Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center, the home of Hazon, is a year-round retreat facility that serves 6,000 guests per year and is located in Falls Village, CT.
Hazon is the largest faith-based environmental organization in the U.S. and is building a movement that strengthens Jewish life and contributes to a more environmentally sustainable world for all. As the Jewish lab for sustainability, Hazon effects change through immersive experiences and inspires individuals and communities to make specific commitments to change with a particular focus on food systems. Some of Hazon’s most powerful programming takes place at the retreat center, which is a beautiful haven in the Berkshire mountains. Hazon also has offices in New York City and in Detroit, MI.
The General Manager is responsible for overseeing all operations at the Isabella Freedman Retreat Center and ensuring excellent guest experiences, with a particular focus on improving food and dining. This is a full-time, exempt position that requires a flexible schedule including nights, holidays, and weekends. The General Manager will report to the Executive Vice President and serve as a member of the Hazon Senior Team, collaborating closely with retreat center leadership.
This is a hands-on job. It needs someone who is hard-working, has strong people skills, thoughtfully makes difficult decisions, and seeks to solve problems. You need to be financially literate, emotionally intelligent and a capable personnel manager. For the right person this will be an absolutely outstanding and deeply satisfying experience. We have great staff, great programs and great participants that need strong leadership to strengthen performance, break silos, improve communications, increase revenues, and control costs.
Responsibilities
● Operations
○ Overall responsibility for ensuring top-level service and personalized hospitality.
○ Develop, implement and monitor schedules for all operational staff.
○ Review purchasing sources, specifications, etc., for improvement in quality, service, and/or price.
○ Work with the Director of Facilities and maintenance staff to properly maintain the facilities.
○ Become knowledgeable about pertinent local laws/regulations.
● Food Services
○ Supervise the Food Services team, ensuring teamwork, communication, and collaboration. Clearly describe, assign and delegate responsibility and authority for the operation of the Food Services department.
○ Implement effective control of food, beverage and labor costs with a focus on significant expense reductions from 2019 levels.
○ Work with retreats departments to coordinate food services for events.
○ Oversee food production systems and execution, quality control, recipes, education, costing, and planning.
● Budget & Reporting
○ Work with Hazon’s Budget team to oversee finances, including development of tools to assist with budgeting, tracking, and forecasting.
○ Establish and implement realistic and effective operating and capital budgets; help the budget team compare actual operating results with budgeted projections; facilitate operational profitability through proper anticipation and adjustment of retreat center operations.
○ Evaluate and thoughtfully control expenses.
○ Prepare reports, as requested, in a timely manner, to develop improved management decision-making and critical evaluation of work activities.
● Supervision, Personnel Management & Staff Development
○ Supervise lead staff in Food Services, Facilities, Retreat Sales & Coordination.
○ Lead, inspire and hold accountable all employees to ensure that the organization culture is practiced throughout the retreat center. Train, motivate and support facilities staff to ensure quality service.
○ Communicate clearly with all employees and keep them informed of matters which pertain to their jobs. Facilitate departmental meetings.
○ Work closely with Hazon’s Human Resources department to periodically audit systems to ensure that hiring, on-boarding, benefits, training, evaluation, compensation, records, insurances, terminations, equal employment opportunity adherence, etc., are being done efficiently.
○ Counsel, coach, discipline and document performance of staff. Recognize and reward superior performance.
● Mission Fulfilment
○ Work with retreat staff to nurture cutting edge immersive and transformative Jewish retreat experiences.
○ Serve on Hazon’s senior team to ensure the retreat center’s alignment with organizational vision, strategy and goals.
○ Help make decisions around food and labor that uphold Hazon’s high ethical and moral standards while maintaining a sustainable cost structure.
○ Maintain good rapport with local community officials, appropriate professional associations, partner institutions and community groups.
○ Respond to any reasonable task assigned by the Executive Vice President.
Qualifications
● Significant (10+ years preferred) industry experience in hospitality and/or retreat center management
● Experience supervising a kitchen and front-of-house staff
● Four-year college degree preferred
● Advanced PC Skills – Outlook, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel preferred
● Proven leader with a consistent record of solid performance and results achievement
● Outstanding verbal and written communication skills
Salary range is $90,000-$105,000, commensurate with experience, plus benefits. Housing may be available.
To apply, send a resume and cover letter to [email protected] with “General Manager” in the subject line.