General Manager / Operations Management (Entertainment)

SUMMARY:
Our client, a leading entertainment venue based in Midrand, is seeking an exceptional General Manager / Operations Management (Entertainment) to take full ownership of the business. Reporting directly to the owner, this role carries complete responsibility for the venue's commercial performance, operations and people. The successful candidate will be the number one on site, accountable for revenue, profitability, customer experience, staff leadership, operational systems, compliance and administration.

This is not a traditional administration or maintenance role. They are looking for an entrepreneurial operator, not a caretaker. This person must run the venue as it were their own while living in the reality of numbers.

Someone with whose experience has primarily been managing established corporate environments with well-developed systems, large support functions and centralized decision-making are unlikely to be successful in this role.

We are looking for someone who thrives in an environment where they are expected to build, improve, innovate and lead from the front.

Please note this is not for the faint hearted and the client has requested the following based on the nature of their business.
Non-negotiable requirement: personally on-site for long shifts, including weekends, school holidays and public holidays. This is the core of the role given their trading pattern.

Important and essential too, is demonstrated personal use of AI tools in operational work, with concrete examples, specific cases where the candidate has personally used AI to improve reporting, forecasting, scheduling, marketing, customer service, or similar, and can describe the before/after result.
This is a genuine differentiator they want to see from candidates.

POSITION INFO:
In order to be considered the following is required: 5+ years managing a business unit with P&L responsibility (leisure, hospitality, FEC, fitness groups, multi-unit retail), including 2+ years as the no.1 on site Builder track record: has personally launched or rebuilt something - a venue, a department, a sales function, a reporting system. Not just maintained what existed Provable revenue growth: can state specifics \"it was X, it became Y in Z months, through these actions\" and back it with references Personal B2B sales experience: has personally brought in corporate \/ school contracts, not only managed a sales team Has led teams of 15+ (direct and indirect), including dismissals Financially literate: reads P&L and cash flow, understands VAT, debtors \/ creditors Hands-on owner of booking \/ POS \/ CRM systems (selection or implementation experience is a plus) Available on weekends, school holidays and public holidays - the venue's peak trading days Responsibilities: Sales first: leads the sales team: schools, corporates, birthday parties, groups, partnerships. Sets realistic targets and can personally show a salesperson how to close a deal Money and administration: Works hand-in-hand with the accountant: payables, debtors, cash flow, VAT, banking. Does not do the bookkeeping but no number is ever a surprise Systems: Online booking, POS, CRM, payment gateways - owns them and keeps them working People: Sets written tasks with deadlines, follows up, hires and dismisses. The Venue Manager (front-of-house) reports to the General Manager Problem: Sees risks before they become fires: seasonal dips, equipment downtime, key-staff departures, cash gaps The successful candidate must be capable of running the venue as though it were their own business while maintaining disciplined control over financial performance, operational standards and team productivity. This is an opportunity for a commercially astute, hands-on leader who combines entrepreneurial thinking with operational discipline and is motivated by creating, growing and scaling a successful business. Information displayed above not limited to advertisement Please consider your application as unsuccessful if you have not received a response within 14 days of submitting your application.

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