Executive Housekeeper for a Luxury Country Hotel and Wellness Retreat in West Dorset

The Opportunity

An Executive Housekeeper is needed for a luxury country hotel and wellness retreat in West Dorset. This is a senior leadership seat with full ownership of housekeeping standards across guest rooms, wellness facilities, public areas, and external spaces. Permanent, full-time. Immediate start.

About the property and the role

The property is a luxury country hotel and wellness retreat in West Dorset, with a guest experience built around quiet excellence, considered service, and a strong sustainability ethos. Guest accommodation, wellness facilities, public areas, and the grounds all sit under one estate operation. Housekeeping is one of the most visible departments in that picture.

The Executive Housekeeper sits on the leadership team and reports to the Hotel Manager, working alongside other department heads to run a seamless operation. The role combines strategic ownership of standards and team development with genuine hands-on presence: this is a leadership seat with a visible floor presence, not a desk role. During peak occupancy and operational demand, the Executive Housekeeper works alongside the team and services accommodation where required.

The right candidate brings a luxury hospitality or wellness pedigree, the calm authority to lead a team of in-house, contractor, and casual staff, and the operational discipline to run housekeeping to a consistent standard across a full estate.

Why this role

This is a senior leadership role inside a luxury hospitality environment, not a step-up from a deputy or assistant seat. The property is hiring for confirmed Executive Housekeeper experience and for the judgement to embed standards, SOPs, and a sustainability programme without needing to be told what good looks like.

For an experienced Executive Housekeeper who wants the variety of an estate, including rooms, wellness, public areas and external spaces, genuine ownership of standards, and a leadership team that protects quality over volume, this brief offers all of it in one of the most beautiful corners of the West Country.

Key Responsibilities

Standards, service, and the guest experience

• Lead housekeeping standards across guest rooms, wellness facilities, public areas, and external spaces to a luxury benchmark.
• Establish and embed the fine details that distinguish a luxury experience: presentation, finish, the discipline behind it, and the recovery when something falls short.
• Conduct daily inspections across the estate and act on findings before they reach a guest.
• Champion the property's sustainability programme inside housekeeping operations: products, processes, waste, and supplier choices.

Team leadership and operations

• Lead the housekeeping team of in-house staff, contractors, and casual team members. Build rotas, schedules, and operational coverage that match occupancy.
• Mentor and train the team to consistent, exceptional standards. Run regular training on technique, product knowledge, sustainability, and presentation.
• Lead by example with a visible floor presence. Service accommodation alongside the team during peak occupancy or operational demand.
• Implement, maintain, and review housekeeping quality control procedures, operational checklists, and departmental SOPs.

Inventory, suppliers, and compliance

• Control inventory and replenishment of housekeeping supplies for guests and staff.
• Liaise with third-party providers for linen, laundry, and specialist cleaning services.
• Conduct monthly audits of housekeeping assets and recommend improvements.
• Ensure compliance with all health and safety regulations: correct use and storage of chemicals, COSHH, safe operational procedures, fire safety, manual handling, and first aid.
• Monitor and coordinate waste disposal, including the concealed movement of refuse from designated areas.
• Apply tailored care to materials, surfaces, and finishes for preventative maintenance and longevity.

Requirements

Must-haves

• Proven experience already as an Executive Housekeeper, Head Housekeeper, or equivalent senior housekeeping leadership role within a 5-star luxury hospitality or wellness environment. This is not a step-up role.
• A hands-on leadership approach. Comfortable working alongside the team during peak occupancy or operational demand and servicing guest accommodation where required.
• COSHH certification. Acute knowledge of health and safety procedures, manual handling, and first aid. Essential training in Fire Safety, Cleaning, and Manual Lifting.
• Strong organisational and leadership skills, with the ability to manage rotas, schedules, and resources effectively.
• Ability to train and develop a mixed team of in-house, contractor, and casual staff to consistent, high standards.
• Computer literate and adept with property management systems.
• Flexibility to work weekends, evenings, and occasionally outdoors.
• A valid driving licence and access to a vehicle.
• Right to work in the UK.

Strong advantage

• Experience leading housekeeping inside a property with integrated wellness or spa operations.
• Track record of embedding sustainability initiatives within a housekeeping function.
• Experience opening, repositioning, or raising standards within a luxury property.
• Familiarity with rural-estate operations alongside hotel housekeeping.

Working at this property

The property operates to luxury hotel and wellness retreat standards, with all the rhythm that implies: arrivals and departures, peak occupancy windows, wellness-day flows, public-area resets, and the steady choreography behind the scenes. Weekend and evening work is part of the role. So is the willingness to be visible on the floor and to step in when the operation needs it.

The leadership culture is calm and standards-led. The Executive Housekeeper holds the line on quality, develops the team without churn, and contributes to the wider hotel leadership team alongside the Hotel Manager and other department heads. The cultural register is excellence without theatre.

Practical Information

• Start: Immediate.
• Reporting to: Hotel Manager.
• Hours: Full-time, including weekends and evenings as the operation requires.
• Driving licence and access to a vehicle required.
• Benefits as stated by the client: Up to 10% KPI-based bonus, voluntary pension, private medical, 25 days' annual leave plus public holidays, on-site staff accommodation available if required with subsidised rent.
• Right to work in the UK required.

Application Process

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.