General Manager

Wild Dreams Hospitality; Durban; On-site; ZAR 558,000 - 670,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance incentive

Brand-new venue project

Job summary

Wild Dreams Hospitality in Durban seeks a hands-on General Manager to build and run a brand-new venue. The successful candidate will operate in a high-volume, guest-focused environment and own pre-opening readiness, staffing, SOPs, and operating systems.

You will manage full P&L, budgets, cost control, forecasting, drive sales and events, and lead the team with strong recruitment and training. Open seven days, live-out, with growth potential and a performance incentive.

Qualifications

• Proven high-volume hospitality leadership experience.
• Experience setting up SOPs, staffing structures, and pre-opening readiness.
• Strong people management, recruitment, and training ability.

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 be 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

P&L management

Staffing & training

SOPs & operating systems

People management

POS systems

Sales & promotions

Entrepreneurial mindset

Pre-opening experience

Ownership & leadership

Tools

POS systems

Job description

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