Freedom Lifestyle Villages is a New Zealand operator of fully managed, over-50s lifestyle communities. Its villages are designed around independent living, modern low-maintenance homes, resident-led community life and a differentiated financial model that allows residents to participate in capital gains, subject to the relevant village terms.
As the business enters its next phase of growth, Freedom is focused on strengthening village leadership and delivering a consistently positive resident experience across its national portfolio. Sound commercial management, safe operations and practical systems will support that ambition.
About the Role
Reporting to the CEO and based in Tauranga with relevant travel, you will lead seven Village Managers across Freedom’s operating portfolio. Your impact will come through the people you lead and continue growing: giving village leaders clear direction, coaching them through challenges and helping their teams deliver the service and community experience residents expect.
You will listen to residents and frontline teams, turn their insight into practical improvements, and build a consistent approach across villages while respecting what makes each community distinct. You will also be accountable for portfolio performance, safety, compliance and the operating foundations needed for growth.
What You Will Do
- Lead, coach and support Village Managers, building their confidence, capability and accountability.
- Set clear expectations for resident care, communication and service, then help teams turn those expectations into everyday practice.
- Use resident feedback, frontline insight and operational data to identify improvements and follow through on them.
- Support Village Managers with complex or sensitive resident matters, balancing empathy, fairness and sound judgement.
- Strengthen a collaborative culture across villages, encouraging shared learning, recognition and consistent standards.
- Set the village operations strategy, annual plans and portfolio priorities, with a clear focus on resident outcomes.
- Lead budgets, forecasts, capital planning and commercial performance so villages have the resources and discipline to deliver well.
- Establish practical policies, workflows, controls and reporting that make it easier for teams to do their jobs well.
- Provide leadership across Health and Safety, compliance, risk, village services, facilities, maintenance and suppliers.
- Report clearly to the CEO, Senior Leadership Team and Board, and identify useful technology and AI applications that improve service and operations.
- Senior leadership experience across multiple sites, ideally in retirement living, property, accommodation, hospitality, healthcare or another regulated service environment.
- A track record of coaching managers, building engaged teams and achieving results through others.
- Strong judgement, empathy and communication skills in resident, customer or community-facing settings.
- The ability to listen, handle sensitive issues constructively and turn feedback into better service.
- Commercial acumen across budgets, forecasts, cost control, capital priorities and performance improvement.
- Experience creating consistent, scalable ways of working across multiple sites, together with sound Health and Safety, compliance and risk leadership.
- Confidence using data and technology, including practical AI applications, to improve decisions, productivity and the resident experience.
Freedom’s purpose is to empower lifestyle freedom for over-50s living. Its values emphasise working as One Team, doing the right thing, making it happen, being brave and keeping it real.
You will be a visible, approachable leader who earns trust with Village Managers, their teams and residents. You will combine warmth and fairness with clear expectations, support people to grow, and work across functions to make improvements stick.
Why Join Freedom
- Make a direct difference to residents’ experience across a growing national village portfolio.
- Coach seven Village Managers and develop leadership capability across their teams.
- Help shape the operating culture, service standards and next phase of growth.
- Hold a senior leadership role with influence over commercial performance and cross-functional decisions.
- Be based in Tauranga, with relevant travel across the village portfolio.
For a confidential discussion, contact Iain MacGibbon at Farrow Jamieson on +64 9 915 9144 or Rosemary MacGibbon on 029 520 4754. To apply, click the “APPLY” button and submit your CV and relevant details.
