Director of Venue Operations

Red Gum BBQ is on the hunt for an experienced Director of Venue Operations to lead and oversee the day-to-day operations of our two dynamic venues across Red Hill and Seaford. This is a Full time position with a great opportunity to shape and influence the future growth of our operations.

About The Southern Family & Red Gum BBQ:

Red Gum BBQ was born in 2013 out of love and passion for American Style Southern BBQ, with a commitment to being a unique place renowned for our authenticity, quality, and attention to detail. Red Gum BBQ is Australia's first B Corp restaurant, an ethical accreditation that speaks to the fact that we prioritise people, purpose and the planet above profit. In 2023, Red Gum BBQ expanded into The Southern Family, including Southern Family Foods - our food manufacturing business and our Pit Stop, quick service restaurant focused on high quality, fast BBQ, located in Seaford.

About the Role:

As our Director of Venue Operations, your role is to lead and inspire. Working directly with the Managing Director the ideal candidate will be a dynamic hospitality Leader, working as an integral part of the Leadership Team to influence business decisions regarding both venues to specifically:

• Oversee all aspects of venue operations across both sites, ensuring seamless service and exceptional guest satisfaction.
• Lead, mentor and inspire the Team to achieve operational excellence.
• Drive financial performance through effective rostering, stock management, costing and budgeting.
• Maintain compliance with licensing, safety and food service standards.
• Collaborate with the Leadership team on strategic planning growth opportunities, and venue improvements.
• Plan, recruit and train for new Team Members across both sites, with the support of our in house P&C Lead.
• Deliver multi-faceted offerings and diverse demands, but most importantly you know how to ensure your team can do these.

About You:

A confident and approachable Leader who has the ability to balance strategy with hands on involvement, specifically:

• Proven Leadership experience within hospitality, events or multi-site venues.
• Strong Operational, Leadership and Financial Management skills. As well as high emotional intelligence, and strategic thinking capabilities.
• Ability to forecast revenue and the most effective employee schedules based on employee capabilities.
• A proven knack for generating innovative ideas and enjoying being part of a team that supports risk-taking.
• Ability to thrive in complex, fun environments and excel at staying organised and proactive for what is next.
• Understand your role as Captain of the ships and responsibility to the success of the venues.
• Excellent communication and problem solving skills.
• Live and breathe the process, love an adventure and keen for new challenges.

A typical week in the role:

• Feedback and Strategy Development: Collaborate with various leaders and teams across the business to improve operational outcomes, utilising best practice, industry and market influences, innovation and efficiency as guiding factors to improving performance.

• Logistics & Process Liaison: Manage logistics, communication and resources across venues - including ordering, team placement and collaboration for the purposes of improving efficiencies and experience.

• Train and Develop Team Members: Onboard and train new hires and develop existing teams to deliver on process, compliance and high quality operations through clarity and accountability.

• Budget Preparation and Tracking: Develop and manage budgets for Cost of Goods and labour, regularly tracking progress and making adjustments as necessary to meet financial goals.

• Leadership Guidance: Provide mentorship and guidance to supervisors and leads within FOH and BOH teams, fostering a positive work environment and ensuring effective team management and accountability.

• Engagement: Work with our People and Culture lead to plan future workforce needs, wellbeing and engagement initiatives.

What We Offer:

• A high-functioning team environment focused on culture and KPIs.
• Professional growth opportunities in leadership and ethical practices.
• Opportunity to shape and influence future growth operations.
• Prioritised work-life balance with flexible work hours to suit varied needs.

If you're excited about diving into something new and helping us write the next chapter of our exciting story, we'd love to hear from you