Lodge Manager / General Manager
Visa sponsorship
Hospitality · Invercargill, New Zealand · Full-Time · Discussed at interview · Visa: Employer sponsored
A small, personal luxury lodge beside a national park, at the southern end of New Zealand's South Island, is hiring a Lodge Manager to take charge of its next stage. After full reinstatement it welcomes guests again on 1 December 2026, with ten suites, two log cabins and a four-bedroom house available to one party at a time; nine new suites come in October 2027, set within about 32 hectares.
In practice you would be the general manager: welcoming arrivals, steadying the team and keeping budget, roster and land in order, with real autonomy and a direct line to the owners. Qualified candidates from New Zealand, Australia and elsewhere may apply, and visa sponsorship will be considered for the right candidate.
Ugandan hospitality professionals, whether your experience is in Kampala, Entebbe or elsewhere, should show the properties led, the teams managed and the commercial results on the CV. Let Build AI CV tidy up your luxury-hospitality CV.
Key Responsibilities
- Welcome guests and look after them across their stay
- Own the guest journey from pre-arrival to farewell, which includes the dining experience, guided outings and the exclusive-use house
- Keep service standards high, join the team on the floor when needed and help shape the culture
- Open the nine new suites, taking the lodge from 12 keys up to 21
- Work out the food and beverage offer together with the Lodge Head Chef
- Lead a cross-trained team of about eighteen at reopening, managing the Executive Chef, Housekeeping Manager, Maintenance & Grounds Supervisor, Assistant Lodge Manager and Lodge Host; recruit, train, roster and develop the team
- Be responsible for every part of the property, including the lodge, log cabins, exclusive-use house, staff quarters, grounds, native bush, driveways, vehicles and infrastructure; keep the maintenance and grounds team on an annual estate plan
- Own the annual operating plan and profitability, growing occupancy, rate, guest spend and direct and repeat business with reservations and finance
- Review trading weekly and report monthly to the directors
Requirements & Eligibility
- Leadership experience in luxury hospitality, ideally at General Manager, Lodge Manager or senior operations level
- Guest-facing leadership that is genuinely warm
- A real love of personal hospitality
- Financial and commercial management you can prove, covering budgets, forecasts and operating profit
- Has led teams in several hospitality disciplines
- Written and spoken communication that is clear
- Judgement to lead independently in a remote location when the road closes 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 experience; 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: New Zealand AEWV Guide for Ugandan Applicants