How to Hire a House Manager

A House Manager coordinates the day-to-day operation of a home.

Staff, vendors, maintenance, arrivals, entertaining, travel, inventories, vehicles, and household systems may all fall within the role.

Define the work before the title

Two households can use the same title for very different jobs. In one home, the House Manager may lead staff and vendors. In another, the role may include calendars, travel, entertaining, family logistics, and personal support.

Write down a normal week. Who lives in the home? Who already works there? What does the client still handle? Which decisions should move to the new hire?

Clear responsibilities attract candidates whose experience matches the job, not just the title.

Be clear about authority

Decide what the House Manager can approve, purchase, schedule, change, and escalate. If staff report to the role, name them. If vendors are involved, say whether the House Manager selects them or only coordinates them. Define any overlap with assistants, nannies, chefs, or a Director of Residences.

Authority does not need to be unlimited. It does need to be clear.

Ask how candidates make decisions

Ask for examples. What happened when a vendor failed before guests arrived? How did the candidate handle a staff member whose performance slipped? What did they do when two family members gave conflicting instructions? How did they handle a mistake?

Listen for what they noticed, what they decided, who they involved, and what they changed afterward. House Managers often need to make decisions without waiting for the client to decide every detail.

Verify the experience

A résumé can make a role sound broader than it was. References should establish what the candidate was actually responsible for.

Confirm identity. Check employment history and professional references at the source. Ask about residence size, team size, reporting lines, purchasing authority, vendors, travel, and what the candidate handled when something went wrong.

Household titles vary. Specific facts matter more than the title itself.

Ask how they organize the home

Good House Managers prevent problems as often as they solve them. Supplies are replenished, maintenance is scheduled, staffing issues are addressed, and guest needs are anticipated before the client has to ask.

Ask how the candidate tracks the home. Useful systems may include calendars, household manuals, vendor records, inventories, maintenance schedules, handover notes, and clear staff communication.

Systems should make the household easier to run, not more bureaucratic.

Define the schedule and conditions

House Manager roles may be live-out, live-in, rotational, seasonal, travel-based, or split across several residences.

Before presenting the role, define the schedule, expected flexibility, travel, days off, accommodation if applicable, reporting line, and what counts as an emergency. “Flexible” is not a substitute for a schedule.

Choose for working style as well as experience

Experience is only part of the decision. A House Manager works around family members, guests, staff, advisers, and private information. Communication style, discretion, boundaries, and temperament matter.

Do not choose on résumé alone. Choose the person whose experience and working style suit the household.