General Manager – Sawmill Brewing Company

Sawmill Brewery is situated north of Auckland in beautiful Matakana, near outstanding beaches and stunning walks. We are proud to be New Zealand’s first and only B Corp certified brewery — working to transform the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet.

The Smoko Room is our onsite bar and eatery with a focus on the best local ingredients and a high level of service. We are seeking a professional General Manager for the Smoko Room, bringing skills and leadership to ensure we continue to provide an exceptional experience for our visitors. The GM is well supported by a great team including a Restaurant Manager, Shift Manager, a strong Kitchen team, a hard working Front of House Crew and Owner/Operators.

This is an exciting opportunity to lead a well regarded hospitality venue in a beautiful area, be pivotal in building culture, build your reputation within the hospitality sector and utilise your management skills.

 

Overview

The Smoko Room General Manager is responsible to the Sawmill Brewery CEO to:

  • Plan, direct and control the Smoko Rooms activities to ensure the performance of the Smoko Room meets financial objectives
  • Lead, motivate and train the Smoko Room team to ensure we are providing exemplary service
  • Attract customers by developing and implementing marketing, advertising and community programmes

 

Specifically, the Smoko Room General Manager will:

  • Recruit, maintain, manage and motivate an exceptional team of kitchen, front of house and bar staff — setting objectives, training, and monitoring performance to ensure responsibilities are fulfilled
  • Control purchases and inventory through managing supplier relationships and controlling ordering and stock levels
  • Identify market opportunities and work with our marketing team to communicate and bring new and regular customers to the Smoko Room
  • Develop and execute training and ensure the continual growth of skills within our team
  • Fully understand and measure our financial performance against budgets
  • Identify and delegate responsibilities within the Smoko Room team
  • Manage external communications with customers, including events, bookings and other enquiries
  • Maintain customer satisfaction by engaging with customers and evaluating trends within the venue and making changes to keep our offering interesting
  • Ensure compliance with Health and Safety policies and legal requirements for operating the venue including the Sale of Liquor Act
  • Maintain a safe, secure and healthy facility by establishing, following and enforcing sanitation standards and procedures

 

Essential Skills, Abilities and Experience

  • Proven leadership capability and experience in a supervisory role
  • Experience in developing systems and safe operating procedures
  • Exemplary organisational skills
  • Excellent, clear and effective communication skills with staff, customers and the wider Sawmill team.
  • High standard of personal integrity
  • Strong Microsoft office suite skills
  • Experience in building, training, leading and motivating a team.

 

Personal Characteristics

  • A winning attitude
  • Open and honest
  • Charismatic leader
  • Inclusive
  • Empathetic
  • Resilient
  • Desire to learn and develop others
  • Courageous – prepared to challenge the norm and push boundaries

 

The Smoko Room is open 7 days per week over summer from 12pm – 10pm and 5 days a week over winter. This position is approx. 40-45 hours per week and does include some night and weekend work – we operate a rolling roster and have flexibility.

The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 2 years relevant management experience and will hold a current Managers Certificate.

You must have the right to legally work in New Zealand.

To apply please send your CV and a cover letter to Kirsty at kirsty@sawmillbrewery.co.nz

Sawmill Brewery + Smoko Room is dedicated to encouraging a supportive and inclusive culture across our whole team. We aim to create an environment in which individual differences and the ways in which everyone contributes is recognised and valued. We want a team that is diverse, promotes positivity, and instils a can-do attitude in everyone, no matter their background or characteristics. We believe we are all responsible and accountable for creating an inclusive culture and we have an obligation to champion diversity and inclusion in our community.