence using household, communication, scheduling, and reporting systems.
- Strong team leadership across both permanent and temporary household staff.
- Good knowledge of special finishes and their care.
- Hands-on experience of silver service.
- Meticulous, highly organised, and proactive.
- Polished, professional, and unflappable.
- Comfortable with basic maintenance checks, reporting, and the management of onsite contractors.
- Physical stamina. The role is hands-on and involves long periods on the floor of the residence.
- Calm under pace. Comfortable inside a formal and fast-moving environment.
- Exemplary discretion and judgement.
- Right to work in the UK.
- Checkable references from comparable senior private household roles.
Strong Advantage
- Prior experience in yachting or in another UHNW private household environment.
- Multilingual European language skills.
Practical Information
- Contract: Full-time, permanent.
- Start: Ideally before mid-July 2026.
- Location: London, UK.
- Working pattern: Five days per week, Monday to Friday, for approximately seven to eight months of the year. Full flexibility is required when the Principal is in residence.
- Live-in support is required when the Principal is in residence.
- Languages: Fluent English required. Additional European languages welcome.
- Salary: Negotiable, depending on experience.
- Right to work in the UK required.
- Standard NDA required.
Application Process
All enquiries will be handled in the strictest confidence.
Please note: due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are only able to contact candidates who are successfully shortlisted. If you have not heard from us within 14 days of submitting your application, please assume that you have not been successful on this occasion.
