A house manager runs the day-to-day life of a private home. They manage the staff, track spending, and deal with vendors. Morgan Richez, co-founder of Morgan & Mallet: “When you have more than three to five staff in one home, you need a house manager. It matters.”
This page gives you a full example job description to use as a template when hiring. For everything else, see our house manager hiring page. It covers what house managers do day to day, salaries by country, how the role compares to an estate manager, and how to hire one.
Before writing the brief, be honest about one thing, is this a hands-on role, or a pure management role?
Morgan Richez, co-founder of Morgan & Mallet, puts it this way: “When it comes to a small property with five or six domestic staff, the client can handle things directly. But when it comes to a big property, you need proper standards, handbooks, procedures.”
That difference is what separates the two types of house manager brief we see. In the smaller household, the house manager spends a lot of their day doing hands on jobs.
In the bigger household, it’s mostly management. Meetings, rotas, budgets, quality checks, with the hands-on work delegated.
Being specific about what is expected in the role will do more for your search than almost anything else in the brief.
Example of a house manager job description
Here’s an example job description for a full-time house manager based in a New York City townhouse. The duties are typical of a US-based house manager role. Visa and work permit rules change country to country.
Job description
A private family is looking for an experienced house manager to run their New York City townhouse. The staff team is small, just a housekeeper and a part-time chef, and the house manager also works with regular external vendors. The family entertains often and hosts house guests regularly.
The house manager will be the family’s main point of contact for everything to do with the home. They’ll manage the staff, run the household budget, and coordinate vendors. Whether the family is in town or travelling, the home should run without them having to think about it.
The role is full-time and live-out.
Responsibilities
Staff management
- Hire, train, and supervise the household staff, including the housekeeper and chef
- Set schedules, review performance, and handle day-to-day staff issues
- Step in to cover staff absences
Budget and household administration
- Manage the household budget, including groceries, supplies, payroll, repairs, and events
- Track invoices, process payments, and keep records for the family office
- Send the principal a clear monthly update on spending
Vendor and property oversight
- Keep a list of contractors you trust for plumbing, electrics, security, gardening, and the rest
- Keep backup vendors on file for when someone lets you down
- Schedule regular servicing across the property
Events and entertaining
- Plan and run family events, from small dinners to larger gatherings
- Coordinate with caterers, florists, and other vendors
- Brief the staff team ahead of each event
Inventory and day-to-day running
- Keep stock of groceries, wine, linens, and cleaning supplies so nothing runs out
- Prepare the home ahead of the family’s return from travel
- Handle last-minute plans and unexpected requests without losing the thread
Requirements
Essential experience
- Minimum 5 years as a house manager in a private household, or in a senior hospitality role
- Verifiable references from HNW or UHNW private employers
- Proven experience managing a team of three or more
- Strong with budgets and good at managing vendors
- Valid US work authorization and a clean driver’s licence
Personal qualities
- Absolute discretion and respect for confidentiality
- Strong organization and a cool head under pressure
- Good judgment and the ability to make decisions without waiting to be asked
- Clear communicator, happy to adjust to how much or how little the principal wants to hear from them
- Fluent English; a second language is a plus
Work conditions
- Full-time, live-out
- Five to five and a half days per week, typically 45 to 55 hours
- Longer hours during events, travel, and busy periods
- Salary based on experience
Using this job description
If you’re using this as a starting point for your own hire, tweak the responsibilities and requirements sections to match your brief. The details that change things most are how many staff the house manager will supervise, whether the role is live-in or live-out, and whether they’ll report to a family office or directly to the principal.
Morgan & Mallet places house managers in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Paris, Geneva, and Dubai. If you’d like us to refine a job description for your household, or help you hire, get in touch with one of our offices or call +1(646)965-2308 Looking for a position as a house manager? Browse our current vacancies on the Morgan & Mallet job board.
This job description was reviewed by Morgan Richez, co-founder of Morgan & Mallet.