Forest Highlands is committed to Preserve, Protect & Enhance the exceptional community, club experience, natural environment, and physical assets entrusted to our care while Elevating Excellence for members, employees, and the community. Reporting to the General Manager/COO, the Director of Community Operations is a senior enterprise leader responsible for community operations, financial stewardship, capital planning, technology enablement, and organizational execution. The position leads through experienced functional managers to ensure resources, systems, and services support Forest Highlands' long-term success and member experience.
POSITION PURPOSE
The Director provides cohesive leadership across community operations, finance, infrastructure, essential services, and administration. The role sets long-range priorities, evaluates performance, strengthens processes, develops leaders, and ensures reliable execution. Private club or HOA experience is valued but not required. Forest Highlands seeks a leader with the financial acumen, operational breadth, leadership ability, and cultural alignment to steward a premier private residential club community.
LEADERSHIP & CULTURE
The Director of Community Operations will be expected to embrace and model the leadership culture of Forest Highlands every day.
This individual will:
Lead with integrity, humility, empathy, confidence, and accountability. Develop functional leaders and hold them accountable for goals, service, results, risk management, and continuous improvement. Build strong relationships with employees, members, the Board and committees, vendors, regulators, and community partners. Establish an operating rhythm that enables timely decisions, transparent communication, measurable outcomes, and cross-functional execution. Lead organizational change and modernization initiatives by bringing together people, processes, technology, and financial discipline. Maintain a visible, approachable leadership presence and reinforce a service culture aligned with Forest Highlands' mission.
ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
Enterprise Leadership & Team Development Provide integrated leadership across community operations, finance, infrastructure, essential services, and administration. Lead through experienced functional managers, delegating authority while retaining accountability for organizational results. Develop leaders, clarify expectations, strengthen accountability, and address issues constructively and directly. Partner with the GM/COO and functional leaders to align financial, people, and capital resources with strategic priorities. Financial Leadership & Stewardship Own the integrity and effectiveness of financial planning, reporting, forecasting, controls, and decision support across the HOA. Lead annual operating and capital planning, including long-range forecasting, reserve and asset planning, scenario analysis, and performance reporting. Ensure timely, accurate financial reporting, disciplined close processes, sound controls, and successful annual audits. Translate financial and operating information into clear insights and recommendations for management, the Board, and committees. Evaluate operating trends, capital investments, contracts, staffing, and service models to improve value, efficiency, and long-term sustainability. Community Operations, Assets & Capital Provide strategic oversight of community infrastructure, common areas, utilities, security, landscaping, community services, and related assets. Guide preventive maintenance, asset lifecycle planning, emergency preparedness, regulatory compliance, and operational risk management. Lead capital projects from prioritization and business-case development through scoping, budgeting, bidding, contractor selection, permitting, construction coordination, quality control, risk communication, and closeout. Ensure projects and operating services meet expectations for scope, schedule, cost, quality, safety, and member impact. AI, Automation & Process Excellence Serve as the HOA's thought leader for responsible use of AI, automation, data, and digital tools to improve service, controls, productivity, and decision-making. Develop a modernization roadmap, prioritize high-value use cases, and establish effective governance, security, and accountability. Champion streamlined processes, reliable data, effective systems, and scalable workflows across finance and operations. Build organizational capability by helping leaders and employees adopt new tools and ways of working. Member, Board & Stakeholder Engagement Support the General Manager/COO with clear, decision-oriented materials and recommendations for the Board and applicable committees. Communicate complex financial, technical, and operational matters clearly and concisely to the Board, committees, members, and other stakeholders. Engage members and stakeholders with professionalism, consistency, empathy, and a solutions-oriented approach. Build trust across functions and keep the community's long-term interests at the center of decisions.
EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS
Candidates with progressive leadership experience in finance, operations, asset management, capital planning, facilities, infrastructure, or a comparably complex service organization are encouraged to apply. Demonstrated ability to lead experienced managers and multiple functions, strengthen accountability, and deliver results through others. Strong financial acumen and experience leading FP&A, reporting, budgeting, forecasting, capital allocation, controls, close and audit oversight, and executive decision support. Demonstrated ability to provide leadership and oversight of complex operations, major assets, capital projects, vendors, contracts, and risk-management activities. Demonstrated ability to apply AI, automation, analytics, or digital tools to improve business processes and organizational performance. Excellent judgment and communication skills, including the ability to advise senior leadership and present effectively to Boards and committees. Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, business administration, engineering, construction management, facilities management, public administration, or a related field; equivalent experience will be considered. Experience in an HOA, private club, master-planned community, municipality, hospitality or public-sector organization, or another complex service environment is beneficial but not required.
LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS
The successful Director of Community Operations will be: Strategic & Hands-On — Sets direction while ensuring disciplined execution and follow-through. Financially & Operationally Fluent — Connects financial outcomes, operating decisions, service levels, and long-term asset needs. People First & Accountable — Develops leaders, clarifies expectations, and creates an environment where employees feel valued, supported, and accountable. Innovative & Pragmatic — Identifies where technology can create measurable value without losing sight of governance or the member experience. Calm & Credible — Demonstrates sound judgment, transparency, and professionalism during complex or high-pressure situations. Collaborative & Service Minded — Builds trust across functions and understands that operational and financial decisions ultimately support the Forest Highlands experience.
MEASURES OF SUCCESS
Success in this position will be reflected through: High-quality, timely financial reporting and forecasting that supports confident decision-making. Disciplined operating and capital plans aligned with strategic priorities and long-term asset stewardship. Strong leaders, clear accountability, effective collaboration, and consistent execution across functions. Reliable community services, well-maintained assets, effective risk management, and successful project delivery. Measurable improvements in efficiency, controls, service, and insight through AI, automation, data, and process redesign. Clear communication and trusted relationships with management, employees, members, the Board, committees, and external partners.
OUR EXPECTATION FOR THIS LEADER
The Director will steward the people, financial resources, systems, services, and physical assets that make Forest Highlands an extraordinary place to live, work, and belong. The right leader will bring enterprise perspective, financial acumen, operational discipline, curiosity, and humility while taking ownership of results and how they are achieved. In partnership with the GM/COO, leadership team, Board, committees, employees, and community partners, this leader will help Forest Highlands Preserve, Protect & Enhance the community and Elevate Excellence for generations to come.
