Lodge Manager / General Manager

This search is for a Lodge Manager / General Manager to lead a boutique luxury lodge beside a national park in New Zealand's southern South Island. Fully reinstated, it reopens on 1 December 2026 with ten suites, two log cabins and a four-bedroom house for single-group stays, and a second phase brings nine suites in October 2027 across about 32 hectares.

What will the client look for? Someone who is a genuine host at the door, by the fire and during a busy dinner, and an equally capable operator of budgets, rosters and estate upkeep, comfortable working with wide autonomy and reporting directly to the owners.

Applicants in New Zealand, Australia and overseas can apply, and the owners will consider visa sponsorship for the right candidate.

To stand out, mirror the listed duties in your English CV: guest feedback, trading results, openings and team leadership. Tailor your lodge manager CV using Build AI CV and back each claim with a result.

• Hosting guests in person and spending time with them across their stay
• Running the visit from start to finish: pre-arrival planning, dining, guided outings, the exclusive-use house and farewells
• Setting and protecting service standards, working shoulder to shoulder with the team as needed, and shaping how guests experience the lodge from arrival to departure
• Leading the launch of nine new suites and integrating them as keys rise from 12 to 21
• Partnering with the Lodge Head Chef to grow the food and drinks offer
• Managing a cross-skilled team of around eighteen at reopening, with the Maintenance & Grounds Supervisor, Lodge Host, Housekeeping Manager, Assistant Lodge Manager and Executive Chef as direct reports
• Recruiting, training, rostering and developing people who perform all year
• Overseeing the cabins, infrastructure, driveways, the lodge, native bush, the exclusive-use house, vehicles, grounds and staff quarters, and holding the maintenance and grounds crew to a yearly estate plan for preventive work, presentation and compliance
• Owning the yearly operating plan and profitability, lifting rate, occupancy, spend per guest and direct and repeat bookings with reservations and finance support, and reviewing trading weekly with monthly reports to the directors

• Luxury hospitality leadership, ideally in a Lodge Manager, General Manager or senior operations role
• Strong leadership when facing guests
• A real passion for hosting people personally
• Proven commercial and financial management of budgets, forecasts and operating profit
• A history of leading teams that span several hospitality functions
• Clear spoken and written communication skills
• The judgement to run things independently at a remote site, even when the road is closed or the weather worsens
• A Manager's Certificate, or eligibility to obtain one before certificated duties begin
• A full and clean driver licence
• Highly regarded: experience managing a luxury lodge, a boutique hotel or an exclusive-use property, plus involvement in a hotel opening, refurbishment or major development
• Highly regarded: a working knowledge of New Zealand's luxury tourism market and of the grounds, facilities and infrastructure of remote properties
• You must hold, or be able to obtain, the legal right to work in New Zealand