Director of Operations (Tampa)

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS — VACATION RENTAL MANAGEMENT

Emperor Rentals LLC | Tampa Bay, Florida | Full-time | On-site

$100,000 base salary + profit share + 401(k) with company match

THE ROLE

Emperor Rentals manages vacation rental homes across Tampa Bay. We are hiring a Director of Operations to take full responsibility for the daily operation of the business, including both our local field teams and remote guest services team.

You will oversee guest services, housekeeping, maintenance, inspections, staging, and owner relations. You will report directly to the owner and lead the managers, employees, contractors, and vendors who deliver our service. Your job is to make sure every property is ready, every team knows what is expected, and operational issues are resolved through completion.

The goal is for the owner to focus on sales and company growth while you lead operations. This requires regular time at properties, direct involvement with field teams, clear accountability, and systems that allow the business to grow.

WHAT YOU WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR

• In-field operations and property care: Direct daily priorities across the portfolio and hold property care managers and team leads accountable for the homes they oversee. Visit properties, verify conditions, coordinate work across departments, and resolve staffing or scheduling gaps. Ensure homes are clean, functional, stocked, secure, and ready before guests arrive.

• Guest services: Oversee guest communication from booking through checkout, including team schedules, response times, message quality, check-in support, and issue resolution. Coordinate with field teams when guests need help. Handle escalations and oversee service recovery within company policies and approval limits. Review complaints and guest feedback, then fix the operational causes.

• Housekeeping: Own turnover scheduling, cleaning standards, linen and laundry coordination, supplies, and staffing coverage. Ensure same-day turnovers are completed on time. Use inspections and documented feedback to address missed items, reduce repeat cleaning problems, and hold housekeepers and vendors accountable for quality and cost.

• Maintenance and vendors: Lead preventive maintenance, repair response, work-order priorities, and coordination of technicians and outside vendors. Review estimates, manage work within approved budgets, and obtain required approvals. Verify completed repairs and maintain supporting photos, invoices, and records. Build reliable vendor coverage and reduce recurring failures and avoidable emergency costs.

• Inspections and quality control: Establish and enforce inspection checklists, photo documentation, and standards for cleanliness, condition, safety, and readiness. Make sure inspection findings become assigned tasks with deadlines. Verify that deficiencies are corrected before guest arrival and that recurring problems lead to changes in training or process.

• Staging and property presentation: Oversee furniture placement, decor, amenities, linens, inventory, and the final presentation of each home. Coordinate property onboarding, refreshes, replacements, and setup work with the appropriate teams. Maintain consistent presentation standards and coordinate with listing and marketing staff so the guest experience matches what is advertised.

• Owner relations: Oversee homeowner communication, service follow-up, maintenance updates, approvals, and escalations. Ensure owners receive accurate information and that commitments are completed. Hold property care managers accountable for owner relationships. Coordinate with accounting so property expenses, damage documentation, and owner billing have clear, timely support.

LEADERSHIP, SYSTEMS, AND FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY

• Hire, train, coach, and hold managers and team members accountable. Set clear responsibilities, staffing plans, coverage schedules, and performance expectations across local and remote teams.

• Build and maintain practical SOPs, checklists, escalation rules, and handoffs. Make sure our property management, task management, and communication systems reflect the work actually happening in the field.

• Own operational budgets and department performance. Track labor, cleaning, maintenance, supplies, and vendor costs; improve efficiency while protecting service and property standards.

• Run a weekly operating scorecard covering property readiness, inspection results, guest response and resolution times, repeat issues, maintenance backlog, owner satisfaction, and costs against budget.

• Lead daily coordination and regular team reviews. Identify problems early, assign a responsible person and deadline, verify results, and report progress and major risks directly to the owner.

• Build the people, processes, and vendor capacity needed to add properties without allowing service quality to slip.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

Properties are ready on time. Guests receive prompt, effective help. Cleaning and maintenance issues stay resolved. Owners receive clear communication and follow-through. Teams meet measurable standards, costs stay controlled, and routine operational decisions are handled without the owner having to chase them.

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Proven operations leadership, including managing managers, multiple teams, and field execution.

• Strong experience with staffing, process improvement, budgets, performance metrics, and service escalations.

• Ability to show specific improvements you have made in quality, cost, productivity, or customer satisfaction.

• Experience in vacation rentals, hospitality, property management, or another business with multiple locations or field teams is preferred.

• Strong organizational, communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with comfort using operational software and reporting tools.

• Bachelor's degree in business, operations management, or a related field; advanced degrees or relevant certifications are a plus.

LOCATION AND AVAILABILITY

This is an on-site leadership role based in Tampa Bay, with regular travel between properties in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. Vacation rental operations run seven days a week. You will be responsible for reliable weekend, holiday, and emergency coverage and must be available to lead escalations when needed.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• $100,000 annual base salary

• Profit share

• 401(k)

• 401(k) company match

When applying, include your resume and a brief example of the teams you have led and an operational result you improved.