Four European residences; domestic team of four; family travel, events, operational finances and planning; coordination with an Oxford-based private foundation focused on education, research and impact, and with the family’s commercial engagements and their respective teams. The family is principally based on Lake Geneva, very close to the city, and spends summers in Finland. The Director’s primary base will remain in Switzerland; visits to Finland and the family’s other European residences will be expected as operational needs require. In-house accommodation is provided for visits to Finland.
MANDATE:
An exceptional, discreet and highly capable hands-on operator is required to take overall responsibility for the smooth running of the family’s day-to-day life, residences, logistics, finances and planning. The individual will create structure around a complex international lifestyle while remaining personally engaged in execution and willing to deal with practical details whenever required.
PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Act as the central operational point of coordination for the family; anticipate requirements, manage priorities and ensure follow-through
- Use fluent French and English, together with local knowledge where available, to assist hands-on with appointments and relationships with local professionals, service providers and institutions
- Oversee four European residences, including standards, maintenance planning, suppliers, projects, inventories and readiness for family and guests
- Lead, coordinate and develop the domestic team of four, including recruitment where required, responsibilities, schedules, service standards and performance expectations
- Manage delicate interpersonal relationships with tact and maturity across the domestic team and wider family-supporting teams
- Plan and execute complex family travel, hosting, private events and selected foundation or commercial events
- Oversee operational cash flow, invoices, expenses, payment processes and budgets; coordinate with accountants, banks and advisers
- Provide concise reporting on expenditure, cash requirements, upcoming commitments, residences, projects, events and key decisions
- Coordinate practically between the family, the Oxford-based foundation, commercial engagements and their respective teams
- Establish practical systems, routines, approval routes, calendars and documentation without unnecessary bureaucracy
- Maintain exceptional discretion and sound judgement across personal, financial, institutional and commercial matters.
CANDIDATE PROFILE
- Approximately 10-20 years of relevant experience with meaningful responsibility for people, budgets and complex international operations
- Attractive backgrounds include luxury hospitality leadership, private household / estate operations, senior Chief of Staff or executive operations roles, high-end events, or another high-service international environment
- Demonstrable budget, cash-flow and management-reporting experience
- Strong recruitment and people-management capability.
- Strong events, travel and logistics capability across multiple countries and demanding stakeholders
- Evidence of building systems and improving operations while remaining willing to execute personally
- Credibility with academic, foundation, professional and commercial stakeholders
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Comfortable being based in the Lake Geneva area and travelling regularly within Europe
- Native-level fluency in both French and English is essential. Finnish, Swedish or German would be a welcome additional advantage
- Practical understanding of the Lake Geneva / Swiss environment and an established local network would be valuable.
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS Hands-on, low ego, high ownership; interpersonally sophisticated; anticipatory; calm and resilient; commercial and numerate; discreet; structured but pragmatic; collaborative; culturally fluent and locally resourceful. This is a long-term trust appointment. The successful candidate should make the family’s life simpler, more predictable and better coordinated, combining professional discipline with discretion, warmth and a willingness to be genuinely hands-on. All enquiries and applications will be handled in strict confidence.
Salary: CHF 180,000–220,000 gross base per annum
REF:S&W#3670688
