An estate manager looks after a private home, or more often several homes, for wealthy families. When a principal owns properties in different countries, the estate manager makes sure each one runs properly.
It’s the most senior job in a private household and one of the hardest to fill. You need someone who can handle budgets, lead a team of staff, deal with contractors, and still pick up the phone at midnight when a pipe bursts at the country house.
What does an estate manager do day to day?
Estate managers should be meticulous and organized. When the principal is home, the estate manager makes sure the household is running, answers staff questions, sorts out a delivery that didn’t show up. When they’re away, it’s more about maintenance, vendor work, and getting the property ready for the next visit.
Morgan Richez, co-founder of Morgan & Mallet: “They can manage construction, renovations, sell the property, rent the property, manage the finance, report to the family office, and prepare travel between properties for the principal.”
Monday you’re reviewing budgets with the family office. Tuesday you check in with the house managers at each property. Wednesday you sign off on a contractor quote for a bathroom refit. Thursday you’re getting the summer house opened and stocked. Friday you’re chasing an insurance renewal. If the principal is traveling between homes, you’re making sure the next property is ready, the staff know the schedule, and nothing has been missed.
Someone looking after two homes in Connecticut and Manhattan has a very different week from someone running five properties across Europe and the Middle East.
Morgan Richez: “When it comes to the Middle East, the people move from Dubai to London in July for shopping, then to the South of France for August. The estate manager has to make sure every property is ready for them.”
What is the difference between an estate manager and a house manager?
A house manager looks after one property. They run the staff, manage cleaning schedules, handle deliveries, and keep track of what’s in the house. Their job is making sure that one home runs properly day to day.
An estate manager does all of that, but across every property the principal owns. They also handle the money side: budgets, taxes, rental income, reporting to the family office. A house manager reports to the estate manager.
Morgan Richez: “The estate manager is more global. They manage the finance more than the house manager. The house manager is more focused on the day to day of one property.”
The title “chief of staff” covers similar ground. Laurine Mallet, co-founder of Morgan & Mallet, says chief of staff is more common for candidates with hotel backgrounds, while house managers usually come from traditional household roles. At senior level, they end up doing a lot of the same things.
How much does an estate manager earn?
Estate manager salaries depend on location, the number of properties, and the size of the household. Here are the ranges from Morgan & Mallet’s 2026 salary data:
| Country | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| USA | $90,000 to $180,000 |
| UAE | AED 360,000 to AED 480,000 |
| UK | £75,000 to £120,000 |
| France | AED 360,000 to 480,000 |
| Monaco | €80,000 to €130,000 |
| Saudi Arabia | SAR 200,000 to SAR 360,000 |
| Switzerland | CHF 110,000 to CHF 150,000 |
What skills and experience do you need to become an estate manager?
Most families want at least five to seven years of experience in property management, hospitality, or a senior household role. A degree isn’t necessary.
Many candidates come from hotel management, real estate, or business administration. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has found that hands-on experience matters more than a degree for property management roles, and that lines up with what we see.
The financial side is a big part of the job. An estate manager needs to be comfortable with spreadsheets, tracking expenses, and putting together reports for the family office. Plenty of estate managers do their own bookkeeping through QuickBooks or similar.
Managing people is the other big part. You’re supervising house managers, housekeepers, chefs, and other staff across multiple homes. That means hiring, scheduling, performance reviews, and sometimes having difficult conversations.
Rachel Dixon, recruiter at Morgan & Mallet: “Walk through routines. Explain preferences. Introduce vendors properly. Clarify authority and communication norms. When onboarding is weak, households misread confusion as failure.”
Discretion is harder to teach than any technical skill. Laurine Mallet: “In this industry, few people understand discretion. People think discretion is ‘I’m not going to listen to my boss’s phone conversation.’ But that’s not discretion. Discretion is keeping everything to yourself. Not repeating things. Not overreacting.”
A good estate manager has to be willing to step in anywhere. If the housekeeper is sick, you clean the bathroom. If a vendor falls through, you call the backup. The job title doesn’t mean you stop getting your hands dirty.
What are the work conditions for an estate manager?
Estate managers usually work full time, around 40 to 50 hours a week. Evenings, weekends, and holidays are part of the deal. The busiest times are when the principal moves between properties or hosts events.
Morgan Richez: “You get a high salary, but you need to be flexible at the last minute. Anytime. That’s the tradeoff.”
Live-in estate managers get accommodation on the property. The tradeoff is it can be hard to switch off when you live where you work. Live-out is more common in cities like London and New York. The estate manager commutes to the main home and keeps an eye on the other properties remotely or through site visits.
In the US, if you’re working across multiple states, you need to know that the rules change from state to state. New York’s Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights, California’s labor protections, and Florida’s at-will employment rules all have different requirements for overtime, days off, and contract terms.
Example of an estate manager job description
Here’s a real example of an estate manager job description for a permanent position in Geneva. The duties are typical across most markets, but things like work permits and driver’s licenses depend on the country.
Job duties and responsibilities
Recruit, train, and supervise domestic staff for various villas. Oversee all maintenance and repairs across the property’s grounds and buildings. Manage the property budget. Make sure all utilities are in good working order. Travel between properties to check in with staff and keep things on track. Be the main point of contact for staff and outside service providers. Be the first call in an emergency. Inspect the property before the owner arrives. Provide ongoing support to property owners.
Profile requirement
At least 7 years of experience in a similar position. Discreet, with a strong sense of confidentiality. Able to work well on their own and as part of a team. Good at negotiation and conflict resolution. Comfortable working under pressure with strong time management. Advanced computer skills and quick to respond to emails and messages. Driver’s license required. Swiss work permit.
Job conditions
Full-time with flexibility on evenings and weekends. Live-out. Salary based on experience.
How do you become an estate manager?
The most common path into the role is through house management. Laurine Mallet talks about one candidate she’s followed over the years. He started as a butler, moved into a property guardian role managing two or three people, then took a job managing ten. Eventually he was placed overseeing more than 80 staff for a dignitary in Morocco. Each step built on the last.
Others come from hospitality. Hotel general managers and directors of operations are used to dealing with vendors, budgets, and teams across multiple locations. What matters is whether you’ve actually run more than one location at the same time.
For experienced estate managers, the next step is often family office management or consulting. What you learn running properties, managing budgets, leading staff, all of that applies when you move into managing a family’s money and operations more broadly. Some stay in the field as advisors, helping wealthy families set up their property management from scratch.
Looking for a position as an estate manager?
Browse current vacancies on the Morgan & Mallet job board. We place estate managers in New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Geneva, Dubai, and beyond.
Hire an Estate Manager
If you’re looking to hire an estate manager for your household or family office, get in touch with one of our offices or email contact@morganmallet.agency.