SSA, in partnership with the Columbus Zoo family of parks, is looking for a General Manager, Area to lead retail, food & beverage, and catering operations across Columbus Zoo & Aquarium, Zoombezi Bay, Safari Golf Club, and The Wilds.
This role is based in Powell, Ohio, and relocation support is available for the right candidate. We welcome applicants from outside the local market who are ready to make a lasting impact.
General Manager, Area
At SSA, we believe our work matters because the people do. For more than 50 years, we’ve helped create experiences that leave people feeling connected, inspired, and reminded that fun still matters.
Whether you’re looking for your first job, building your career, or bringing years of experience to a new role, you’ll be part of a team that values your ideas, supports your growth, and encourages you to make an impact. More than 54% of our leaders were promoted from within — a reflection of our commitment to investing in people and creating opportunities to succeed.
Position Title: General Manager, Area
Reports to: Regional Manager
Job Description:
The General Manager, Area is a rare leadership seat — equal parts executive operator, master coach, and culture driver. Anchored at a large primary campus with operational reach across multiple metro-area sites, this role carries simultaneous P&L accountability across Culinary, Retail, and Catering, with additional service offerings woven throughout the operation.
SSA is seeking a proven, senior operator with top-tier experience leading large-scale, multi-layered teams in unique venue settings — someone who is present, credible, and steady; who leads hard conversations rather than avoids them; and who builds a management culture where team members feel genuinely developed, not just directed. In a high-volume, high-visibility environment, the GM Area’s defining mandate is simple and ambitious: develop leaders who develop leaders.
Responsibilities
The Mandate: Leader Who Develops
This role is not about managing deliverables. It is about multiplying leadership capacity across a large, complex management structure. The General Manager, Area sets the standard for how managers are developed and holds every direct report to that same standard with their own teams.
- Build and sustain a coaching culture across all business lines — Culinary, Retail, and Catering as the core, with extended offerings and sales roles woven throughout — ensuring every leader at every level is actively developed, not just directed.
- Conduct structured, recurring 1:1s and meaningful performance conversations with direct-report managers — and hold them accountable for bringing that same discipline and consistency to their own teams.
- Develop growth plans for managers — with clear benchmarks and defined next steps — while identifying top talent early, accelerating their development, and building the succession pipeline before the need arises.
- Deliver feedback that is specific, timely, and actionable — and build an environment where accountability is the norm and psychological safety is the foundation.
- Drive the full team member experience from day one through long tenure; hold managers accountable for onboarding quality, stay visible to the frontline, and treat early-turnover patterns as a direct signal about leadership.
- Model and reinforce the leadership behaviors that drive engagement, retention, and growth — leading inclusively enough that opportunity and recognition reach everyone equitably — knowing that when the culture is right, the metrics take care of themselves. Create clear pathways for team members to raise concerns and be heard; advocate for your workforce with the same energy you bring to business results.
Financial Leadership and P&L Accountability
The GM Area owns the financial outcome across all business lines — Culinary, Retail, and Catering with extended offerings — spanning the primary campus and every site within the metro area portfolio. This is not a support role; it is a P&L seat with full accountability for performance, growth, and fiscal discipline.
- Own the combined P&L for all assigned locations — Culinary, Retail, Catering, and all associated service lines — with full financial accountability across every campus and site in the portfolio, from revenue growth to margin performance
- Lead financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting cycles aligned to SSA’s seasonal rhythms and targets
- Monitor and analyze cross-departmental financial performance; identify gaps, lead corrective actions, and capture growth opportunities
- Coach managers to understand and own their line-level financials, labor, COGS, and margin — not just execute against them
- Partner with leadership on resource allocation, capital needs, and strategic investment decisions impacting campus performance
- Ensure fiscal accountability is embedded in management culture — every manager should know their numbers and own the outcome
Operational Intelligence & Innovation
This is a fast, complex, high-scale operation — and the GM Area is its anchor. They ensure SSA’s standards and partner commitments are executed consistently across every business line, every site, every day, even when it’s hard.
- Set and uphold SSA’s operational standards across all business lines and campus touchpoints — and hold managers accountable for executing them
- Lead seasonal planning and peak-volume strategy; ensure managers are equipped to execute large-scale events and high-demand periods
- Conduct structured operational assessments; build and monitor action plans that drive measurable improvement
- Partner with managers on staffing strategy, scheduling frameworks, and labor optimization — especially during high-demand periods
- Lead new business initiatives, company programs, and capital projects — holding managers accountable for driving execution, not simply implementing top-down direction
- Drive a culture of clear, consistent communication by owning unit communication practices — facilitating purposeful pre-shifts, team meetings, and manager check-ins that ensure information flows effectively from leadership to every level of the team
- Bring emerging trends in food, beverage, retail, and guest experience to the table before they become industry standard — arriving to every conversation prepared, informed, and ready to position the unit to lead rather than follow
- Build a culture where managers are expected to innovate, not just execute; reward creative thinking, pilot new ideas with intention, and treat calculated risk as part of the job
- Champion the adoption of Operational Intelligence tools and technology platforms across all business lines — ensuring managers translate data into action and embed digital workflows into daily operations
Guest & Partner Relations
The GM, Area is SSA’s most visible presence on campus — and the standard by which the partner measures the value of the relationship. Success in this role is built on trust, preparation, and a genuine commitment to both exceptional hospitality and long-term partnership.
- Build and maintain a trusted partnership with our partner — showing up as SSA’s senior operational presence with honesty, consistency, and a long-term relationship mindset
- Come prepared to every partner conversation with data, operational insights, and a clear point of view — contributing strategically and demonstrating SSA’s value at every interaction
- Address partner concerns with urgency and transparency — communicating proactively, escalating when needed, and following through completely until resolved
- Champion SSA’s 452 Hospitality standard across every touchpoint — creating memorable moments for guests, partners, and team members that reflect the best of what SSA delivers
- Embed SSA’s sustainability commitments and the partner’s conservation mission into daily operations and campus culture — making both a visible and practiced part of how the unit runs
Training, Compliance, Safety & Standards
Ensure full compliance with all applicable local, state, and federal regulations across campus operations — proactively identifying risks, engaging the right internal and external partners, and resolving issues before they escalate.
- Lead risk assessment and safety planning across all departments — ensuring managers are trained, prepared, and capable of executing emergency response protocols without waiting for direction
- Maintain operational standards, safety certifications, and required licensing across the unit — holding the management team accountable for training currency and keeping all credentials current and audit-ready
- Build a culture of compliance through consistent training expectations — ensuring all team members complete required certifications, food safety standards, alcohol service protocols, and SSA onboarding requirements on time and to standard
- Coordinate with legal, People, and company leadership on compliance matters — escalating appropriately, documenting accurately, and following through on corrective action with urgency and professionalism
Requirements:
- Onsite Role
- 30–50% travel between locations
- Able to walk and tour units for extended periods (accommodation available)
- Flexible availability including evenings, weekends, and holidays as business requires
- Valid driver's license required; subject to DMV check if operating a company vehicle or golf cart
Education & Experience:
- 7+ years of progressive operational leadership as a General Manager in unique venue, cultural attraction, theme park, or large-scale hospitality environments — with 3+ years of multi-department and multi-unit or area management experience preferred
- Proven track record of developing high-performing management teams — leaders who develop leaders — while leading across multiple concurrent business lines (F&B, Retail, Catering, or comparable) in a campus or complex environment
- Demonstrated success as both a change leader and cultural stabilizer in high-volume, high-stakes settings
- Bachelor's degree preferred; equivalent combination of education and demonstrated leadership experience considered
Work Environment:
The General Manager, Area works across multiple active hospitality environments, each with the fast-paced, high-energy characteristics of cultural attraction operations. Regular travel between units is expected. The role requires physical stamina, comfort with variable schedules and settings, and the ability to lead effectively across multiple partner sites.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements, efforts or working conditions associated with this job description. The Company reserves the right to revise the job description or to require that other or different tasks are performed when circumstances change (i.e., emergencies, changes in personnel, workload, rush jobs or technological developments)
Compensation and Benefits
- Full-Time, Exempt
- $75 monthly cell phone stipend
- Bonus eligible based on company performance and guidelines outlined by your manager.
- Flex Time Off: no accruals; employees are encouraged to schedule time off as needed within business scope.
- Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance and other voluntary benefits for you and your family; employee premiums applicable.
- Participation in a 401(k) program with a 15% company match (must be 21 years or older, eligible after one year of employment with 1,000 hours worked, available to enroll during Open Enrollment Periods).
- Short-Term Disability and Long-Term Disability, employer sponsored; scaled salary pay following submission and approval of leave
- Parental Leave: Birthing Parent Plan covers up to (6-8) weeks fully paid leave, based on the birthing event.
- SSA Paid Benefit: Up to 120 hours of Paid Leave for qualifying reasons, including Parental Bonding and your family’s serious medical conditions.
- Up to 5 days Paid Bereavement Leave
- On-Demand Pay Program: Get access to a portion of earned wages before payday.
- Meal Plan & Employee Discounts where applicable
- Paid sick leave is provided in accordance with applicable state and local laws. Accrual rates, caps, and usage rules vary by location.
Locations include: Arizona, California, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, Washington, D.C.. Colorado: Employees accrue 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to 48 hours per year, under the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (HFWA). Maryland: Employees accrue at least 1 hour of paid sick and safe leave for every 30 hours worked, up to 40 hours per year, as required under the Maryland Healthy Working Families Act. Washington: Employees accrue 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked, in accordance with the Seattle Paid Sick and Safe Time.
SSA Holdings and its affiliated companies, including SSA Group, A&F Souvenir, Cinchio Solutions, and Behavioral Essentials, are equal opportunity employers. We are committed to diversity and inclusion in our hiring practices and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. A diverse team strengthens our collective impact.
All California Residents: By submitting your job application, you agree you have reviewed the SSA Group California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Candidate and Employee Privacy Notice ("Notice").
San Francisco Residents: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Please see the "Fair Chance Ordinance - Know Your Rights" document for more information. By submitting your job application, you agree you have reviewed the "Fair Chance Ordinance - Know Your Rights" document.
