Short-Term Rental Operations Manager

About the Role

Virtual Wizards is sourcing a senior Short-Term Rental (STR) Operations Manager on behalf of a fast-growing, portfolio-owner-operated STR management company based in the U.S. South.

The owner manages 50+ furnished short- and mid-term rental units, including luxury hospitality houses near Augusta National Golf Club and a renovated military compound operating at $100K/month, and is now building the team and infrastructure to scale toward 100+ doors.

This is a foundational hire. You will work directly alongside the owner during an intensive onboarding period, shadow live guest interactions, document every process as it happens, and build the SOPs and training materials that will support future VA hires.

This role is for someone who thrives in dynamic, unstructured environments, loves building systems from scratch, and can handle a high volume of real-time communications without missing a beat.

Core Responsibilities
Guest & Reservation Management
- Monitor and respond to inbound inquiries across all booking channels (Airbnb, Furnished Finder, Facebook, Booking.com, and others) in real time.
- Handle reservation extensions, modifications, and special requests with professionalism and speed.
- Manage guest messaging templates and ensure consistent, on-brand communication.
- Coordinate turnovers, check-ins, and check-outs using Lodgify and Turno.

SOP Development & Systems Building
- Shadow the owner during the first 60–90 days to capture every workflow via Loom video recordings.
- Translate those recordings and Trello cards into comprehensive SOPs in Notion.
- Build a full training library that future VAs can use to onboard independently.
- Identify process gaps and proactively suggest improvements.

Vendor & Maintenance Coordination
- Coordinate with cleaning crews via Turno, track completions, flag issues, and manage scheduling conflicts.
- Triage and route maintenance requests; follow up to ensure resolution using maintenance checklists (HVAC, plumbing, etc.).
- Liaise with on-the-ground vendors and support the owner's transition to a structured maintenance ticketing system (e.g., Jobber, Lula).

Marketing & Listing Management
- Maintain and optimize listings across all OTAs (titles, photos, descriptions, pricing notes).
- Support pricing adjustments coordinated through PriceLabs.
- Manage Google Business Profile, post updates, respond to reviews, and solicit new reviews.
- Assist with organic social media posting to keep the brand active and relevant (no paid ad spend required).

Platform & Tech Management
- Operate daily within Lodgify (two accounts, 50+ units), Turno, Trello, and Notion.
- Use Quo (AI-based phone/messaging platform) for call and SMS management alongside the owner.
- Adapt to AI-assisted workflows (Manus AI, API integrations). No coding required, but tech-savvy adoption is expected.

Required
- 3+ years of experience in short-term rental, property management, or real estate operations.
- Demonstrated experience writing SOPs or process documentation.
- Fluent English (written and spoken) with strong communication skills and a professional tone.
- Highly organized with the ability to manage high message volume across multiple platforms simultaneously.
- Available and responsive during U.S. business hours (Eastern or Central Time preferred).
- Experience with Lodgify, Airbnb, or similar STR platforms strongly preferred.
- Comfortable working independently once trained and proactively escalating issues when needed.

Preferred (Nice to Have)
- Experience with Notion, Asana, or other project management tools.
- Background in BPO, training coordination, or team onboarding.
- Familiarity with PriceLabs, Turno, or maintenance coordination tools.
- Experience supporting a solo entrepreneur or small team scaling operations.

Compensation & Details

Employment Type: Independent Contractor

Schedule: Full-Time | U.S. Time Zone (Eastern or Central Preferred)

Location: Remote – Latin America (Nicaragua, Colombia, Argentina, El Salvador, Honduras, or similar)

Language Requirement: Bilingual – English (Fluent) + Spanish (Native)

Start Date: As soon as the right candidate is confirmed