Lodge Manager / General Manager
Visa sponsorship
Hospitality · Invercargill, New Zealand · Full-Time · Discussed at interview · Visa: Employer sponsored
Operational autonomy and a direct line to the owners come with this Lodge Manager / General Manager position at a luxury lodge in the south of New Zealand's South Island, beside a national park. The lodge reopens on 1 December 2026 following a full reinstatement, with ten suites, two log cabins and a four-bedroom house for single-party hire. Nine more suites follow in October 2027, on an estate of about 32 hectares.
You would meet guests, support the team through dinner service and keep budget, roster and estate in order. Applicants from New Zealand, Australia and abroad are welcome, and visa sponsorship will be considered for the right candidate.
Zimbabwean hospitality managers, for instance from Harare or Bulawayo properties, should show the lodges or hotels led, team scope and commercial results on the CV. Get your general-manager CV sorted with Build AI CV.
Key Responsibilities
- Greet guests and spend time with them while they stay
- Guide the guest journey from pre-arrival through dining, guided days out and the exclusive-use house to farewell
- Set and hold service standards, joining the team where the day needs it
- Shape the service culture and the guest experience
- Run the opening of nine new suites (12 keys becomes 21)
- Work with the Lodge Head Chef to develop food and beverage
- Lead about eighteen cross-trained staff at reopening, with the Assistant Lodge Manager, Lodge Host, Executive Chef, Housekeeping Manager and Maintenance & Grounds Supervisor reporting to you
- Recruit, train, roster and develop the team
- Oversee the lodge, log cabins, exclusive-use house, staff quarters, grounds, native bush, driveways, vehicles and infrastructure; hold the maintenance and grounds team to an annual estate plan
- Own the annual operating plan, profitability and trading reviews: occupancy, rate, guest spend, direct and repeat business, weekly review, monthly report to the directors
Requirements & Eligibility
- Luxury hospitality leadership, ideally at General Manager, Lodge Manager or senior operations level
- Warm, strong guest-facing leadership and a love of personal hospitality
- Financial and commercial management ability: budgets, forecasts, operating profit
- Led teams across several hospitality disciplines
- Clear written and spoken communication
- Judgement for independent leadership in a remote place when roads close or weather turns
- A Manager's Certificate, or eligibility to obtain one before certificated duties
- A full, clean driver licence
- Highly regarded: luxury lodge, boutique hotel or exclusive-use property management, hotel opening, refurbishment or major development, New Zealand luxury tourism market knowledge, grounds, facilities and remote-property infrastructure
- You must hold, or be able to obtain, the legal right to work in New Zealand
Apply: Apply by email · WhatsApp
Visa guide: The AEWV from Zimbabwe: A Complete Guide