Operations Manager

Coombe Yarra Valley (CYV) is the historic estate of Dame Nellie Melba with over 100 years of history and provenance. Set on 80 acres, the CYV estate includes 7 acres of manicured gardens and Melba's Coombe Cottage, along with the converted stables and garage, now the restaurant and cellar door space. Since opening in 2015, the estate attracts 40,000 visitors per year with a reputation for providing a unique food and beverage and cultural experience. Still owned by the descendants of Melba, the estate is owned by the Vestey family who reside in the United Kingdom.
Reporting to the Managing Director, the Operations Manager's role is the primary management person responsible for the daily operations of the Coombe Yarra Valley business, which includes the restaurant, weddings and events, cellar door, and tours.
The key goal is to ensure a smooth operation on a day-to-day basis, with effective problem-solving skills when needed to overcome difficult circumstances with customers, staff, and general daily business challenges.
This is a hands-on role requiring the ability to fill the gaps front of house across the restaurant, events, or cellar door when needed, but also the higher-level management skills required for strategy, analysis, and reporting. Being a tourism and hospitality enterprise, working weekends and public holidays is required to lead the team.
Along with the daily operation of the estate, the keys to success for the Operations Manager role are to develop a strong, cohesive, and educated team to deliver above customers' expectations while building and implementing systems, procedures, and ongoing training to maintain excellent service levels, continuing to position Coombe Yarra Valley as the premier food and beverage destination in the Yarra Valley.
Essential Duties and Job Responsibilities
Functions, duties, and responsibilities necessary to accomplish the main job objective.
Operational
• Ensure the highest levels of cooperation and teamwork with front of house and back of house staff for all operations.
• Engage with the wedding coordinators to ensure a seamless customer experience and handover of event details and faultless delivery of events.
• Manage the cellar door operations and providore retail experience through the cellar door manager and wider team.
• Oversee the restaurant, cellar door, and wedding operations to ensure a high level of service is always applied. Have a front of house presence when necessary.
• Engage with the Executive Chef to review menu items and cost of production along with margin control. Food production and quality maintained.
• Manage the movement of stock through the venue from onsite storage to outlets with appropriate transfer documentation in accordance with procedures.
• Train staff to possess exceptional food and wine knowledge, estate brand and history in order to be able to answer any customer questions regarding the business.
• Establish and maintain good relationships with all suppliers to ensure the ongoing availability of all required food, beverage, and equipment.
• Ensure that all booking enquiries including phone calls, emails, and ongoing communication with customers are responded to in a timely manner and systems are set up correctly.
• Recruit and maintain a team of well-presented, enthusiastic, and friendly staff and to ensure that the restaurant is adequately staffed at all times.
• Hire, train, counsel, and discipline staff as required under the guidelines as set down by the Managing Director.
• Ensure that all staff wear the mandated uniform and are presented at the highest level at all times.
• Constantly evaluate the effectiveness of training and service standards and adjust if required where necessary.
• Ensure appropriate hands-on knowledge of Micros, Open Table, and other operational systems used in the business.
• Constantly monitor both busy and quiet trading periods in order to oversee staff rosters and ensure labor costs are kept within budget.
• Maintain a strict and secure system for daily cash reconciliation and cash collections from the safes.
• Provide a forecast roster vs. revenue for the following week to the Managing Director.
• Ensure that the estate is always maintained in an impeccably clean and tidy manner and that all equipment is in good working order and serviced regularly.
• Monitor budgeted revenue targets and adjust approach accordingly.
• Proactively implement marketing initiatives in association with the management team to increase visitation to the venue.
• Ensure that an accurate monthly stock take is conducted.
• Manage your direct reports so they are able to run operations in your absence.
• Maintain the standards of Occupational Health and Safety required by CTME at all times.
• Monitor all positive and negative customer feedback and enact changes as necessary.
• Foster open, honest, and effective lines of communication with all departments of the company.
• Attend to and participate pro-actively in all meetings as required.
• Act as an ambassador for CYV at all times.
• At all times respect the trust and confidentiality of the position.
Internal Relationships
To liaise with all employees to ensure the highest levels of cooperation and teamwork.
To foster open, honest, and effective lines of communication with all departments of the company.
To act in a timely manner when requested to complete a task.
To at all times respect the trust and confidentiality of the position.
External Relationships
To monitor all positive and negative customer feedback and enact changes as necessary. Keep abreast of current trends, promotions, styles, and competitor activity.
To act as an ambassador for CYV at all times.
Maintain the standards of Occupational Health and Safety required by CYV at all times.
Objectives and Key Performance Indicators
• Maximum wine/merchandise/food sales conversion per visitor
• Develop and introduce new food and beverage tasting experiences
• Improve the overall experience at Coombe
• Maintain the average spend at Coombe
• Drive the design and refresh of the customer experience
• Increase in Member sign-up year on year
• Maintain budgeted profit margins across the business
• Online reviews remain positive and above 4.5 average
• Refresh the providore retail space
• Zero preventable customer complaints
• Create a high-performing team culture
• Deliver 65+ weddings per annum
• 50,000 people per annum to the estate
Relevant Scope Measures
Sales, profit, company headcount, budget responsibility, etc.
Number of direct reports: 5
Number of indirect reports: 50
Number of employees in company: 64
Percentage of travel: 0%
Revenues: $7M+
Principal skills, knowledge, and personal attributes required
Ideal education, previous work experience, and special skills (e.g. foreign language, computer programs) required.
Education Qualifications: Hospitality or Business Diploma
Essential: Previous Industry experience in a similar role.
This role will require a naturally energetic and flexible individual who is accustomed to working in a fast-paced environment and has proven capacity to work well under pressure, in a solo and team setting. It will also require the capacity to deal effectively with multiple tasks and competing demands.
Customer service and interaction are paramount; administrative tasks are required to be completed efficiently and effectively. The role involves physical activity, hands-on involvement, and may involve lifting; the ability to sustain a physically active role is important.
In this position, you can expect the following physical demands required from you on the job:
• Standing, walking: 80 - 100% (continuous)
• Talking or listening: 90 – 100% (continuous)
• Sitting: 0 - 20% (intermittent)
• Lifting or carrying Special Skills /Experience Essential
• Possess a strong customer focus with an overall commitment to the quality of the brand Coombe Yarra Valley
• Exceptional food and wine knowledge of CYV
• Written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal skills
• Ability to build successful relationships with key stakeholders
• Customer focus
• Attention to detail
• Integrity and trust
• Function and events management
• Time management
• System and technology savvy
• High level of written reporting
• Strong communicator
• Strong team player
• Flexible approach
• Proactive approach
• Continuous improvement
• Strong people leader
• High level of emotional intelligence
• Hands-on
• Training and Coaching
Organisational Structure – Reporting Relationships
List all people that the position interacts with internally by title and external by type.
Internal
• CYV Management Team
External
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