Forum Asset Management – General Manager, ALMA Cabbagetown
Location: On site, ALMA Cabbagetown, 307 Sherbourne Street, Toronto
Work Schedule: Full-time, permanent; on site, including evenings, weekends and after-hours escalations as the building requires
About Forum:
Delivering Extraordinary Outcomes™ through Investment.
Forum Asset Management is a North American investor, developer, and asset manager with a 30+ year track record of delivering long-term value through real estate, private equity, and infrastructure investments. We are a purpose-driven firm committed to sustainability, responsible investing, and making a positive impact in the communities where we invest.
With over $4 billion in AUM, Forum is one of Canada's most dynamic investment platforms. In 2024, we completed the country's largest real estate transaction through our acquisition of Alignvest Student Housing, making us the largest owner and developer of Purpose-Built Student Accommodations (PBSA) in Canada. Our open-ended Real Estate Income and Impact Fund (REIIF) is now over $2.9 billion, backed by a $4.0 billion+ development pipeline that spans coast to coast.
Forum is also building one of the fastest-growing self-storage platforms in Canada, focused on acquiring, developing, and operating institutional-grade storage facilities in undersupplied urban markets.
Forum is a values-led, high-performance organization. We embrace agility and innovation, and we strive to foster a team culture grounded in integrity, collaboration, humility, and results. Our growth is fueled by our ability to identify structural real estate themes and deliver strategies that balance income, impact, and long-term value creation.
About ALMA:
ALMA is Forum's premium student living brand. Across seven residences in Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax, Guelph and now Toronto, ALMA is redefining what student living can be: thoughtfully designed spaces, curated experiences and a sense of belonging that turns a building into a community.
ALMA Cabbagetown is our first Toronto residence, a new 223-unit building on Sherbourne Street at Allan Gardens serving students at TMU, U of T and OCAD. It is purposefully designed for students, blending smart, stylish living with a focus on connection, wellbeing and personal growth.
Position Overview:
Forum Asset Management is seeking a General Manager to be fully accountable for ALMA Cabbagetown, which we intend to be the best student accommodation in Toronto. That means a hospitality-first building, a best-in-class resident lifestyle program, and a GM who owns the results. This is an existing vacancy.
This role is part lifestyle curator, part strategic operator and part culture builder. Our facilities partner owns the technical side of the building. You will own everything else: the residents, their parents, the team, the numbers and the reputation of the building.
You are the face of the building and the heart of its community. Most residents are first-years who chose ALMA Cabbagetown together with their parents. That decision was a promise that they will be cared for and have a great experience, and you are the person who keeps it:
- The Parent Promise. Every family gets one named contact and a response within 24 hours. You are that contact.
- Move-in week. You run it end to end, so a family's first day in Toronto feels organized and personal.
- The year after leasing. Once the building is full, you keep the resident calendar alive from September to April, including two curated Toronto nights a month, driving strong resident retention.
As ALMA's first Toronto residence, Cabbagetown sets the standard for the brand in Canada's largest student market. How you open and run it becomes the model others follow. If you have run a residence, a purpose-built student housing building or a hotel, and you want to build one from day one in a city you know, read on.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
Opening the Building and Operations
You join before residents arrive to build the operation, the prospect journey and the resident experience.
- Jan - April: Take over the facilities management relationship from our Asset Management team, and walk the building with Construction to make sure it is handed over resident-ready. Build relationships on campus at TMU, OCAD and U of T, and lead on-campus marketing activations.
- May to August: Write the Parent Promise procedures, covering who answers, how fast, and how issues are logged and closed. Co-host summer open houses and tours with the leasing team, and lead local and on-campus marketing activities.
- July: Welcome your two direct reports, front desk and resident experience, on July 1 and train both.
- August: Lead August prep and run the full move-in dry run on August 25.
- September: Run move-in week, then lead day-to-day operations of the building as set out below.
Residents, Families & Resident Life
- Be the named contact for every family under the Parent Promise; resolve concerns quickly and close the loop in writing.
- Plan and host two curated Toronto nights a month, plus the wider resident calendar, with your resident experience lead.
- Program the amenity spaces for both spontaneous connection and meaningful engagement, from social and wellness sessions to study clubs and local partnerships.
- Work with creators and our social channels to show what life at ALMA looks like.
Brand, Sales & Retention
- Make sure every touchpoint, digital, physical and social, meets ALMA brand standards.
- Position ALMA Cabbagetown as the preferred place to live for Toronto students.
- Partner with leasing on tour and open house conversion, renewals and referrals from current residents.
Team Leadership
- Lead the front desk and resident experience team, including scheduling, coaching, standards and after-hours coverage.
- Build a culture of accountability, creativity and service excellence, and be present and visible with your team and residents.
Financial Performance
- Own the building's operating budget and P&L, with a focus on Net Operating Income.
- Work with leasing on pricing, occupancy and retention using data, and keep expenses under control.
- Grow revenue-share vendor income and deliver accurate, timely financial reporting.
Safety, Partners & Community
- Own security, access control and incident response, including after-hours escalations.
- Manage the facilities partner, who runs the building's technical services, and manage security, revenue-share vendors and telephone service directly.
- Build working ties with residence life, student services and safety teams at TMU, U of T and OCAD.
- Be a good neighbour to Sherbourne Street and Allan Gardens, using sound judgment on what the area needs.
How Success Is Measured:
You own ALMA Cabbagetown's results, not just its tasks. We will measure you on:
- Resident experience: resident satisfaction and online review scores that set the standard for Toronto student housing.
- The Parent Promise: every family contacted, every message answered within 24 hours, every issue closed and confirmed.
- The lifestyle program: two curated Toronto nights a month delivered without fail, strong attendance, and a resident calendar first-years talk about.
- ALMA brand standards: a building, team and resident experience that consistently deliver the ALMA brand.
- Sales and retention: tour and open house conversion, renewals, referrals and revenue-share vendor income.
- Financial performance: budget and Net Operating Income targets met, with accurate and timely reporting.
- Operating discipline: vendor performance, safety and incident standards, and a building that looks show-ready every day.
Candidate Profile:
- 3+ years managing a student residence, a purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) building, a hotel or a restaurant.
- Experience leading a front-line team, including scheduling, coaching and after-hours coverage.
- Experience managing a budget and reporting on financial performance.
- Track record of handling incidents and after-hours escalations calmly and documenting them well.
- Experience working with campus partners such as residence life, student services or campus safety.
- Sound judgment on security, access control and neighbour relations in a busy downtown setting.
- Based in Toronto and know it as a local: the neighbourhoods, the venues, and the TMU, U of T and OCAD scene.
- Connect easily with 18-to-22-year-olds and earn the trust of their parents in the same week.
- Can plan a great Toronto night out for a group of students and run it well, twice a month.
- Comfortable working with creators and producing social content.
- Hospitality is your default: you anticipate needs, recover well when things go wrong, and make every resident and parent feel known.
- Real sales instinct: you can lead a tour, read what a family cares about, handle objections and close.
- Meticulous with checklists, follow-up and clean records; nothing is left half-finished.
- High sense of ownership: when something goes wrong, you fix it, explain it and make sure it doesn't happen again.
- Polished and approachable presence: you listen, act and inspire, and stay calm and solutions-focused through turn, move-in and leasing season.
- Curiosity and comfort using AI tools to speed up communication, reporting and planning work.
- Thrives in a hospitality environment where hours extend into evenings and weekends during move-in, events and after-hours escalations.
Considered an asset: a degree or diploma in hospitality, recreation or a related field; first aid, mental health first aid or conflict de-escalation training; experience opening a new building; French.
Culture and Pace at Forum:
Forum thinks of itself as a 30-year-old start-up: dynamic, entrepreneurial team focused on creating value and positive impact. Our BHAG: grow the business to an AUM of at least $15 billion by 2030 while positively impacting a minimum of 50,000 lives. Every team plays a part in getting us there, and we're looking for people who want to help build. Our core values are High Performance, Innovation, Integrity, Diversity and Impact. It is worth being direct about what that feels like day to day, because fit matters to us as much as credentials:
- Velocity is cultural. We are an AI-forward firm where work that used to take weeks ships in days. You will prototype fast, measure, and keep what pays - "GSD" is written into our culture, and we mean it.
- The scoreboard is visible. We run a written operating cadence with metrics reviewed weekly, from leasing velocity to resident satisfaction. People who like scoreboards thrive here.
If reading this gives you energy rather than pause, you will do well here - and we want to meet you.
Invest in Yourself:
- Excellent Benefits: A top-tier insurance program designed to keep you healthy, active, and supported, plus a $1,000 annual wellness credit.
- Competitive Total Rewards: We value our team members and offer a well-rounded package that includes competitive pay, paid time off, and performance-based incentives.
- Compensation: Base salary of $80,000 - $90,000 and an annual bonus of up to 30% tied to transparent and clear KPIs, with full benefits.
- Employee Match Program: Invest alongside Forum with access to a matching contribution program.
- Learning and Development Opportunities: Access support for professional designations, TTI behavioural assessments, and quarterly learning forums to grow your skills and industry knowledge. We believe in Best Idea Wins and foster an entrepreneurial environment where your input has real impact.
- AI-Native by Design: Every team member, regardless of role, gets hands-on access to enterprise-grade AI tools from day 1. AI is core to how we work and how we measure impact. You'll be challenged to build fluency fast, and in return you'll grow into a genuine expert who's ahead of the market.
- Diverse & Inclusive Team: We celebrate diverse perspectives and are committed to maintaining the highest standards of equity and inclusion.
- Employee Referral Program: Receive a generous bonus when your referral joins our team.
- Social Impact: Enjoy paid volunteer days and opportunities to participate in team-led community initiatives.
- Quarterly All Teams: Sessions with your colleagues across the business to share insights, celebrate success, and spotlight culture.
- Lunch & Learns: Regular opportunities to connect, learn, and exchange knowledge with peers across the business.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Usage:
Forum uses AI tools to support the screening and assessment of applications for this role. These tools inform, but do not replace, the judgment of our human hiring team, who make all final hiring decisions.
Forum Commitment:
At Forum, we encourage diversity. We are committed to an inclusive workplace that reflects our belief that diversity is central to building a high-performing team. Forum is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing accessible employment practices. Should you require an accommodation during any phase of the recruitment process, please let the recruitment team know at recruiting@forumam.com.
