Head of Housekeeping

Role Overview

The Housekeeping Manager owns the property's cleanliness and linen operation from end to end — planning daily and weekly cleaning schedules, deploying room attendants and laundry staff, and holding the whole department to measurable standards. The job sits where guest experience meets cost control, so the person in it is constantly weighing inspection results against payroll hours, linen replacement, and chemical spend. It matters because room cleanliness is one of the few things every single guest judges for themselves, and this role is accountable for getting it right at scale.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and publish cleaning plans covering guest rooms, corridors, public areas, and back-of-house spaces, adjusting them for occupancy peaks, deep-clean cycles, and rooms pulled from inventory.
• Recruit, onboard, roster, and coach room attendants, house porters, and laundry staff; run refresher training on cleaning technique, chemical handling, and equipment use, and manage performance reviews and corrective action where needed.
• Own the departmental budget — forecast payroll and supply spend, monitor variances through the month, and build the case for equipment replacement or capital requests.
• Control linen and supply inventory: set par levels, run regular counts, place orders, and reduce loss, damage, and pilferage.
• Act as the housekeeping point of contact for Front Office on room readiness, VIP arrivals, and early check-in requests, and for Maintenance on repair tickets and decisions to block rooms.
• Inspect rooms and public areas against the property's standards, log defects, and follow each one through to closure rather than leaving it on a list.
• Track and report departmental KPIs such as inspection scores, room turnaround time, rooms cleaned per shift, laundry cost per occupied room, and guest complaint trends.
• Keep the department compliant with health, safety, and hygiene regulations, including chemical storage, handling procedures, and up-to-date training records.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Diploma or degree in Hospitality Management or a closely related discipline.
• Five to seven years of housekeeping operations experience, with two to three of those years in a supervisory or managerial capacity.
• Solid command of cleaning standards and inspection protocols for guest rooms, bathrooms, and public areas.
• Demonstrated budget management experience, whether across payroll, supplies, or both.
• Hands-on inventory control background covering linen and cleaning chemicals, including par-level setting and stock reconciliation.
• Working knowledge of safety and hygiene regulations and safe chemical handling practices.
• Confidence with rostering and scheduling, plus property management or housekeeping software used to track room status and task completion.
• Proven ability to train and lead a shift-based team, set expectations clearly, and address underperformance directly.
• Composure under pressure — able to reprioritise quickly when occupancy or staffing changes mid-shift.