Waitaki, Otago

Full Time

Permanent

Are you a passionate cheese lover? Do you thrive in a dynamic and exciting new environment? Whitestone Cheese are seeking a dedicated and enthusiastic Venue Manager to oversee our new iconic Oamaru based venue!

Dynamic role with plenty of ownership

Busy and active work interacting with a wide range of people

Hospitality, Accommodation and Retail offerings

Fun, supportive, and collaborative team

About the role

As the Venue Manager at Whitestone Cheese Diner & Deli, you will be responsible for driving the overall experience. Reporting directly to the Managing Director to deliver exceptional experience to customers and guests. Managing the retail, restaurant and motels your voice and experience will contribute to long-term operational success of the venue.

You will manage our iconic Oamaru based State Highway 1 Thames Highway venue and be responsible for and involved in:

All aspects of venue management (including training people, products, equipment and motel units).

Managing relationships with team members, customers, clients, supply partners and contractors

Financial performance and P&L reporting

Working and developing a team of staff to ensure a world class customer experience is delivered, including F&B, retail and guided factory tours.

Logistical planning and operations to maintain the day-to-day experience and delivery of scheduled events.

We are looking for someone who:

Has proven venue and hospitality management experience and is passionate about delivering a great event experience for clients and guests.

Brings a high level of organisation and planning but still thinks outside the box.

Builds strong customer relationships and seeks out opportunities to collaborate and innovate to meet the needs of customers.

Build and develop a team of staff to deliver exceptional customer service and a world class experience.

Can comfortably communicate with a wide range of people, including connecting to the factory to team to be their voice and brand experience.

Is able to step back, see what is missing, where a nuance has been overlooked, and potentially develop something new.

Can be flexible and adaptable with working hours. Given the nature of the work, this role involves flexible hours, evening and/or weekend work while overseeing operations and motel management.

On-site accommodation is also available with this role, enabling a true hands-on lifestyle.

About us

Whitestone Cheese Co is a producer of award winning, artisan craft cheeses that is made in Oamaru is distributed throughout New Zealand. We are a New Zealand family owned and operated business that takes pride in rewarding our customers with premium products.

The original factory was set up in 1987 where one cheese, ‘Whitestone Farmhouse’, was launched. We have grown a lot since then to become a globally recognised artisan cheese company with over 25 different cheeses and 75 dedicated staff members throughout New Zealand, with majority in Oamaru. We have recently acquired a new Café & Motel complex on State Highway 1 that is to enhance our operation in Oamaru. This is to be the brand experience and spiritual home of Whitestone Cheese, plus provide a link to the factory with factory tours.

Our Waitaki region's clean water, rich soil, quality pastures, temperate climate and contented cows all make for premium milk, which creates the natural flavours of our premium cheese. We are passionate about the quality of our cheese and ensuring it is world class.

The Whitestone Cheese Diner & Deli is to provide an experience that represents the local region, delivering a culinary and accommodation experience that has been produced from the local land, sea and people, just like our cheese.