General Manager

The Opportunity
The Gorge Vale Golf Club is located in Esquimalt, British Columbia with a history dating back to 1927. The Club consists of an AV Macan designed 18 hole championship level course, a full practice facility, food & beverage service, locker room facilities, and the Club owned Golf Shop.

With the planned retirement of the existing General Manager and departure upon placement of a successor, the Club has now undertaken a search process for a new General Manager.

The Club invites all qualified applicants to apply and encourages all qualified individuals including women, indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, visible minorities, people of all sexual orientations and gender and others to consider this opportunity.

About the Gorge Vale Golf Club
Located 5 minutes from downtown Victoria’s inner harbour, Gorge Vale has the proud distinction of being one of the best golf courses on Vancouver Island. The mature, traditional course with 143 acres of park-like setting, undulating fairways and rock outcroppings make you forget you are in a prime location next to British Columbia’s capital city.

Gorge Vale was designed by AV Macan in 1927, construction proceeded through 1928 to 1930 and the Club was officially opened on November 1st, 1930. Gorge Vale is a heritage course intended to showcase West Coast golf as it was meant to be … a walk in a secluded park filled with undulating fairways, rock outcroppings and tress which are centuries old.

Seventy years later Gorge Vale took a bold leap to become one of the few courses on the West Coast which now combines a classic AV Macan design with modern greens. Sixteen greens were redesigned to USGA specifications by Les Furber, a prolific Canadian course designer, architect and construction consultant. Completed in 2003 the renovation brought five water hazards, additional teeing grounds, and enhancements to the drainage system and improved fairway contouring for greater year-round playability.

In 2011 and 2016, the USGA completed on-site reviews of Gorge Vale and recommended a number of maintenance “playability” initiatives. The USGA also encouraged both fun and pace of play by promoting the “Play it Forward” policy and as a result additional tees were added. Now, with the choice of five tee locations spanning from 4,400 yards to 6,800 yards in length, the Course provides a real, but fair, test for golfers of all skill levels.

Gorge Vale’s course design is enhanced by an extensive practice facility. From the 300 plus yard grass tee driving range featuring 5 target greens, the short game area and course inspired chipping green, Gorge Vale’s practice facilities provide members and guests an opportunity to refine their game or to stay active when they do not have the time to play a round of golf.

Membership
The Membership is comprised of 700 playing members plus 50 non-playing members. Membership categories are divided into Full and Reduced Play members; Intermediate members (age 19 to 39), Twilight members with playing privileges after 2:00 pm and a healthy junior membership of 75. The Playing Member roster is capped at 700 and the Club currently has a wait list for Full and Intermediate memberships and is not accepting new members into the Reduced Play and Twilight categories.

Gorge Vale has a very active membership with more than 40,000 rounds of golf played in 2021. Most days the tee sheet is fully booked until mid-afternoon. Many members are involved in various groups such as the Winter Monday Scramble, Women’s Tuesday mornings, the Friday Seniors and the Summer Golf League which attracts over 150 members to the weekly event. The Club features a range of skills amongst its members ranging from the recreational golfer to many plus handicap players – golfers at Gorge Vale can be characterized by the seriousness with which they take their golf.

Over the past few years the Club has limited the number of outside tournaments that it will host preferring to maintain the course access for the members. However, the Club supports the qualifying rounds for the Victoria Open and recently hosted the B.C. Mid Am qualifying. The Club offers member events throughout the year and recently agreed to host the Conquer Cancer Classic tournament in 2023.

Governance
The Club is governed by a 9 member Board of Directors. Each Director is elected for a 3 year term by the membership. The Club President is elected by the Board and recommends for Board approval the Vice President and Treasurer. The Board has the power to establish Committees and currently has the Match Committee, Green Committee, Finance Committee, and the Women’s Committee. The Board of Directors acts as the Long Term Planning Committee.

The Board has adopted a governance model by which it will focus on the strategic direction of the Club, propose bylaws to be approved by the Membership, and create operational policies for implementation by management. The Board has endeavoured to not become involved in operational matters but rather hold management accountable for effective management of the Club.

Location

Gorge Vale Golf Club - Victoria, BC

Posted

2022-02-15

Deadline

2022-03-11

Job Summary

The General Manager is the leader of the Club’s management team and has primary responsibility for overseeing all aspects the Club’s operations. The General Manager will be dedicated to achieving the Club’s long term vision while managing the daily operations within the policies, plans and objectives established by the Board.

The General Manager will directly supervise a senior team of three individuals, the Course Superintendent, Food & Beverage Manager and the Head Golf Professional in addition to the administration and clubhouse maintenance staff. The General Manager is the Club’s primary financial officer with responsibility for developing and managing the yearly operational and capital budgets and providing ongoing monitoring and assessment against the financial plan. The General Manager role at the Gorge Vale Golf Club is very “hands on” and requires a high level of technical expertise and willingness to “dig in”.

The General Manager has primary responsibility for ensuring a high level of satisfaction amongst the 700+ members of the Club and for promoting and facilitating the entry of new members. The ability to deliver a high level of member satisfaction is crucial to this role.

The General Manager is accountable to the 9 member Board of Directors through the President. The General Manager acts as the secretary to the Board attending all Board meetings and will also attend various member committees established by the Club.

Responsibilities

Membership - the General Manager has the responsibility for ensuring a high quality member experience. This includes welcoming and orientation of new members, ensuring staff meet member’s service expectations, communicating with the Membership and, dealing with member complaints and other issues. The General Manager will interact with the Membership in a variety of ways – at the Administration Office, by attending Committees or on an informal basis as they walk around the Club.
Board of Directors - The General Manager plays an important role in the Board fulfilling its governance responsibilities. The General Manager ensures the Board is provided with the necessary information to make its decisions at Board meetings. The General Manager keeps the Board informed of issues that arise in a timely fashion. The General Manager is able to ensure the Board is provided with the necessary information in support of the Club’s Vision and Mission. The General Manager ensures the Board’s standing and ad hoc committees have the necessary support. The General Manager maintains an environment of collegiality between the Board and the Club’s staff.
Staff - the General Manager has three senior direct reports – the Food & Beverage Manager, the Head Golf Professional, and the Course Superintendent. In addition, the General Manager will directly supervise the Administration Office Staff and the Clubhouse Maintenance Staff. The General Manager is responsible for maintaining a high performance culture amongst the staff. The General Manager sets the standard for effective management and is responsible for maintaining a high level of ethics, prudence, creativity, productivity among staff and ensuring the appropriate development of staff to better perform their duties. The General Manager will have the lead role in the management and negotiation of the contract with that portion of the staff which is unionized.
Finance and Administration - the General Manager is responsible for the operational aspects of the Club; the development of the annual operating and capital budgets; development and implementation of the administrative procedures required to operate the Club; and ensuring the Club adheres to all legal and regulatory requirement. The General Manager develops and implements internal controls for the safeguarding and effective use of the Club’s assets and resources and to ensure the prudent management of the Club’s finances. The General Manager also monitors the internal control systems, reports on the effectiveness to the Board and recommends changes as appropriate. The General Manager will ensure that the Club’s accounts are managed in accordance with GAAP and work with the Club’s auditors during the audit process.
Other Responsibilities - the General Manager may at times undertake a wide range of responsibilities including dealing with the general public or media; providing leadership on various membership events or marketing initiatives or, engaging with the Club’s neighbours or others on various issues. The General Manager role at the Gorge Vale Club at times requires the General Manager to assume a variety of unanticipated roles as needed. The General Manager position at the Gorge Vale Club is very “hands on” at times requiring a willingness to assist the staff, membership or Board in a variety of unanticipated ways.

Qualifications

Relationship Building - the General Manager is able to maintain existing relationships for success, cultivate new relationships in the furtherance of the Club’s vision and mission as well as the ability to mend or terminate relationships not contributing to the Club’s success. At all times the General Manager operates with a high level of tact and diplomacy.
People and Culture Management - the General Manager is responsible for creating a high performing staff team that can achieve the Club’s vision and mission. The General Manager can attract high quality individuals to work at the Club; able to create a culture of performance, accountability, and member service. The General Manager is able to retain individuals to work at the Club and is able to make difficult personnel decisions when necessary.
Financial and Administrative Management - the General Manager will have the technical expertise to develop budgets and provide ongoing monitoring throughout the year. The General Manager has the ability to provide timely reports to the Board of Directors and Staff as to the revenues and expenditures of the Club. The General Manager is knowledgeable about internal control systems and can report on their effectiveness to the Board and can recommend changes as appropriate. The General Manager possesses a comprehensive knowledge of appropriate operational procedures and principles and can develop, maintain and document consistent procedures.
Board Relations – the General Manager understands the Governance/Operational model by which the Board operates and can establish productive relationships with Board members of various personalities and levels of expertise within this governance model. The General Manager understands the reports and information needed by Board’s to fulfill their governance responsibilities and is able to advise the Board on how it conducts its business to be effective and efficient and to assist the Board to reach good decisions.
High Ethical Standards – the General Manager understands the importance of high ethical standards, transparency, and, fairness. The General Manager will know how to communicate these values to the rest of the organization and can model these behaviours and values in their own personal and professional conduct.

Education & Experience

Candidates should possess a degree in business, hospitality, or management.
Experience managing relationships in a public or private club setting. Experience in managing within a union environment would be an asset.
Management experience in a retail, food & beverage, or golf shop environment.
Demonstrated experience developing and implementing operational and capital budgets.
A past history, and future commitment to, professional development.
A passion and desire for a long-term career in the golf industry.

Compensation

Compensation will be commensurate with experience and current skill level and will include a combination base salary and benefits.

Benefits/Perks

To be negotiated

PGA of Canada Specialization

Management & Leadership

Course Website

<a href="https://gorgevalegolf.com/"><strong>https://gorgevalegolf.com/</strong></a>

Contact Information

Click here to view the PDF position posting

Candidates interested in applying or requiring further information, should contact the Search Committee at: searchcommittee@gorgevalegolf.com

ALL INQUIRES AND APPLICATIONS WILL BE HELD IN THE STRICTEST CONFIDENCE

Accommodation

We are an equal opportunity employer and are committed to creating an accessible and inclusive organization as well as providing barrier-free and accessible employment practices in compliance with relevant legislation. Should you require Code-protected accommodation through any stage of the recruitment process, please make them known when contacted and we will work with you to meet your needs. Disability-related accommodation during the application process is available upon request.