Director of Operations & Vermietung (m/w/d)

About the role

lively is reimagining assisted living by creating modern senior residences that put community, quality of life, and tailored support at the center. The concept combines active shared spaces, a vibrant calendar of courses and events, and close cooperation with residents and on-site teams to create an engaging everyday environment.

After validating the concept in Gronau and Duisburg, the company is now preparing to scale across eight additional secured properties in North Rhine-Westphalia. For this next growth phase, lively is looking for a hands-on operational leader who can professionalize the base, expand commercial traction, and help shape the company’s rollout.

Role summary

In this position, you will take ownership of the operational and strategic evolution of lively’s sites, with room to grow into a broader leadership scope over time. You will represent the company externally, support locations from pre-opening through daily operations, and help build the structures needed for scalable growth.

A key focus of the role is establishing a more structured rental and sales model acting on behalf of the owners, as well as identifying new business opportunities within the lively ecosystem. The position is designed for someone who wants a real entrepreneurial challenge and is excited to shape a young, ambitious brand during expansion.

Operations & growth

• Ensure that all current lively locations are run efficiently, professionally, and to a high quality standard.
• Create processes and operating structures that can support the company’s expansion.
• Take responsibility for HR and quality management, and support the launch of new sites.
• Spot and develop additional business opportunities around the lively concept.

Sales & leasing

• Build a professional leasing and sales framework.
• Develop go-to-market and marketing strategies, including KPI tracking and budget control.
• In the medium term, help establish an in-house sales team.

Team & leadership

• Lead and develop operational teams across the business.
• Drive execution of the overall strategy and business goals in day-to-day operations.

Profile

You should combine entrepreneurial thinking with a strong hands-on mindset and be comfortable stepping into operations whenever needed. Success in this role also requires confidence in a people-focused environment, where building trust and emotional connection with residents and teams is just as important as commercial results.

The company is seeking someone who is self-motivated, dependable, relationship-oriented, and persuasive in communication. A strong market presence, travel readiness, and a sales-driven mindset are also important.

Experience and background

• At least 4 years of relevant professional experience in a senior-related service environment, a startup, a founder-led business, or an entrepreneurial consulting role with a strong practical focus.
• Several years of experience in leasing, marketing, and successfully building such processes, ideally in senior living.
• Experience in real estate, hospitality, or a related sector is considered an advantage.
• Experience with opening new locations is preferred.
• Longstanding experience working with seniors or similar settings.
• Familiarity with financing and billing structures in the context of care insurance is an advantage.
• Experience in building teams and leading them in a collaborative, trust-based way.

Working conditions

• German at native-speaker level and good business English are required.
• You should live in North Rhine-Westphalia, ideally in the Cologne/Düsseldorf area, or be willing to relocate.
• Regular on-site presence at the locations and frequent travel are essential parts of the job.
• The headquarters currently works mostly remotely, while staying closely coordinated; when not at the properties, you will work from home until a shared office location is established long term.

Benefits

• Real entrepreneurial responsibility from day one.
• Short decision paths and a fast pace of execution.
• Close collaboration with the founder, the team, and the shareholders.
• A clear development path toward managing director responsibilities.
• A highly motivated, high-performing team building a scalable business.
• Fixed salary plus virtual company equity so your contribution to growth is directly reflected in your package.

Values

• Hands-on mindset: everyone understands the goals, steps in beyond their own area when needed, and supports one another.
• Flexibility and learning: the team adapts quickly, keeps learning, and acts pragmatically rather than dogmatically.
• Innovation and entrepreneurship: existing structures and processes are questioned, better solutions are created, and new approaches are welcomed.
• Team spirit, trust, and reliability: relationships are built on respect, honesty, and commitment in everyday work and critical moments.