View Vacancy – Residence Manager and Head Butler

Main purpose of job

UKMIS, New York is seeking to appoint a Residence Manager and Head Butler. The successful candidate will be one of a team of four residence staff who collectively look after our two Residences and additional internal and external corporate entertaining spaces and who ensure the smooth delivery of representational activity. He or she will work closely with the Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the UN (PR), Deputy Permanent Representative (DPR), the Social Secretary and the Chief of Staff.   The position is divided between Residence Manager and Butler duties.

Roles and responsibilities

This is a challenging position that requires the jobholder to move seamlessly between managing a small boutique hotel, overseeing off-site facilities and providing professional butler service while leading a small team. The ideal candidate will have outstanding inter-personal, organisational skills and communication skills, be a team player and take pride in delivering a quality service for the Ambassador and guests alike.

Residence Manager Duties:

• Responsible for the efficient management of the PR and DPR Residences, ensuring that they contribute fully to UK government priorities, represent value for money, are maintained to the highest possible standard and serve as a showcase for British excellence;
• Responsible for the overall day-to-day management of the PR Residence, including implementing new policies, procedures and systems and proposing alternatives to ensure a welcoming and safe environment for the Ambassador, family, staff and guests;
• Produce budget forecasting for Residence spend, working closely with the Social Secretary to ensure accurate forecasting of a six-figure annual event/Residence budget;
• Oversee and manage Residence budgets, accounting for all non-catering expenditure and ensuring spending is individually tracked for each event and reconciled in line with UK Mission guidance;
• Ensure that the furniture, furnishings, domestic equipment and all other official property and personal effects are properly catalogued, maintained and replaced where necessary, in conjunction with Facilities Management/Estate Teams and the Social Secretary as required;
• Manage PR and DPR Residence upkeep requirements including work requests, procurement procedures for large-scale maintenance and forward planning for major upcoming projects including renovations, refurbishments and/or structural redesigns of properties, in close conjunction with the Facilities Management/Estates Team;
• Line Management of PR Residence Housekeeper and DPR Residence Supervisor, including providing guidance on prioritisation of tasks/jobs, ensuring staff follow FCDO procedures, approving expenditures in Prism and completing staff appraisals;
• Ensure during quiet periods the Residence staff are utilised effectively in terms of forward planning and maintenance of the fabric of the buildings;
• Responsible for the efficient management of additional corporate event spaces when relevant to representational activity, including at the UK Mission office and the UK Room at the UN, to ensure that they represent value for money, are maintained to the highest possible standard and serve as a showcase for British excellence;
• Perform other duties as assigned, including at other locations not previously listed.

Butler Duties:

• Use initiative and discretion to create management plans for front-of-house activities and ensure proper supervision of staff and event flow at all events at the PR Residence, those hosted at other locations by the PR or other events as required;
• Monitor and enact plans for the physical housekeeping and cleaning of the Residence to ensure it is kept clean and tidy at all times;
• Enact plans for the accommodation of overnight guests, including supervision of upkeep of guest rooms, managing guest arrivals, showcasing UK products in toiletries and wet bars and ensuring compliance with guest needs;
• Devise system for determining and maintaining suitably qualified casual staff; hire, train and supervise these temporary staff as needed for events, per UK Mission guidelines;
• Research and liaise with external suppliers to support events, such as equipment and A/V rental, and negotiate prices where appropriate; Ensure that the official and personal alcohol stocks are regularly checked, properly catalogued and separately maintained, and exercise judgment and discretion in replacing items to ensure continued appropriate levels coupled with best value for money;
• Liaise with vendors to secure flowers for events and the PR Residence, and engage in forward planning to ensure longevity of plants so as to secure best value for money;
• Provide coverage for other Residence staff as required;
• Perform other duties as assigned, including at other locations not previously listed.

• At least 5 years’ experience working in the hospitality industry
• Experience managing the delivery of Silver-service etiquette at formal events
• Proven staff management and delivering through a team
• Good knowledge of using Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Excel and well conversant using the internet
• Flexibility to work outside core hours
• The ability to work independently and use judgement to take decisions at pace
• Excellent communication skills
• At least 3 years’ experience in customer service

Under US State Department requirements, the UK Government in the US may only employ, as non-diplomatic staff, persons who are US citizens, US Permanent Residents or A visa holders with EAD cards*. If you hold a visa other than an A visa you are not currently eligible to work at our office. Please refer to our website for information on exceptions to this policy at www.gov.uk/government/world/usa. All selected candidates are subject to background checks and will require a security clearance prior to starting work. 
*A visas are acceptable at the Embassy and Consulates. The UK Mission to the UN (UKMIS) accepts G visas, and British Defense Staff (BDS) outposts accept A or NATO visas.