General Manager

HotelJobs; Durban; On-site; ZAR 558,000 - 670,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Live-out position

Ground-up venue opportunity

Job summary

HotelJobs in Durban is seeking a dynamic General Manager to lead a new social entertainment venue from pre-opening setup to full operation. This hands-on role requires ownership mindset, and experience in high-volume guest-facing environments.

You will establish SOPs, staffing structures, and operating systems while driving sales and guest experiences. The successful candidate will manage the full P&L, budgets, and forecast performance, and work closely with contractors, suppliers, and

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a GM or senior operator in a high-volume hospitality, leisure, or entertainment business.
• Strong P&L, budgeting, cost control, and forecasting experience.
• Experience setting up SOPs, staffing structures, and operating systems (pre-opening experience highly advantageous).
• Strong people management, recruitment, and training ability.
• Confident working with POS systems and using data to drive operational decisions.

Responsibilities

• Take full ownership of pre-opening readiness: staffing structure, recruitment, rostering, SOPs, and operating systems.
• Coordinate with contractors, suppliers, and stakeholders to ensure the venue is operationally ready for launch.
• Manage procurement, stock planning, and opening stock.
• Set up POS and reporting systems ahead of opening.
• Train and onboard the full team before launch.
• Manage the full P&L, budgets, cost control, and forecasting once operational.
• Maintain high service standards and remain highly visible within the venue.
• Drive sales, marketing, promotions, and events to build traffic and repeat business.
• Develop corporate, group, league, and other revenue opportunities.
• Lead and manage the team, overseeing rosters and labour control.
• Report regularly to ownership on performance and operational matters.

Skills

General management

P&L management

Staffing

Sales & marketing

Operations setup

Data-driven decisions

POS systems

Job description

An exciting new social entertainment venue in West Durban is seeking a dynamic, commercially minded GENERAL MANAGER to lead the business from pre-opening setup through to full operation. This is a hands-on leadership role for an experienced operator who thrives on ownership and can build a business from the ground up. The ideal candidate will come from a high-volume, guest-facing environment such as a busy restaurant group, QSR, padel or entertainment venue, bar, or club, and will be equally comfortable setting up operating systems as running the floor once doors open.

Core Criteria:

• Proven experience as a GM or senior operator in a high-volume, guest-facing hospitality, leisure, or entertainment business
• Strong P&L management, budgeting, cost control, and forecasting experience
• Experience setting up SOPs, staffing structures, and operating systems (pre-opening experience highly advantageous)
• Strong people management, recruitment, and training ability
• Confident working with POS systems and using data to drive operational decisions
• Sales and marketing experience, including promotions, events, and driving repeat business
• Entrepreneurial; ownership-minded approach with the confidence to work independently
• Comfortable with extended, seven-day operating hours, including opening and closing shifts

Core Responsibilities:

• Take full ownership of pre-opening readiness: staffing structure, recruitment, rostering, SOPs, and operating systems
• Coordinate with contractors, suppliers, and stakeholders to ensure the venue is operationally ready for launch
• Manage procurement, stock planning, and opening stock
• Set up POS and reporting systems ahead of opening
• Train and onboard the full team before launch
• Manage the full P&L, budgets, cost control, and forecasting once operational
• Maintain high service standards and remain highly visible within the venue
• Drive sales, marketing, promotions, and events to build traffic and repeat business
• Develop corporate, group, league, and other revenue opportunities
• Lead and manage the team, overseeing rosters and labour control
• Report regularly to ownership on performance and operational matters

On Offer:

• Salary: R50,000 - R60,000 CTC per month, dependent on experience, with a performance incentive to be structured once budgets are finalised
• This is a live-out position
• The opportunity to build and shape a brand-new venue from the ground up, with genuine scope to grow the business