GM: COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT

About the position

SANParks requires the services of a General Manager: Commercial Operations Management based in the Kruger National Park (KNP) to lead and drive the KNP tourism and commercial operations strategy, policies, and procedures and improve responsible operational standards, management, and revenue generation.

Key Objectives:
- Develop, align and ensure effective implementation of the KNP commercial operations by means of providing leadership, direction, structure, frameworks, models and roadmaps.
- Identify areas of commercial and revenue growth within the park.
- Monitor and manage tourism commercial operations to ensure optimal performance.
- Identify opportunities in partnership with the Business Development Unit and maintain relationships with current PPPs.
- Ensure the sound collection, analysis, and leveraging of data to ensure consistent customer service, commercial performance, and revenue targets.
- Oversee the development, implementation and monitoring of policies and SOPs in support of commercial and hospitality strategies.
- Ensure sound stakeholder and contract management in support of the commercial strategy.
- Oversee the development of visitor management and interpretation, and camp.
- Ensure implementation of tourism standards, monitoring of performance and planned refurbishment.
- In partnership with the Technical Services Department, oversee the maintenance and management of tourism infrastructure.
- Oversee the effective management and growth of KNP adventure activities.
- Ensure the development and diversification of tourism products (this should be in the top 5) in partnership with the Tourism Standards department to ensure the implementation of consistent standards of excellence in tourism products.
- Establish marketing plan and implementation from ideation to execution.
- Enhancing customer services and managing customer centricity.

Required Qualifications and Experience:

• • Post-graduate degree in Business/Tourism/Commerce
• • MBA in Business/Tourism/Commerce (desirable)
• • Have a minimum of 8 - 10 years' work experience at the senior management level in tourism/hospitality commercial operations management.
• • Knowledge of PFMA
• • Insight into tourism development practices would be an added advantage
• • Strong stakeholder management skills
• • Ability to assess business models and make a rule-based analytical decision
• Thorough knowledge of business and management principles involved in planning, resource allocation, and coordination of people and resources.
• Sound understanding of hospitality management, standards, and trends.
• Contract and Project Management skills.
• Relationship building and time management skills
• High-level communication, analytical and negotiation skills.
• Advanced computer literacy and sound management reporting skills.
• Planning and organising skills.
• Sound Financial and budget management experience
• Policy development skills
• Presentation and Facilitation skills

Desired Skills:

• see above spec