General Manager

Birchgrove; Godalming; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A community-focused organization in Godalming is seeking an enthusiastic General Manager to lead Pepperpot House, ensuring a warm and welcoming environment for residents. Responsibilities include managing operations, driving sales strategies, and fostering community engagement. Ideal candidates will have strong leadership skills, a background in hospitality or similar, and be dedicated to enriching residents' lives. This role offers autonomy and the chance to create a home for those over 65, with flexible working hours when needed.

Benefits

Supportive community environment

Inclusive workplace culture

Qualifications

• Experienced General Manager with operational, people, and budget accountability.
• Strong emotional intelligence and management skills.
• Success in sales and occupancy strategies.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute sales strategies with the team.
• Provide operational leadership for day-to-day operations.
• Ensure resident satisfaction through exceptional service.

Skills

Operational accountability

Emotional intelligence

Sales strategy implementation

Food and beverage management

Team management

Networking

Job description

General Manager

At Birchgrove, we create welcoming rental communities designed exclusively for people over 65 - places where residents feel at home, stay independent for longer, and live life on their own terms.

We believe there is no substitute for feeling at home. That's why we design communities that feel welcoming, warm and rooted in the neighbourhoods they're part of. Our approach is simple: be good people to work with, lead with accountability, encourage fresh thinking and always look for reasons to say yes when it makes life better for the people who live with us.

We are proud to be a Living Wage Employer and a Disability Confident Employer, and we are building an inclusive workplace where individuality is respected, talent is recognised, and belonging is real.

The Role

Pepperpot House in Godalming is a beautiful, modern neighbourhood, just one year old and already home to a growing community of neighbours. With occupancy currently around 75%, this is a brilliant opportunity for an experienced General Manager to help shape the next phase of its success, building momentum, strengthening community life, and supporting continued growth as the neighbourhood reaches full occupancy.

This is a visible, involved leadership role where you will be close to neighbours and your team day to day. As a newer neighbourhood, Pepperpot House offers real freedom to embed best practice from the start, establish strong rhythms and ways of working, and build a culture where colleagues feel proud to work and neighbours feel truly at home, backed by the full support of our Operations Leadership Team.

Pepperpot House is also ideally located just three minutes from the high street, making it easy for neighbours to stay active, connected and independent. Many residents enjoy being out and about, so you will be leading a community where wellbeing, choice and autonomy are part of everyday life.

If you find joy in building a culture where colleagues feel proud to work and residents feel truly at home, you're at your best when you build trust, lead with care, and bring people along through change, you'll find this role both energising and deeply rewarding.

About You

You will thrive here if you are:

• An experienced General Manager who has led a site or service with full operational, people, and budget accountability. Ideally from retirement living, care homes, or hospitality, but we are open to strong multi-site or complex service leaders from other sectors if they bring the right skills and mindset.
• Someone who thrives in environments where expectations are high and feedback is candid. Pepperpot House is a warm and welcoming neighbourhood where neighbours value great service and a well run community, so the successful candidate will bring emotional intelligence, confidence, and the ability to lead with calm clarity, warmth and good humour.
• Energetic about sales and occupancy with demonstrated success in implementing effective sales strategies.
• Familiarity with managing food and beverage operations.
• Resilient and adaptable, able to respond to competing priorities with thoughtfulness, clarity and pace
• Someone who leads with empathy, integrity and optimism. Is able to inspire trust in residents and staff and holds themselves to account
• Strong business acumen with a keen understanding of budgets and financial management.
• Skilled in dynamic and confident management of large teams.
• Dedicated to enriching residents' lives, with a focus on individual well-being and building a community.
• Possesses high intellect and adaptability, adept at managing conflicting priorities.
• Someone who sees opportunity in challenge, welcomes fresh ideas and isn't afraid to innovate
• An ambitious and goal orientated attitude.
• A connector - comfortable in their ability to network with influencers, the press, local partners, referrers and community leaders.
• Flexibility to accommodate unconventional working hours when needed to support community life, which may occasionally include weekends.
• Aligned with our values by create belonging, be accountable, staying curious, trying new things and always start from 'How can we help?

Key Responsibilities

Key responsibilities will include:

• Partner with the Sales Team to devise and execute a comprehensive sales strategy, encompassing outreach, home visits, tours, reporting, nurturing prospective residents and other relevant tasks.
• Providing strategic and operational leadership for the smooth day-to-day operations, covering sales, F&B, housekeeping, maintenance, and wellbeing.
• Overseeing ongoing operations to ensure resident satisfaction and exceed expectations in all areas, including events, activities, and customer service.
• Build a culture where residents feel known, respected and listed to - ensuring their experience is consistently exceptional.
• Ensuring all legal, regulatory and health and safety duties are fully met and well documented.
• Recruit, coach and develop great colleagues, supporting learning, confidence and accountability
• Support and embed HR processes such as onboarding, recognition, performance and wellbeing support.
• Plan and oversee rota management to ensure quality cover and colleague wellbeing
• Manage the neighbourhood budget, P&L and financial processes including invoicing, rent control and reporting with transparency and ownership.
• Engaging in research and networking with key community stakeholders (e.g., healthcare providers, local government, NGOs, local media) involved in the welfare of older adults.
• Support sales continuity minimising voids and established ready list once the building is at full occupancy

This role is about people first, our colleagues and neighbours, and building something that feels personal, meaningful and proudly Birchgrove. If you believe people deserve to feel at home, supported and connected as they age and you want the autonomy to lead a community that reflects those values we would love to hear from you.

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