Duty Manager

Australian Wildlife Parks; Cessnock; On-site; AUD 75,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Staff discounts

Senior leadership team

Career progression opportunities

Picturesque working environment

Job summary

Hunter Valley Wildlife Park is seeking a Duty Manager to oversee daily operations across admissions, food & beverage and retail, while maintaining safety and delivering exceptional guest experiences.

You will lead by example, support teams, monitor budgets and drive initiatives to improve service and commercial performance in a dynamic park environment.

Qualifications

• Experience in supervisory/management role in hospitality, retail, tourism or customer-facing environment.
• Proven leadership to coach, motivate and manage team performance.
• Strong customer service mindset and commitment to positive guest experiences.
• Commercial awareness including budgets, sales performance and revenue opportunities.
• Excellent organisational skills to manage staffing, rostering and stock control.
• Knowledge of food safety, hygiene and workplace health and safety requirements.
• Clear communication, good judgement and ability to work independently with other managers.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the team with direction, coaching and support; assist with recruitment and training; manage performance to build a high-performing team.
• Deliver exceptional guest experiences by overseeing interactions and service delivery; maintain high presentation and product quality.
• Drive revenue and commercial performance by monitoring budgets and identifying upsell opportunities.
• Coordinate daily operations across admissions, food & beverage and retail; ensure brand standards are met.
• Oversee stock, merchandising, supplier invoices, replenishment and retail presentation to minimise waste.
• Ensure compliance with food safety, hygiene and workplace safety standards and park procedures.
• Coordinate rostering and payroll in line with budgets and industrial obligations.
• Identify cost-saving opportunities and support promotions to enhance guest satisfaction and results.

Job description

Hunter Valley Wildlife Park | Operations

Hunter Valley Wildlife Park is looking for an enthusiastic and commercially minded Duty Manager to help lead our daily operations across admissions, food and beverage, retail and workplace health and safety.

Hunter Valley Wildlife Park is home to a captivating and engaging collection of exotic and native animal species and is located just minutes from NSW’s premier wine region. The park is very popular with local families as well as school excursions from across the Hunter region and the Central Coast.

About the role

As Duty Manager, you’ll oversee and coordinate day-to-day operations across multiple guest-facing departments. You’ll lead by example, support your team to achieve business objectives and continually look for ways to improve the guest experience and operational performance.

Reporting to the Manager of Operations and Compliance, you’ll play a key role in ensuring our teams deliver outstanding service, maintain high operational standards and create memorable experiences for every guest who visits the park.

This is an exciting opportunity for a proactive leader who enjoys balancing people management, customer service, operational performance and revenue growth in a unique visitor attraction environment.

Key responsibilities include:

• Lead and develop the team: Provide clear direction, coaching and support, assist with recruitment and training, and manage performance to build a motivated, high-performing team.
• Deliver exceptional guest experiences: Oversee guest interactions and service delivery, maintaining high standards of presentation, product quality and customer satisfaction.
• Drive revenue and commercial performance: Monitor performance against budgets, identify opportunities to increase sales, promote effective upselling and implement initiatives that grow revenue.
• Oversee daily operations: Coordinate activities across admissions, food and beverage and retail, ensuring departments operate efficiently and consistently meet brand standards.
• Manage stock and merchandising: Oversee inventory, stocktakes, supplier invoices, replenishment and retail presentation, maintaining appropriate stock levels and minimising waste.
• Maintain food safety and workplace safety: Ensure compliance with food safety requirements, hygiene standards, workplace health and safety legislation and park procedures.
• Coordinate rostering and payroll: Manage rosters, timesheet approvals and payroll requirements in line with budgets and applicable industrial obligations.
• Improve and innovate: Identify cost‑saving opportunities, refresh services and facilities, support marketing promotions and introduce ideas that enhance guest satisfaction and commercial results.

About you

You’re a confident, practical and customer-focused leader who can motivate a team, manage competing priorities and keep operations running smoothly. You understand that excellent guest experiences come from engaged employees, consistent standards and strong operational management.

You will ideally bring:

• Experience in a supervisory or management role within hospitality, retail, tourism, attractions or a similar customer-facing environment.
• Proven leadership skills, with the ability to coach, motivate and manage team performance.
• A strong customer service mindset and a commitment to creating positive guest experiences.
• Commercial awareness, including experience monitoring budgets, sales performance, costs and revenue opportunities.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage staffing, rostering, stock control and operational priorities.
• An understanding of food safety, hygiene and workplace health and safety requirements.
• Clear communication skills, sound judgement and the ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with other managers.
• Flexibility to work a roster that includes weekdays, weekends and public holidays.

What you’ll bring to the team

• A hands‑on approach and a willingness to lead by example.
• A proactive mindset, with the confidence to identify problems and implement practical solutions.
• A focus on accountability, continuous improvement and operational excellence.
• The ability to balance guest satisfaction with business performance and budget expectations.
• A genuine commitment to maintaining a safe, clean, welcoming and well‑presented environment.

Why it’s great to work here!

• Staff discounts at our 3 Wildlife Parks
• Experienced senior leadership team
• Career progression opportunities
• Picturesque working environment

Australian Wildlife Parks is an equal opportunity employer and consideration will be given to all applications. However, due to the high level of applicants, only those progressing to the interview stage will be contacted.