Operations Manager

The Malone Hotel; Belfast City District; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary & bonuses

Career development opportunities

28 days' holiday for full-time staff

Staff discounts on stays and dining

Employee recognition programs

Job summary

The Malone Hotel is seeking an Operations Manager who is practical, visible on the floor and hands-on to ensure smooth daily running. The role emphasizes execution, guest experience, staff deployment and timely issue resolution across all hotel areas.

Working 37.5 hours per week, the successful candidate will lead with accountability, coordinate shifts, and support management in peak periods while maintaining agreed procedures and standards.

Qualifications

• Experience in hotel operations
• Strong understanding of reception, housekeeping and guest service
• Comfortable being on the floor and taking ownership of issues
• Able to prioritise, manage competing demands and stay composed under pressure
• Confident coaching of supervisors and colleagues
• Good knowledge of hotel safety, security and operations KPIs
• Flexible to work evenings and weekends as needed

Responsibilities

• Coordinate daily hotel operations with visible leadership across guest and back-of-house areas
• Inspect guest journey from arrival to departure and resolve service gaps
• Ensure rooms, reception and housekeeping meet standards and times
• Provide on-shift guidance, cover shifts and support departments during busy periods
• Log and track defects, safety checks and contractor access with timely resolution
• Coordinate handovers with breakfast, bar and restaurant for guest numbers and timing
• Monitor indicators like complaints, room readiness and staffing deployment for improvements
• Provide concise updates to General Manager on daily issues and priorities

Skills

Visible on-floor leadership

Guest journey focus

Operational excellence

Problem ownership

Staff coaching

Job description

Operations Manager

Malone Hotel are seeking a practical, visible and hands‑on Hotel Operations Manager to keep the hotel running smoothly every day. This is an operational delivery role, focused on the guest journey, quality standards, staff deployment, effective communication and the timely resolution of issues across the property.

Working within the management structure and alongside department managers, the role holder will be active on the floor, inspecting standards, supporting busy service periods, following up defects and ensuring agreed procedures are consistently carried out. The emphasis is on execution and accountability rather than setting hotel strategy or acting as a second Deputy General Manager.

The successful candidate will be required to work 37.5 hours per week, but must be flexible to work evenings and weekends as required.

About the role

Key Responsibilities:

Daily Hotel Operations

• Coordinate the daily running of the hotel, with a visible presence in guest and back‑of‑house areas.

• Carry out daily operational walk‑rounds, checking public areas, entrances, guest facilities, service points and overall presentation.

• Review occupancy, arrivals, departures, groups, events, staffing cover and known guest requirements; resolve operational gaps before they affect service.

• Lead or contribute to shift briefings and ensure clear handovers, action logs and follow‑up between shifts and departments.

• Support departmental managers during peak periods and take prompt, practical action when service is under pressure.

• Make sure hotel procedures, checklists and agreed service standards are followed consistently.

Guest Experience & Service Recovery

• Remain accessible to guests and colleagues, dealing personally with escalated day‑to‑day queries and complaints.

• Inspect the guest journey from arrival and check‑in through accommodation, breakfast and departure.

• Identify recurring service failures from feedback and incident logs and ensure corrective actions are completed.

• Follow up guest requests, VIP arrangements, room moves and special requirements to a satisfactory conclusion.

Rooms, Reception & Housekeeping

• Work with Reception and Housekeeping to ensure rooms are clean, inspected, released and ready to the required standard and agreed times.

• Monitor daily room‑status discrepancies, out‑of‑order rooms, late check‑outs and early‑arrival pressures.

• Carry out sample room inspections and follow up on cleanliness, presentation and maintenance deficiencies.

• Ensure the front desk, luggage storage, reception lobby and other guest‑facing spaces are organised and professionally presented.

Staffing, Supervision & Communication

• Check that operational shifts have appropriate cover and assist managers in resolving short‑notice staffing gaps.

• Provide direct on‑shift guidance and coaching, reinforcing service behaviours, punctuality, presentation and task completion.

• Ensure Duty Managers and supervisors understand daily priorities, incident escalation routes and handover expectations.

• Raise repeated performance or conduct issues with the relevant departmental manager and support agreed follow‑up; formal HR decisions remain with the appropriate management lead.

Maintenance, Safety & Standards

• Log, prioritise and track defects affecting bedrooms, public areas, equipment and guest comfort, coordinating with maintenance until resolved.

• Undertake routine checks of fire exits, safety signage, housekeeping stores, back‑of‑house areas and general operational compliance.

• Ensure accidents, incidents, security concerns and near misses are recorded and escalated promptly under hotel procedures.

• Support routine contractor access, maintenance coordination and planned works to minimise disruption to guests.

• Follow up completion of daily operational checks, cleaning schedules and relevant departmental records.

Food & Beverage Interface

• Coordinate practical handovers with breakfast, the Greyhound Bar, events and the restaurant on guest numbers, timing, special requirements and shared facilities.

• Support high‑volume service periods and highlight issues with speed of service, presentation, staffing or cleanliness to the responsible manager.

• Maintain a collaborative relationship with the Restaurant Manager; the restaurant remains a standalone operation under that manager’s leadership.

Operational Controls & Continuous Improvement

• Monitor practical indicators such as guest complaints, room readiness, maintenance closure times, checklist completion and staffing deployment.

• Identify avoidable waste, inefficient routines and service bottlenecks and implement agreed operational improvements.

• Check basic operational controls, including stock handling, supplies, equipment care and agreed cash or security procedures where relevant.

• Provide the General Manager and Deputy General Manager with concise updates on daily issues, outstanding actions, risks and improvement priorities.

Hotel Operations Manager is accountable for consistent day‑to‑day execution and operational follow‑through. Hotel‑wide strategic direction, budgets, senior management decisions and overall business leadership remain with the General Manager and Deputy General Manager. Department managers retain accountability for their respective departments, with the Operations Manager providing on‑shift coordination and support.

Company Benefits:

As an award‑winning, family‑owned hotel, we offer our staff the chance to become “part of the family!” Your employee benefits will include the following:

• Competitive salary and performance‑based bonuses.

• Internal growth and professional development opportunities.

• 28 days' holiday for full‑time staff.

• Departmental incentives including employee discounts on hotel stays and dining.

• Discounted friends and family rates.

This job description is not exhaustive; therefore, the job holder may be required, from time to time, to conduct tasks as and when requested by Hotel Management.

About the company

A warm welcome to The Malone, Northern Ireland’s finest, four‑star boutique hotel, just minutes from the bustling heart of Belfast city centre.We think you’ll love the tradition, tranquillity, elegance and warmth of our Victorian townhouse hotel, set in the leafy avenues of the Queen's Quarter and opening on to Belfast’s Lisburn Road, lined with fashionable and unique boutique shops.

Required Criteria

• Experience in hotel operations, duty management or a similar hands‑on hospitality management role.
• Strong understanding of reception, housekeeping, guest service and day‑to‑day departmental coordination.
• Comfortable being present on the floor, taking ownership of problems and following tasks through to completion.
• Able to organise priorities, manage competing demands and remain composed under pressure.
• Confident coaching supervisors and colleagues while respecting departmental reporting lines.
• Good working knowledge of practical hotel safety, security and operational standards.
• Confident with hotel systems, checklists, shift reporting and basic operational KPIs.
• Flexible to work operational shifts, including evenings and weekends as needed.

Desired Criteria

Skills you'll need

• Developing Strategic Alliances
• Establishing Rapport With Clients
• Managing Integrated Teams
• Ability to Identify and Anticipate needs
• Exceptional Customer Service Skills
• Budgeting and Forecasting