About the Organization
We are a privately held real estate organization headquartered in Kingston, Ontario, with a diverse portfolio spanning residential and commercial real estate development, property management, and luxury hospitality. The properties are luxury hospitality destinations and reflect a commitment to quality, design, and the guest and resident experience. This is a tight, entrepreneurial team that moves quickly and takes pride in the calibre of work it puts into the world.
The Opportunity
We are looking for a Director of Property Operations to run the day-to-day of the portfolio and hold the operating side of the business together. Reporting directly to the owner of the business, you will be accountable for ensuring that people, processes, and technology align with the organization’s short-, medium-, and long-term objectives.
The organization owns and manages over 4,200 residential units and roughly 400,000 square feet of commercial space, with close to 4,700 mixed-use units in planning. That pipeline is the reason this role exists. Buildings will keep arriving from construction, and someone has to be accountable for the standard they are run to once they do.
This is a broad senior mandate. You will own the day-to-day operating rhythm of the property management division: performance, budgets, capital planning, administration, people, and health and safety. You will hold sign-off on building turnover from construction to operations, which means finding deficiencies and pursuing warranty entitlements before a building becomes someone else’s problem. You will also work closely with the leasing, marketing, and technology functions, providing input and support rather than running them, and you will be the person who keeps information moving smoothly between departments so decisions are made on good data rather than guesswork.
The organization is actively building AI into how it works, and wants a Director of Property Operations who treats that as an advantage to press rather than a project to administer.
Key Responsibilities
Business Operations
Own the day-to-day operations of the business and ensure activity across departments is aligned to short-, medium-, and long-term objectives. Chair the weekly management meeting, set agendas, and drive follow-through on decisions, issues, and risks. Establish and maintain the lines of communication between departments so quality information reaches the owner in time to support decisions. Drive continuous improvement across property management operations, administration, and teamwork.
Property Management and Portfolio Performance
Provide direction and oversight to the property management function across the residential and commercial portfolio. Set the standard for tenant and resident experience, and manage the timely resolution of property and tenant issues. Set the company messaging staff use with tenants, trades, contractors, and municipal officials. Sign off on the turnover of completed buildings from construction into operations, including identifying deficiencies before acceptance and pursuing builder, manufacturer, and contractor warranty entitlements through to resolution.
Leasing and Marketing Support
Provide input and support to the leasing and marketing function. Contribute operational insights on vacancy, turnover, and unit readiness; help translate leasing targets into execution across properties; and ensure site teams are set up to deliver against the plan. Leasing and marketing strategy is set elsewhere in the organization; your role is to support how it lands on the ground.
Renovation Capital Expenditure Administration
Administer and report on renovation capital expenditure across the portfolio. Track approved capital expenditure against actual spend, keep supporting records and documentation current, and report progress to the owner on a regular cadence. Support renovation work as it moves through the properties by coordinating with site teams, trades, and vendors, and by flagging schedule, scope, or cost issues early enough that they can be dealt with.
Budgets and Administration
Assist in the creation and management of annual property and operating budgets, and manage costs across the portfolio with direct oversight. Stay current on public policy and legislative change affecting daily operations. Own the management status reporting tool and the operating cadence built around it.
Technology and Systems Support
Support the organization’s technology and systems function. Assist with the rollout and adoption of applications that automate and improve internal operations, help resolve day-to-day system and vendor issues affecting operating teams, and maintain accurate information and document management practices, both paper and electronic, within your areas of responsibility. Use AI tools in your own work and encourage practical adoption across the teams you lead, always with sound judgment around accuracy, privacy, and confidentiality. Information and technology strategy is set elsewhere in the organization.
People and Team Leadership
Lead the managers who report to this role and set the people strategy for the group in partnership with Human Resources. Clarify roles, responsibilities, and expectations across teams. Set annual individual performance goals, run the performance review cycle, and identify training that expands the team’s capabilities. Partner with Human Resources on hiring, onboarding, and performance decisions.
Health, Safety and Issue Resolution
Maintain a safe environment for staff, tenants, and guests by identifying and eliminating hazards, and oversee the training, regulatory programs, policies, and procedures that support this environment. Determine ownership of escalated operational issues and risks and drive them to resolution.
Who You Are
- An operator. You are comfortable owning outcomes across multiple functions at once, and you close the loop without being chased.
- Commercially sharp. You read a budget, a variance, and a vacancy forecast and know what needs to happen next.
- Direct. You communicate clearly, in writing and in person, with staff, tenants, trades, contractors, and municipal officials, and you set the tone for how the company sounds.
- Systems-minded. You look at a manual process and see the version of it that runs on better tools.
- Curious about AI. You have used AI tools at work, or you are genuinely interested in learning how they can improve output across a team. You see them as a way to do more, not a threat.
- A people leader. You give managers clear expectations, real feedback, and room to run.
- Steady under pressure. You make decisions with incomplete information and stay level when several things need attention at once.
- High integrity. You exercise sound judgment, listen well, and handle confidential company and tenant information with appropriate care.
Qualifications
- Ten or more years in property operations, property management or real estate operations, including at least five years leading multi-site teams with portfolio-level accountability.
- Bachelor’s degree in business, construction management, real estate or a related discipline. CPM, ARM, RPA, FMP, or a program or project management certification is a strong asset.
- Demonstrated ownership of operating budgets and multi-year capital plans that you can walk us through and defend, with the project management discipline to deliver what you budgeted.
- Experience with both residential and commercial assets. Multi-residential depth is essential and commercial or mixed-use exposure is strongly preferred.
- Working knowledge of building systems and the trades that maintain them: HVAC, electrical, plumbing, gas, envelope, fire and life safety, and site and landscaping work. Wood frame familiarity is an asset, as is knowledge of green building practices.
- Practical command of the Residential Tenancies Act, the Ontario Building and Fire Codes, and the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
- Experience with environmental matters affecting multi-residential housing, including regulated substances such as asbestos and lead paint.
- Taking new construction from occupancy through to stabilized operation, including deficiency and warranty work, is a strong asset.
- Working knowledge of property management software. We run Yardi, and we care more that you use the system properly than which one you learned on.
- Advanced Excel, Word and PowerPoint, with the communication and problem-solving skills to turn what those systems tell you into a decision an owner can act on.
- Working familiarity with AI tools such as Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT or Claude, or a clear willingness to learn and apply them on the job.
- Valid Ontario driver’s licence and access to a vehicle. You will be moving between properties in Kingston and Ottawa.
Reporting and Working Environment
This role reports directly to the owner of the business. It is based in the Kingston office, with regular travel between properties across the portfolio in Kingston and Ottawa, and time spent on site at multiple locations. Hours are regular full-time, with the flexibility a senior operating role requires. The role carries a moderate to high level of pressure and combines desk-based work with site attendance. The organization supports 40 hours of professional development per year.
Pay: $130,000.00-$180,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company events
- Mileage reimbursement
- On-site gym
- On-site parking
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Kingston, ON: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred)
Application question(s):
- Do you have a vehicle?
- What is your expected salary for this role?
- What property management systems have you used?
Experience:
- Property operations: 10 years (preferred)
Licence/Certification:
- Driving Licence (required)
Willingness to travel:
Work Location: In person
