Executive Director

Experience Senior Living is thrilled to announce The Reserve Sarasota , scheduled to open in May 2028. As development progresses, we are beginning the search for an Executive Director who will play a critical role in pre-operations, sales, and team building during the final stages of development and through opening. This is a unique opportunity to help launch a new community and shape the resident and associate experience from the ground up.

Pre-Operations Responsibilities:

• Provide executive leadership during the pre-opening phase, partnering with development, construction, marketing, and corporate teams to ensure operational readiness, regulatory compliance, and a successful community launch.
• Lead and support pre-opening sales and marketing efforts, including relationship building in the local market, referral network development, and achievement of initial occupancy goals.
• Recruit, onboard, and develop the foundational leadership team, establishing culture, service standards, and operational systems prior to opening.
• Oversee pre-opening budgets, policies, and procedures, ensuring alignment with brand standards and a smooth transition from development to full operations

Operating Responsibilities:

• Responsible for leading day-to-day operations, including full P & L responsibility.
• Ensure compliance with all local, state, and federal regulations, as well as Experience Senior Living’s company policies and procedures, standards, and guidelines.
• Focuses on creating a safe environment for residents, families, and team members.
• Ensure adherence to the Resident’s Rights
• Focused on resident, family, and team members satisfaction.
• Be able to analyze data, root causes and develop a plan of action if necessary.
• Develop and implement successful strategies regarding labor, occupancy growth, revenue growth, expense control, and quality of services.
• Lead morning stand up meetings and ensure minutes are taken for those who were not present.
• Strong communications skills; listening, oral and written.
• Lead and support all sales and operational strategies, educating all team members of the importance to be part of the sales process.
• Actively partnering with the Director of Sales to conduct a quarterly SWOT, and have ongoing weekly, or at times daily discussions, on sales/marketing strategies and help support all sales efforts, including conducting tours, assisting with creative follow ups, outreach, home visits, and building positive relationships with referral partners.
• Coordinating with the Director of Health and Wellness and understanding the care needs of the residents and ensuring a solid care plan is in place that encompasses all areas of that individual’s care. Ensuring that residents have been assessed at the proper level of care. Ensuring that the team members are focused on supporting their independence and current abilities and only assisting in areas of true need. Being available to meet with residents, families and team members regarding any care concerns that need to be addressed.
• Coordinating with the Director of Memory Care to address any challenging situations, find creative solutions, assist, and support all dementia training for new team members and ongoing training for existing team members.
• Coordinate with the Director of Life Enrichment to ensure the activity calendar is robust, with a wide variety, touching on the whole person, and activities are taking place 7 days per week, including evenings.
• Coordinating with the Director of Culinary to ensure menu planning has a wide variety to choose from, alternate choices are available for the residents, and assist in tasting food from meals on a regular basis.
• Coordinate with the Director of Maintenance to have ongoing discussions regarding the building, areas of concern, preventative maintenance schedules, room turns completed in a timely manner, required drills being completed, and assist in any coordination for CapEx projects.
• Ensure that the Employee Appreciation program is implemented and adhered to monthly.
• Ensure that employee performance reviews are being completed and administered in a timely manner.
• Assist in recruiting, hiring, orienting, training, supervising, and evaluating of team members.
• Be involved in creating the annual operation budget and capital requirements/needs, support leadership team members in using budgetary reports, and managing their department budgets, approving expenses, providing explanations for the monthly variance report, and managing expenses as necessary.
• Building high-performing teams, keeping morale high and supporting the company culture on a consistent basis.
• Able to work in various positions in the community and willing and able to fill in as necessary.
• Creating and implementing a ‘Manager On Duty’ system to ensure that there is a leadership person in the community seven (7) days per week. Also ensuring that each person assigned to be the Manager on Duty has received the proper training and has a solid understanding of the responsibilities while in this role.
• Remain active in local community activities and events. Build and maintain a solid network and resources for resident, employee, and volunteer referrals.
• May drive company van, bus, or other vehicles from community to social and other destinations.
• May perform other duties as needed and /or assigned.

Requirements

• A Bachelor’s degree in business administration, healthcare administration, or a related subject is required.
• Required certification for Residential Care Facilities based on state regulations.
• Candidates must have experience with opening a new development Senior Living community
• Three (3) to five (5) years of experience in operations management with demonstrated success in meeting financial and sales goals.
• A solid understanding of local, state, and federal regulations as they pertain to this community.
• Demonstrated success in operating or maintaining a quality, customer service workforce.
• Being willing to understand, implement and maintain a hospitality environment for residents, families, and team members.
• A solid understanding of facilities management.
• Experience in recruiting, onboarding, orienting, training, and retaining team members.
• Possess solid performance management and leadership skills, including the ability to communicate performance expectations, coach and document performance strengths and challenges, provide direction and guidance, listen, have on-going conversations regarding performance, including implementing the company’s disciplinary process if necessary, completing performance reviews in a timely manner, as well as ensuring all department performance reviews are completed in a timely manner, and providing the necessary support and feedback to all team members.
• Basic knowledge of computer systems and various software platforms that the company has chosen to use.
• The ability to become licensed or certified as an administrator for assisted living within a prescribed timeframe in states requiring such a license or certification.
• Must have an acceptable driving record per the company motor vehicle policy.
• Able to influence the actions and opinions of others in a desired direction. Exhibit judgement in leading others to meet worthwhile objectives.
• Able to act in solving problems while exhibiting judgement and a realistic understanding of the issue(s). Able to use reason, even when dealing with emotional, highly sensitive and contentious topics. Knowing when to handle the situation independently or include the necessary individuals to resolve the problem.
• Able to define realistic, specific goals and objectives. Able to define task and deliverables necessary to meet goals.
• Able to clearly present information through the spoken word. Can accurately communicate, providing the necessary level of detail even under stressful or demanding conditions.
• Able to relate to routine operations in a manner that is consistent with existing solutions to problems. Conform to and communicate established policies and procedures.
• Able to think creatively and independently to meet worthwhile objectives.
• Able to be innovative to create and generate solutions and programs.
• Able to define realistic and specific goals and objectives. Able to define tasks and deliverables necessary to meet goals. Can assign resources and set priorities to meet goals.
• Able to research and identify various possibilities to aid in reaching decisions necessary to meet goals.
• Identifies, obtains, and effectively allocates the resources required to achieve applicable goals.
• Build and maintain productive, work-focused relationships with team members, residents, families, referral partners, the executive team, as well as within the community.
• Able to work with people in such a manner to support the company’s culture, build high-morale teams, work in a team setting to accomplish goals and get results.
• Function as a role model for team members by being punctual, neat, clean, and professional in appearance.
• Ability to work varied schedules to include weekends, evenings, overnights, and holidays.

Benefits

We offer a full benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, STD/LTD, life and voluntary life, 401k with employer matching, paid holidays, and up to 20 days PTO in the first three years.

Background Screening Requirement

Employment is contingent upon successful completion of background screening in accordance with Florida law and company policy. Certain positions may require fingerprinting and Level 1 or Level 2 background screening. Applicants can review Florida care provider background screening requirements here: