Graduate Trainee Property Manager / Business Management

Step into a progressive, client focused role where every day brings new opportunities and real impact!

In our graduate programme, you'll oversee a diverse portfolio of apartment and housing developments, collaborating with experienced colleagues, clients and suppliers. Based in our friendly office , very accessible office just outside Kendal (LA8 0PD) you'll regularly carry out on-site visits across Cumbria and The Lake District gaining hands-on experience and building your expertise throughout.

About Us

We’re a friendly, fast-growing property (block and estate) management company, recognised for providing the best customer service across Cumbria and Lancashire. We currently look after 125 residential developments, managing the communal maintenance, finance, compliance and communication. For more information on Rowan and our team, please visit our website. We are also on Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin and Trustpilot. What's more, you can view our employee reviews on our Indeed page.

The Training Programme

You will embark on a two-year training programme, gaining all the knowledge required to manage your own property portfolio. This will be achieved by regular job-shadowing, on-the-job training and our internal technical knowledge sharing scheme to ensure you feel confident and able to fulfil your role. We will also support you with and fund qualifications, professional, development and courses you wish to take through The Property Institute, our industry’s professional body.

This is an ideal opportunity if you’re an all-rounder seeking to gain general business management experience, with operations, relationship-management, finance and legal all intrinsic elements of the role. It also provides an excellent avenue to fast-track your career because as a key member of our small team you will gain much wider exposure, influence and leadership opportunity than feasible in a bigger corporate. What’s more, there’s significant scope to get out and about, speaking with people and further developing your inter-personal skills in a professional environment.

Once sufficiently trained you’ll be assigned your own portfolio to manage, which will gradually expand as you gain more experience and progress through the training scheme. Furthermore, you will receive support from the team and system around you.

Your Role

In this diverse role you will be representing Rowan and your responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Managing and building relationships with clients, contractors and other external suppliers

• Managing your own time and diary

• Chairing AGMs and directors' meetings with the support of our team, and writing the agendas and minutes for these

• Supporting the property management team in handling incoming calls and assisting with resolving or directing queries

• Resolving your own clients' queries as well as mediating between and influencing clients

• Analysing and explaining lease information

• Co-ordinating with accounts to set and manage budgets

• Inspecting sites to identify high-level maintenance requirements and working with clients and contractors to resolve these

• Co-ordinating minor and major works maintenance and construction projects with the support of our team, internal and external surveyors

• Implementing recommendations from fire risk assessments, working with our health and safety manager, external fire risk assessor, clients and contractors as required

• Managing more general health and safety requirements.

• Continued learning, development and knowledge sharing across the team and clients

According to our property managers currently, this is approximately how their time is split:

• 30% email and phone communication

• 30% actioning tasks

• 20% site visits

• 10% internal meetings

• 10% ad hoc projects

The Location & Hours

This role is predominantly office based with regular client visits and scope to work from home one day per week. You will be required to work 37.5 hours per week with 30 minutes unpaid lunch break per day. Working hours are 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, but there is some adaptability depending on your personal requirements.

The Benefits

Workplace & Lifestyle:

• Welcoming and open-plan office, located at the stunning Levens Hall with beautiful surroundings, walking/running trails, famous topiary gardens, cafe, bakery and gift shop all on site.

• Free parking, annual house and gardens pass and 10% discount at Levens Hall café and bakery

• Professional, but non corporate environment based on a healthy work/life balance

• Opportunity to work from home one day per week following induction and some scope for adaptable hours

• Regular team events such as tenpin bowling and country walks

• Cycle to Work Scheme with Halfords

Progression & Financial:

• Permanent position

• £25,000 - £28,000 salary depending on skills and experience, plus after your first 12 months, up to 10% discretionary performance bonus per annum, paid quarterly

• Regular salary and bonus reviews and increases in relation to individual progress

• Structured career path with progression opportunities as part of a fast-growing business

• 40 pence fuel allowance for all business miles

• Generous 25 days paid holiday plus UK bank holidays

• Loyalty holiday programme, in which 3 additional days of paid holiday are awarded after 3 years of service and 1 more per year after 4 & 5 years, capping at 30 days

• 5 days sick pay after 12 months of service

• Pension contributions

Team and Clients:

• Friendly, approachable team

• Supportive line manager

• Personable client relationships

The Ideal Candidate

Attributes:

• Excellent work ethic during working hours and ‘roll your sleeves up’ attitude

• Excellent organisation and time-management

• Excellent listening and communication skills (verbal and written)

• Professionalism and conscientiousness

• Initiative and accountability

Preferential experience and skills:

• Educated to degree level

• 2:1 or 1st degree level

• Project management and budgeting

Essential requirements:

• Some work experience

• Experience in either an office or client facing / customer service role

• IT and email proficiency (familiarity with Office and Excel)

• Solid academic credentials with a minimum of grade 5 / B in GCSE or O Level English and grade 4 / C in Math, as well as strong A-levels or equivalent

• UK driving license (with no more than 3 points) and a reliable vehicle

If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you!

Timings

• Application deadline: Friday 10th April 2026

• Interviews: April 2026

• Job start date: September–November 2026, with adaptability for the right candidate