Estate Director

ESTATE DIRECTOR

Our client is in the process of developing and renovating a significant private estate.

The estate is currently managed by a small, long standing team including a house manager, an experienced estate manager and select external operators. The client works closely with an internal project management team overseeing the ongoing capital works.

The client is seeking to appoint an exceptional Estate Director to take on a newly created, senior leadership role with full overarching responsibility for the estate. This is a live-out position although this individual will be required to be onsite daily working closely with the existing team. The Estate Director will act as the central coordinating figure across all aspects of the estate. They will be responsible for the creation of a cohesive team, hiring multiple people across the estate including in the area of regenerative farming. They will have responsibility for pulling together the many strands of work across the estate and working with the various specialist consultants. They will help in creating and sustaining a positive, collaborative culture across the estate through a period of significant development and beyond. The Estate Director will report to the CEO of the client's family office.

The successful candidate will bring structure, clarity and long-term vision, with overarching responsibility for the estate's strategy, operations and ongoing development. This role would suit an individual currently managing an estate or similar operation, looking to step into a broader, more complex and high-impact position. This is a rare opportunity to join at a defining stage of the estate's evolution and play a central role in shaping its future.

Key Responsibilities

The Estate Director will assume overarching responsibility for the performance, development and direction of the estate. Core responsibilities will include:

• Providing leadership and direction across all aspects of the estate, ensuring a cohesive and well-managed operation
• Pulling together the many strands of work and projects ensuring coordinated delivery as the various planning consents and capital works are completed
• Enacting and embedding the culture and vision across the estate
• Steering and implementing the estate's long-term strategic vision, including land use, agriculture and diversification opportunities
• Championing sustainability and regenerative practice across the estate, embedding environmental stewardship into land use, agriculture and day-to-day operations
• Recalibrating, building and leading a high-performing estate and household team, evolving structures as the estate develops
• Ensuring exceptional standards across all residential properties, including maintenance, service and presentation
• Working closely with the House Manager, existing Estate Manager, Head Gardener and Regenerative Farming Manager, maintaining strategic oversight of land operations
• Providing executive oversight of land, grounds and environmental initiatives, supporting the Head Gardener in leading their team and ensuring all landscaping, planting and ongoing works align with the overall vision.
• Acting as the central point of coordination across all stakeholders, ensuring alignment between the client, project teams and operational staff
• Introducing systems, processes and reporting frameworks to ensure efficient and proactive estate management

Candidate Profile

We are seeking a high-calibre individual with a combination of strategic capability and operational depth. Key attributes will include:

• Strategic Acumen: ability to balance long-term vision with practical delivery across land, property and operations
• Operational Capability: experience managing complex estates or comparable operations with a hands-on approach
• Project Management Expertise: proven ability to oversee significant capital projects and coordinate multiple stakeholders
• Estate & Land Knowledge: strong understanding of rural estates, land management and ideally agricultural operations
• Leadership & Presence: ability to build trust, introduce structure and hire and lead both internal teams and external partners, bringing gravitas and credibility to the role
• Commercial Acumen: some commercial experience, bringing a rigorous, value-conscious approach to budgets, contracts and return on investment
• Emotional Intelligence: personable, discreet and able to build strong working relationships with principals and teams
• Ownership & Initiative: self-starting, autonomous and accountable for overall performance and direction
• Practical Sophistication: comfortable operating at both strategic and detailed, on-the-ground levels

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