Group Operations Manager - Staff Solutions
Gqeberha / Port Elizabeth
9 hour(s) ago
Permanent
Salary - Market Related
Our client in the Hospitality industry is seeking an operational and financial disciplined Group Operations Manager in Gqeberha/ Port Elizabeth
Skills
Food & Beverage Hospitality Multi-property Operations Management Property ManagementKey responsibilities
1. Property visits and operational presence
- Maintain a structured programme of regular property visits, including planned reviews and appropriate unannounced checks.
- Be visible in guest and back-of-house areas and engage directly with managers, supervisors and frontline employees.
- Observe live service delivery across relevant operating periods, including breakfasts, restaurant service, check-ins, functions and peak trading periods where applicable.
- Identify operational gaps, agree practical corrective actions with property leadership, assign ownership and deadlines, and follow through to closure.
- Provide concise visit reports to Company leadership, highlighting standards, risks, actions, responsible persons and due dates.
2. Service standards and guest experience
- Set, communicate and maintain consistent service standards across the Group while respecting the character and needs of each property.
- Assess the full guest journey, including reservations, arrival, public areas, rooms, dining, departure and post-stay communication.
- Review guest feedback, online reviews, complaints and service-recovery outcomes; identify recurring issues and ensure root causes are addressed.
- Interact appropriately with guests during site visits to gain direct insight into their experience and expectations.
- Support property teams with escalated guest matters and ensure recovery is timely, professional and aligned with Company values.
3. Food & Beverage quality and standards
- Develop and maintain exceptional Food & Beverage standards across restaurants, bars, lounges, banqueting and room service operations.
- Conduct practical quality checks covering food taste, presentation, temperature, freshness, portion consistency, menu execution and speed of service.
- Monitor beverage standards, bar controls, stock handling, waste, gross profit and responsible liquor service.
- Work with chefs and Food & Beverage leaders to improve menu performance, kitchen discipline, service flow, hygiene and profitability.
- Ensure food safety systems, cleaning practices, storage, traceability and allergen controls are consistently applied.
4. Property condition, cleanliness and upkeep
- Inspect guest rooms, public spaces, grounds, kitchens, stores, staff areas and back-of-house facilities for cleanliness, presentation, safety and general upkeep.
- Ensure preventative maintenance plans, defect logs and capital priorities are current and actively managed.
- Follow up on repairs and recurring defects, balancing guest impact, operational risk, cost and asset preservation.
- Maintain consistent presentation standards for signage, lighting, furniture, equipment, landscaping and staff facilities.
5. Operational oversight
- Oversee daily operations across all properties and departments to improve consistency, efficiency and accountability.
- Support General Managers with operating plans, staffing models, standard operating procedures and cross-property coordination.
- Review operating data and property reports, identify exceptions and intervene early where performance or standards are slipping.
- Lead implementation of operational best practices and ensure improvements are embedded, not treated as once-off initiatives.
6. Financial performance
- Develop and manage operating budgets and forecasts in collaboration with property and Company leadership.
- Review property profit-and-loss performance, revenue, payroll, cost of sales, utilities, procurement, stock, waste and other controllable expenses.
- Drive commercially sound actions that improve profitability without compromising safety, quality or the guest experience.
- Strengthen operational controls, purchasing discipline, stock management and accountability for variances.
7. People leadership and employee engagement
- Lead, mentor and evaluate General Managers and senior property leaders; provide clear expectations, feedback and support.
- Build constructive relationships with employees at all levels and create safe opportunities for them to raise concerns and improvement ideas.
- Assess staffing, capability, conduct, morale, training and succession needs during property visits.
- Promote a culture of hospitality, ownership, respect, discipline and continuous improvement.
- Support fair and consistent performance management in line with Company policy and labour legislation.
8. Compliance, risk and governance
- Ensure compliance with food safety, occupational health and safety, labour, liquor licensing and all other applicable business and operating requirements.
- Confirm that required licences, inspections, registers, training records and supporting documentation remain valid and audit-ready.
- Monitor incident reporting, emergency readiness, security, cash handling and other operational risks; escalate material issues promptly.
- Coordinate corrective action arising from internal reviews, external inspections or regulatory findings.
9. Strategy and business improvement
- Collaborate with Company leadership to translate business objectives into practical property-level plans.
- Contribute operational insight to refurbishments, new concepts, openings, acquisitions and growth initiatives where required.
- Identify opportunities for revenue growth, better resource use, shared services, procurement benefits and improved systems.
- Lead selected Group-wide projects and report clearly on progress, benefits, risks and required decisions.
Performance expectations
Success in the role will be assessed through a balanced set of operational, people, guest and financial measures, including:- Consistent completion and follow-through of property visits and operational action plans.
- Improvement in service-audit results, guest satisfaction, review trends and complaint resolution.
- Consistent Food & Beverage quality, hygiene compliance and commercial performance.
- Improved cleanliness, maintenance completion and overall condition of the properties.
- Delivery against budgets, forecasts, cost controls and agreed profitability targets.
- Stronger leadership capability, employee engagement, retention and performance accountability.
- Compliance with legal, licensing, health and safety, food safety and Company requirements.
Experience and qualifications
- At least 5 years’ senior operations or general management experience in hospitality; multi-property or group-level exposure is strongly preferred.
- Proven hands-on responsibility for hotel, lodge, resort, restaurant or comparable guest-facing operations.
- A relevant degree or diploma in Hospitality Management, Business Administration or a related field is preferred; strong relevant experience may be considered.
- Demonstrated financial competence, including budgeting, forecasting, profit-and-loss analysis and cost control.
- Strong working knowledge of Property Management Systems and operational reporting tools, with proficiency in Microsoft Office.
- Sound knowledge of local labour legislation, occupational health and safety, food safety and hospitality-related licensing requirements.
- A valid driver’s licence and the ability and willingness to travel frequently between properties and work outside standard office hours when operations require it.
- Visible operator
- Guest-led
- Commercial
- Firm and fair leader
- Analytical and decisive
- Strong communicator
- Resilient and adaptable
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