Tacoma WA Club - General Manager/COO

GGA Partners; United States; On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits

Performance bonus

Job summary

GGA Partners seeks an experienced GM/COO to lead the development of a new private club in the Seattle–Tacoma area. You will own day‑to‑day operations, drive the club’s P&L, and shape operating standards, culture, and guest experiences from pre‑opening through grand opening and beyond.

You will build the operating teams, establish service standards, and support pre‑sales for memberships while aligning with ownership on designs, budgets, and strategy.

Qualifications

• Private club and high-end hospitality experience preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree in business, hospitality, or a related discipline preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead club operations and P&L, ensuring financial and service excellence.
• Build and lead an executive leadership team and foster a collaborative culture.
• Develop service standards across departments to deliver a consistent member experience.
• Drive membership sales, pre-sales, retention programs, and communications with owners/top management.
• Oversee strategic projects, budgets, and timelines across the build and opening phases.
• Manage relationships with ownership, stakeholders, and external partners.

Skills

Leadership

Team Management

Communication

Budgeting

P&L Management

Customer Service

Membership Sales

Strategic Planning

Project Management

Hospitality

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business or hospitality

Job description

Club Overview

A new experience in the Seattle/Tacoma area, the club will combine racquets, fitness, a luxury spa, wellness, aquatics, fine and casual dining, and more into one of the most comprehensive private club offerings in the region.

Centered around an incredible waterfront setting with views of Mount Rainier, the club is currently in the design phase, with world-renowned architects Olson Kundig helping to shape the incredible buildings that will host this new community. Bolstered by a condo development on site, the private club will look to bring together over a thousand families and individuals looking for a private escape complemented by world-class amenities and service.

Club construction starts in 2027, with opening expected in 2028. The General Manager/Chief Operating Officer (“GM/COO”) would be expected to start in late 2026/early 2027 as the first employee of the club, being a critical part of the pre-opening process.

The club will be owned privately by a team with over 20 years of experience in real estate and ownership of numerous other properties in the immediate community. In-depth market research and financial analysis have been performed to strategically determine the vision, market positioning, and amenity profile for the club.

Position Summary

This position is a unique opportunity to be an integral part of building a new private club.

The GM/COO of the club will be the first club employee and a key stakeholder in the building of the club’s operating teams, practices, standards, culture, and ultimately will be responsible for all day‑to‑day operations and P&L.

The GM/COO will join the club at a pivotal time and will support ownership through finalizing designs and project management through the building of the club. During this time, the GM/COO will be building out operational teams, standards, and crucially supporting in pre‑sales for membership and planning for the grand opening of the club.

Upon opening, the GM/COO will be a highly visible leader to both members and employees, while owning the club P&L and leading the planning and reporting processes for the club.

Key Responsibilities

To be successful in this role, the GM/COO must demonstrate the following competencies. These core capabilities are essential for success and will serve as key benchmarks for performance evaluation, ensuring clear expectations and ongoing support.

Leadership

• Serve as a visible, engaged leader who embodies the club’s values and sets high standards for operational, cultural, and financial performance, while holding employees accountable for results.
• Build, inspire, and hold accountable a high‑performing leadership team, fostering a collaborative work environment and empowering others through effective delegation.
• Communicate effectively in a variety of situations, articulating ideas persuasively and influencing others to achieve shared goals.
• Address performance issues constructively, ensuring alignment with the club’s standards and culture.

Metrics: Engagement/Satisfaction scores from members, guests, staff, and ownership.

Membership Experience & Service

• Develop and refine service standards for multiple private club departments to establish and sustain consistent standards across all member touch points.
• Build and foster an inclusive and welcoming environment for members, families, guests, and employees.
• Use member feedback and operating data to identify service gaps and improve the member experience.
• Resolve member concerns with sound judgment, discretion, and appropriate follow‑through.
• Demonstrate a genuine passion for exceptional service.

Metrics: Service standards scorecards, engagement/Satisfaction scores from members, guests, staff, and ownership.

Membership Sales, Retention & Marketing

• Support the development of, and oversee, effective marketing and promotional campaigns to attract new membership prospects to the club.
• Effectively communicate and sell the club concept and vision to prospective members and real estate owners, before, during, and after construction of the club.
• Design and oversee retention monitoring and programs to retain members.
• Build and foster positive relationships with local, regional, and potentially national media.

Metrics: Member prospect pipeline, conversion rates, retention rates, attrition rates.

Strategic Project Management

• Develop project plans, manage budgets and resources, monitor project progress while making adjustments where needed, and effectively communicate project updates to all stakeholders.
• Clearly communicate projects, changes to schedules, and potential disruptions to club services to membership.

Metrics: Adherence to project timelines and budgets.

Finance & Accounting

• Create, maintain, and monitor operating budgets for the club.
• Effectively communicate variances to the budgets and operating results to ownership in a timely manner.
• Understand accounting principles, cash flow management procedures, financial controls, and risk management principles.
• Work with and oversee the relationship with third party professional service providers to produce required reporting.

Metrics: Budget to actual variances, ownership satisfaction with financial reporting.

Human Resources

• Build operating departments aligned with budgets and service standards to support the membership experience.
• Create job descriptions for key positions and oversee the hiring and training processes.
• Lead change initiatives within the organization and effectively deal with any resistance to change.
• Create and maintain a positive workplace culture throughout the workplace and different departments.

Metrics: Engagement/satisfaction scores from employees, departmental service standards scorecards.

Food and Beverage

• Understand and implement various food & beverage concepts and operating models (grab & go, high‑end dining, cafe, etc.).
• Work with third party providers to design and implement rotating food & beverage programs and events.

Metrics: Engagement/satisfaction scores from membership and guests, operating results, event satisfaction.

Sports, Recreation & Wellness

• Understand current trends, operating models, and best practices in fitness, wellness, and lifestyle programming.
• Understand current trends, operating models, and best practices in tennis, pickleball, and other emerging racquet sports.
• Develop and oversee an integrated recreational and events calendar across multiple departments and amenities.
• Manage relationships with third‑party service providers.

Metrics: Engagement/satisfaction scores from membership and guests, operating results.

Candidate Profile

The GM/COO is responsible for leading the club to achieve its strategic objectives while creating a culture of excellence. Success in this role requires the right fit for the club’s unique characteristics. To ensure alignment with this exciting opportunity, the following qualifications and competencies have been identified.

Models Hospitality and Service Excellence: Creates a welcoming and exceptional experience for members and guests by setting high standards for service. Ensures staff are well‑trained, aligned to departmental and club‑wide service standards, and empowered to deliver consistently outstanding hospitality.

Project Management: Manages multiple internal and external stakeholders to achieve project goals and timelines. Displays financial prowess to own the club’s P&L, evaluate key decisions from a return on investment perspective, and present results to ownership.

Membership Sales and Retention: Leads pre‑sales and ongoing membership growth, converting prospects into committed members. Sustains retention by cultivating loyalty and ensuring the membership experience consistently delivers on the value promised.

Strategic Management: Builds the operating team for the club and executes long‑range plans aligned with the club and ownership’s vision and mission. Sets measurable goals, allocates resources effectively, and monitors progress to ensure sustainable success.

Culture Champion: Demonstrates a deep commitment to fostering a positive culture for both members and staff. Displays a genuine passion for the club and a continued commitment to improvement and excellence.

Interpersonal Leadership: Builds strong relationships with members, staff, and ownership through empathy, active listening, and effective communication. Fosters collaboration and addresses concerns with professionalism and care.

Education & Credentials

• Private club and/or high‑end hospitality management and operations experience required.
• Bachelor’s degree (or higher) in business, hospitality, or a related discipline preferred.
• Experience leading a club or hospitality organization through design, construction, and opening and/or major renovations or additions of new amenities preferred.

Residence

The successful candidate must reside in, or be willing to relocate to, the Seattle–Tacoma metropolitan area as this is an on‑site position.

Compensation

The club will offer an attractive compensation package, commensurate with experience. This will include a competitive base salary, benefits, and a performance bonus.

Ownership is committed to positioning variable compensation, anchored to mutually agreed performance goals and metrics, well above market, reinforcing alignment between the GM/COO and the club's key strategic priorities.