Household Manager

Location: Johnston, IA 50131

Employment Type: Part-Time | 15-20 hours per week

Proposed Schedule:

• Flexibility to split up hours over several weekdays between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM.
• Thursday availability is required to prepare the home for biweekly housecleaner visits.
• Remaining days and hours can be determined collaboratively based on the candidate’s availability and the family’s needs.

Compensation: $25-30 per hour

Start Date: ASAP

Requirements

• Must be authorized to work in the United States
• Able to maintain a smoke-free environment
• Reliable personal transportation and valid driver's license required; mileage reimbursement provided
• Preference for candidates to be up to date on recommended vaccinations in line with American Academy of Pediatrics and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines (including COVID-19 and influenza), subject to applicable legal accommodations.

About Our Family

We’re a warm, busy family of five in the greater Des Moines area with three school-aged children and a friendly indoor cat. Our children are increasingly independent, but our weekdays move quickly between early school schedules, buses, aftercare, and activities.

Both parents have demanding careers. One works primarily in the office, while the other owns and operates local businesses and spends much of the day traveling between job sites. Our day-to-day household responsibilities have become increasingly difficult to manage alongside work and family life, leaving evenings and weekends filled with catch-up rather than meaningful family time.

This is a household management role first, not a childcare position. Our older children are typically home by mid-afternoon, so being a warm, aware, and trustworthy presence when schedules overlap would be helpful, but hands-on childcare is not the primary focus. We’re looking for someone who can take genuine ownership of the home, create practical systems, anticipate needs, and ensure the details are handled without requiring a rigid daily task list.

We offer meaningful flexibility in how the weekly schedule is structured; Thursday availability is important, but the remaining days and hours can be determined collaboratively. We care most about finding a dependable long-term partner who takes pride in their work and helps make our home and family life feel calmer, more organized, and easier to enjoy.

Who You Are / What We're Looking For

You’re a proactive, dependable household professional who takes genuine ownership of your work. You don’t need a rigid daily task list to stay productive. Instead, you notice what needs attention, prioritize thoughtfully, and make sure the work gets done. You enjoy creating practical systems, maintaining organization, and helping a busy household stay ahead of the details that can otherwise pile up.

You’re comfortable moving between recurring responsibilities and larger projects. On any given day, that might include preparing meals, organizing a high-use area, running errands, managing household inventory, coordinating a vendor, preparing for the housecleaner, or completing a household reset. You’re hands-on and willing to help with light tidying, laundry and linens, occasional deep-cleaning projects, and simple household maintenance when needed.

Although this is a household management role first, you’re warm and comfortable around school-aged children. You can serve as a trustworthy, aware presence when the children are home without needing to be their primary caregiver. You’re also comfortable working in a home with an indoor cat and are happy to provide occasional attention or care.

You communicate clearly, follow through consistently, and understand how to work independently while keeping parents informed about what matters. If you’re looking for a long-term role where you’ll be trusted to manage your time, build effective systems, and make a noticeable difference in a family’s daily life, this could be a wonderful fit.

Note: We’re looking for someone flexible and open to an evolving role, but any meaningful changes would be discussed and mutually agreed upon in advance. If you’re excited to grow with a family rather than looking for a narrowly defined set of responsibilities, we want to hear from you!

Key Responsibilities

Family Support & Child Assistance

• Provide light afternoon supervision when scheduled during after-school hours, including greeting the children and serving as an aware, reliable presence in the home
• Handle occasional kid-related errands as needed

Household Management & Organization

• Create and maintain practical household organization systems
• Complete daily household resets and prepare the home on Thursdays for biweekly cleaner visits
• Handle light tidying, including dishes, surfaces, and vacuuming high-traffic areas
• Prepare and coordinate donation drop-offs
• Assist with occasional event, holiday, weekend hosting, and guest preparation
• Help with family travel preparation, including occasional packing and unpacking for the children as needed
• Care for indoor plants
• Handle simple household maintenance tasks, such as replacing batteries, light bulbs, and smoke detector batteries as needed

Deep Cleaning & Special Projects

• Complete occasional rotating deep-cleaning tasks, such as the refrigerator, oven, and baseboards
• Refresh and organize high-use areas such as the garage, mudroom, and entryway
• Clean and maintain humidifiers, air purifiers, and air filters as needed
• Take ownership of ongoing organizational projects involving toys, activity gear, and household storage, including creating new systems that are easy for the family to maintain

Inventory & Errands

• Restock the pantry, refrigerator, and household supplies
• Create and maintain an organized system for tracking household needs and running supply lists
• Handle returns and other household errands
• Bring in and organize mail and packages
• Break down and recycle boxes

Meal Planning & Prep

• Plan and prepare 2–3 family dinners each week (leftovers welcomed)
• Prepare convenient breakfast options for parents
• Assist with simple lunch preparation for parents using fresh meals, freezer-friendly options, or planned leftovers
• Help reduce reliance on prepared meal-delivery services by keeping easy, ready-to-eat options available
• Organize and maintain the refrigerator, freezer, and pantry to support the family’s weekly meal routine

Laundry & Linen Care

• Wash, fold, organize, and put away laundry
• Occasionally treat stains on children’s clothing as needed
• Maintain a consistent rotation of bedding, towels, and other household linens
• Keep laundry and linen storage areas tidy, organized, and well-stocked

Pet Care

• Comfort working in a home with an indoor cat is preferred
• Provide occasional playtime or brushing as desired

Vehicle Management

• Occasionally clean out, tidy, and organize family vehicles

Vendor & Property Oversight

• Coordinate household repairs and service appointments as needed
• Be present to provide vendors, maintenance professionals, or pest-control providers with access to the home and show them the relevant areas
• Assist with occasional summer pool upkeep, including collecting water samples and taking them to the nearby pool store for testing

How to Apply

Please submit:

• A short letter introducing yourself and explaining why you’d be a great fit.
• Your updated resume.
• Three professional references with contact information.

This role requires a background check.

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