General Manager
Location: South New Berlin, New York
Position Type: Full-Time, Year-Round
Salary Range: $85,000 – $95,000 per year (Commensurate with experience)
Position Overview
Gilbertsville Farmhouse is a premier, luxury wedding and private event resort. We are seeking an exceptional, highly seasoned General Manager (GM) to serve as our overarching operational leader, revenue strategist, and executive anchor.
Reporting directly to Ownership, the General Manager holds total executive accountability for the resort ecosystem—including Sales & Marketing, Guest Experience, Food & Beverage/Catering, Facilities & Operations, Event Execution, and Housekeeping. Joining us mid-season, you will immediately step onto the floor to learn our current event model hands-on while leading live weekend operations through November. During the winter season, you will lead the systemization of the resort—building Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), structuring sales pipelines, and establishing operational hierarchies. As the business continues to grow, you will oversee the onboarding of an Assistant GM to share operational coverage.
Key Responsibilities
1. Immediate Onboarding & Fall Event Command (Immediate – November)
- Hands-On Seasonal Integration: Step directly into live weekend operations during the remainder of the current event season to immerse yourself in the property's culture, workflows, and client expectations.
- Active Weekend Leadership: Serve as the command-level executive presence on-site during event weekends (Fridays – Sundays), leading department heads and ensuring seamless 5-star service delivery.
- Operational Auditing: Observe live cross-departmental operations in real time to identify friction points, labor inefficiencies, and opportunities for winter systemization.
2. Sales & Marketing Oversight
- Revenue Strategy: Direct the resort's sales and marketing engine—partnering with the sales team to set annual booking targets, room rates, venue fees, and package pricing strategies.
- Pipeline & Conversion Accountability: Oversee the lead pipeline, tour booking conversion rates, and sales management systems to ensure venue revenue goals are consistently met or exceeded.
- Brand Strategy: Direct marketing initiatives, digital campaigns, website presentation, and social media positioning to protect and elevate the Gilbertsville Farmhouse luxury brand.
3. Winter Strategy & Systems Architecture (December – April)
- SOP & System Development: Author robust, repeatable Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) across all operational departments, turning tribal knowledge into institutionalized manuals.
- Organizational Hierarchy & Accountability: Define clear KPIs, job descriptions, and daily checklists for department heads (Catering Manager, Guest Experience Manager, Facilities Manager, Event Coordinator).
- Budgeting & Financial Management: Partner with Ownership to set annual departmental budgets, labor models, vendor contracts, and revenue targets.
- Talent Acquisition & Onboarding: Recruit, hire, and lead pre-season training for full-time leadership roles and seasonal support teams.
4. Executive Leadership & Assistant GM Development
- Department Head Mentorship: Conduct weekly operational syncs with department managers to review metrics, clear operational bottlenecks, and maintain high team morale.
- Future Capacity Building: Build the organizational framework to recruit, onboard, and mentor an Assistant General Manager in an upcoming season to share seasonal weekend coverage.
What Success Looks Like
- Smooth Mid-Season Transition: Immediate, active integration into fall event weekends, earning the respect of department heads through hands-on leadership and clear communication.
- Robust Revenue & Marketing Growth: Sales pipelines remain full, tour conversion rates are high, and marketing channels actively generate qualified luxury leads.
- Turnkey Operational Systems: The resort operates on structured, documented SOPs rather than reactive decision-making.
- Flawless Event Execution: Peak event weekends run with military precision, pristine property presentation, exceptional culinary execution, and high guest satisfaction.
- Strong Financial Discipline: Labor models, COGS, and operational expenses remain strictly within approved seasonal budgets.
Requirements & Qualifications
- 5–8+ years of progressive executive leadership as a General Manager, Operations Director, or Resort Manager at a luxury venue, boutique hotel, high-end event resort, or multi-unit hospitality operation.
- Comprehensive Oversight Experience: Proven track record leading operational departments (F&B, Rooms, Facilities) alongside direct oversight of Sales & Marketing strategies.
- Systems Architect Mindset: Demonstrated ability to build operational structures, sales pipelines, SOP manuals, and accountability frameworks from the ground up.
- Financial & Business Acumen: Mastery of P&Ls, sales forecasting, labor modeling, vendor contract negotiations, and budget management.
- Seasonal Schedule Flexibility: Comfort with fluctuating seasonal hours—including an intense, hands-on presence during peak event season (up to 60 hours/week, including mandatory extended weekend shifts from May–November), offset by a balanced administrative schedule during the winter off-season (December–April).
Pay: $85,000.00 - $95,000.00 per year
Work Location: In person
