General Manager Brownsea Castle
John Lewis Partnership
Date: 9 hours ago
City: Poole, England
Contract type: Full time

About The Role
As General Manager, you will spearhead the implementation and delivery of the Partnership's hotel proposition at Brownsea Castle, being responsible for developing and overseeing operational standards and leading a high performing team. You will have autonomy to create a guest-centred, commercially focused environment that aligns with our brand identity which is paramount to the Partnership, delivering business initiatives in line with our strategy and financial performance. In this role you’ll be responsible for the day to day operational leadership of Brownsea Castle, being People Manager to the hotel senior managers and department leads, creating a fantastic guest experience. You will ensure that health, safety and wellbeing are a priority. We want to make our guest and visitor experience amazing, going above and beyond for them through opportunities you and the team exploit, shaping the look and feel of the castle and what it offers, creating a welcoming experience that is relevant and appealing to a diverse range of guests.
Working on an island, living in a castle with red squirrels at your window sounds like a fantasy but due to the wonderful and unique Brownsea Castle this could be your reality.
It’s our place by the sea, our island getaway across beautiful Poole Harbour offering an escape to our Partners with history and nature in abundance. Guests stay on the National Trust run island in the amazing Tudor castle, set amongst 17 acres of private grounds with stunning Italian gardens and a dedicated beach offering relaxation and beautiful nature walks.
If you are looking for a hotel with a difference, this could be it. You’ll be surrounded by a team of passionate and dedicated hospitality Partners who give our guests the best experience possible. What is different about our guests though is that they are Partners with their friends and family.
As co-owners in the business, you’ll see this difference in the way your teammates and you approach your job and carry out your responsibilities. With all of the island to explore or using any of the facilities on offer; a croquet lawn, children's play area, badminton, football, cricket, fishing, archery and frisbee golf you can guarantee that our guests will be hungry and looking to recharge with the fantastic food offering we give them.
Boats: We have our own private boat service from Poole Quay and Salterns Marina to get Partners to and from work, these boats run approximately once an hour between 7am - 11pm. Castello Boat berths in the Marina at Poole and Enterprise at Salterns .
Car parking: Parking for Poole can be found on BCP Council car park information page - https://www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/parking/find-a-car-park/quay-visitors-multi-storey-car-park and for Salterns marina there is on road parking on Dorset lakes road, the marina is permit parking only.
Buses: Buses from Salterns stop at 7pm and all staff are required to cover late night shifts beyond the bus times.
About The Partnership
We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.
We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.
As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect.
We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective.
As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.
Important points to note:
It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.
We also recommend that you apply as soon as possible as vacancies can close early if we see a high number of applicants.
We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.
As General Manager, you will spearhead the implementation and delivery of the Partnership's hotel proposition at Brownsea Castle, being responsible for developing and overseeing operational standards and leading a high performing team. You will have autonomy to create a guest-centred, commercially focused environment that aligns with our brand identity which is paramount to the Partnership, delivering business initiatives in line with our strategy and financial performance. In this role you’ll be responsible for the day to day operational leadership of Brownsea Castle, being People Manager to the hotel senior managers and department leads, creating a fantastic guest experience. You will ensure that health, safety and wellbeing are a priority. We want to make our guest and visitor experience amazing, going above and beyond for them through opportunities you and the team exploit, shaping the look and feel of the castle and what it offers, creating a welcoming experience that is relevant and appealing to a diverse range of guests.
- Salary - £50,900 - £76,300
- Contract type - This position is a Permanent contract.
- Working pattern - 37.5 hours per week, including earlies, lates and bank holidays and weekend cover on a rota basis.
- Location - This role is based on our Brownsea Castle Hotel, Brownsea Island, Poole
- Living onsite accommodation is available if required
- Interviews will be held at Brownsea Castle between 26th June - 26th July
- Lead and motivate a multi-disciplinary team.
- Stakeholder management internal and external.
- Act as Duty Manager as required, which includes overnight stays at least twice a week
- Develop and execute operational business plans, investment opportunities, and customer experience initiatives.
- Meet financial performance targets and ensure compliance with all Partnership and statutory requirements.
- Enhance the total visit experience across all touchpoints.
- Ensure compliance with regulatory bodies, including Food Standards Agency, Marine and Coastguard Agency, National Trust, etc.
- Contribute to annual business plans and budgets, balancing cost control, driving sales and managing budgets
- Experience of leading teams at a senior level
- Strong financial acumen and ability to establish and achieve standards.
- Ability to develop an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect.
- Excellent leadership and motivational skills.
- Relevant operational experience of suitable single and/or multi-site hospitality/retail businesses
- Proven ability/experience in developing an established hospitality/retail brand and delivering continuous improvement through people engagement and development.
- Relevant qualifications in the field of hotel/hospitality/retail management
- Personal Licence Holder (Alcohol)
- Level 3/4 Food Hygiene
Working on an island, living in a castle with red squirrels at your window sounds like a fantasy but due to the wonderful and unique Brownsea Castle this could be your reality.
It’s our place by the sea, our island getaway across beautiful Poole Harbour offering an escape to our Partners with history and nature in abundance. Guests stay on the National Trust run island in the amazing Tudor castle, set amongst 17 acres of private grounds with stunning Italian gardens and a dedicated beach offering relaxation and beautiful nature walks.
If you are looking for a hotel with a difference, this could be it. You’ll be surrounded by a team of passionate and dedicated hospitality Partners who give our guests the best experience possible. What is different about our guests though is that they are Partners with their friends and family.
As co-owners in the business, you’ll see this difference in the way your teammates and you approach your job and carry out your responsibilities. With all of the island to explore or using any of the facilities on offer; a croquet lawn, children's play area, badminton, football, cricket, fishing, archery and frisbee golf you can guarantee that our guests will be hungry and looking to recharge with the fantastic food offering we give them.
Boats: We have our own private boat service from Poole Quay and Salterns Marina to get Partners to and from work, these boats run approximately once an hour between 7am - 11pm. Castello Boat berths in the Marina at Poole and Enterprise at Salterns .
Car parking: Parking for Poole can be found on BCP Council car park information page - https://www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/parking/find-a-car-park/quay-visitors-multi-storey-car-park and for Salterns marina there is on road parking on Dorset lakes road, the marina is permit parking only.
Buses: Buses from Salterns stop at 7pm and all staff are required to cover late night shifts beyond the bus times.
About The Partnership
We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.
We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.
As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect.
We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective.
As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.
Important points to note:
It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.
We also recommend that you apply as soon as possible as vacancies can close early if we see a high number of applicants.
We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.
See more jobs in Poole