General Manager, Operations

Location:

- Melbourne Business School
- Documentation:

- Position Description - General Manager, Operations
- Employment Type:

- FP - Full-Time Permanent
- Department:

- Corporate Services
- Closing Date:

- 07 Sep 2025

- **Opportunity to lead the operations of the School**:

- **Convenient Carlton location**:

- **Competitive remuneration package on offer**

**About Us**
- The Melbourne Business School (MBS) purpose is to unleash ideas and leaders for a sustainable future. Jointly owned by the business community and the University of Melbourne its vision is to be among the top-ranked providers of business education within the Asia-Pacific, the first choice of students and clients seeking award and non-award educational experiences, and esteemed globally as a leading supplier of academic and business research.

**The Opportunity**
- Lead the successful management of daily operations at MBS. This is a multi-faceted role with a strong focus on catering and cafe operations, onsite accommodation and event space management, facilities and environmental management, conferences, and front of house services; as well as strategising the long term success of these departments in-line with organisational goals.

The position operates in a dynamic service environment, and as such we are seeking a leader that can think quickly, is solution-focused and who presents in a professional manner to represent the School.

A key objective is to provide efficient, cost-effective and customer focused management of daily services and activities and to ensure the various teams that report to this role operate in a coordinated manner.
- This is an exciting opportunity to:

- **Contribute to superior service delivery and business impact**:

- **Diversify your leadership exposure and experience**:

- **Join a top ranked business education provider**

**Some key accountabilities will include**:

- Develop and lead a high performing and engaged team aligned with the School’s purpose, strategy and Guiding Principles
- Foster cross-functional trusted relationships and work collaboratively across all areas of the School to ensure alignment of activities.
- Ensure the catering, venue management, facilities, reception and conferencing services are provided in a coordinated and consistent manner
- Ensure the team (including service providers) are synchronised and working in a coordinated manner providing a seamless service to clients
- Review and manage regular processes to balance the operational needs of both the department and school overall
- Oversee the catering team including the Hub Cafe business to ensure services provided are to the high standards expected
- Manage agreements with third parties to ensure services (and goods) provided are effective and to the high standards expected
- Ensure that strong and productive relationships with internal clients are maintained, acting as an escalation point when client objectives or service delivery issues require higher-level intervention.
- Oversee the resolution of challenges related to space maximisation, room allocation, and facilities bookings, ensuring alignment with business needs and priorities.
- Guarantee that client expectations are captured, managed, and delivered to agreed standards, and intervene where service issues arise.
- Oversee the Assistant Manager, Operations (AOM), Building Managers and Facilities teams to ensure the campus is maintained to appropriate (high) standards;
- Manage the Facilities budgets and P&L’s, including capex allocation
- Ensure asset management and capital works are appropriately prioritised, planned and managed to minimise interruptions across the School whilst maximising positive impact
- Support the AOM to provide oversight and support to the reception, weekend concierge and hotel administration team
- Approve all operations costings, invoices and contract labour spending
- Manage annual budget preparation and regular re-forecasting to ensure financial targets are achieved
- Ensure compliance with the School's liquor licence
- Support the AOM to ensure responsibilities are delivered in a safe manner that is consistent with the School's OHSW requirements
- Support the School’s strategic direction by ensuring that all operational delivery is aligned with projected planning outcomes Work with the Dean’s office to plan and develop site upgrades, delivery improvements and provide budgeted options for development

**About you**
- An experienced hospitality/events and/or facilities management or general operations professional, you will have a demonstrated track record and capability across all aspects of the role, including experience managing P & L’s, budgets and pricing according to market and margins and having held a similar role preferably in a dynamic professional services or business education environment.
- This will be accompanied by:

- Demonstrable Hotel & Conference/event management experience
- Demonstrable catering/hospitality experien