Venue Manager in Surry Hills, New South Wales at Sense Of Self

Launched in 2020 and featured in Vogue, The Design Files, The AFR and more, Sense Of Self (SOS) is a contemporary bathhouse and spa with beautiful design, a big mission, and world-class customer service at its heart. We exist to be a local watering hole for our guests, our team, and our community - a place where everybody is welcome to experience the connection, communion, and deep rest that comes from communal bathing.

We live by our values: setting a new standard for wellness, fostering belonging, balance and agency and never selling BS. Living our organisational values is an inherent part of this role.

Role Purpose

Our Venue Manager plays a critical role in bringing our guest experience to life on the ground. This is a hands-on leadership role owning the day-to-day performance of the venue, ensuring seamless operations, exceptional service delivery, and a productive, engaged team culture.

The Venue Manager’s core mission is to ensure the venue runs smoothly, safely and profitably while delivering a consistently outstanding guest, and staff, experience that reflects our brand values and standards.

As the heartbeat of the venue, this role leads the team from both the floor and HQ, anticipating challenges before they arise, and responding decisively when they do. This role brings structure, clarity and energy to both front and back of house operations, ensuring every detail is executed at a high standard. Acting as the key link between HQ strategy and on-the-ground execution, this role translates company standards, systems and initiatives into practical, real-world outcomes for the team and our guests.

Key responsibilities

Stabilisation & Growth

• Support the successful operational ramp up of the Sense Of Self Sydney venue, ensuring readiness across all business units and core functions

• Work with HQ to lead the onboarding and training of the launch team (50+), from Assistant Managers through to floor staff.

• Lead post launch stabilisation, refining processes and driving consistency across the venue in accordance with company operating standards and procedures.

Guest Experience & Service Excellence

• Own and champion the end-to-end guest experience across the venue, ensuring every touchpoint reflects SOS brand values, care standards, and service excellence.

• Set the tone for service leadership on the floor, leading by presence, intentionality and warmth.

• Act as the escalation point for complex guest concerns, complaints and VIP requests, resolving matters with confidence, empathy and commercial awareness.

• Work with HQ to continuously assess guest feedback and experience data, translating insights into meaningful service improvements and team coaching.

Leadership, People & Culture

• Lead, inspire and develop all on-site teams including the Assistant Manager, Front of House, Massage Therapists and Supervisors, fostering a high-performing, values-led culture.

• Lead and drive regular team touch points and training, ensuring high engagement and productive conversation across all teams to keep them informed and aligned.

• Lead performance management across the venue, including recruitment, onboarding, coaching, alignment checks, development planning and formal reviews.

• Set clear expectations and accountability frameworks, ensuring alignment with company standards, policies and behaviours.

• Build strong leadership capability within Assistant Managers and Supervisors, empowering them to lead confidently and consistently at all times.

• Drive succession planning and internal development to support business growth.

• Champion team engagement, wellbeing and retention through thoughtful leadership, clear communication and ongoing development opportunities.

Professional Standards & Venue Operations

• Take full accountability for seamless day-to-day venue operations, ensuring all spaces, services and systems operate at a consistently high standard, and in accordance with company operations.

• Ensure strong coordination across front-of-house, massage teams and Supervisors to deliver smooth service flow and operational efficiency.

• Proactively identify risks, inefficiencies and breakdowns, resolving issues decisively to minimise disruption to guests and teams.

• Work alongside the Operations Manager to implement robust operational systems, processes and checklists that support scale, consistency and excellence. The Venue Manager is responsible for maintaining and upholding these systems, processes and checklists.

• Work with HQ to lead the delivery of venue events and activations, ensuring exceptional execution across logistics, operations, staffing and guest experience.

• Oversee all venue resources including stock, equipment and facilities, ensuring availability, quality and cost efficiency whilst minimising disruption.

• Lead ordering, manage supplier relationships and oversee stock rotation, waste reduction and sustainability initiatives.

• Lead regular audits and stocktakes, addressing discrepancies and process gaps proactively.

• Ensure the venue environment is consistently safe, functional, stocked and reflective of brand and operating standards, whilst proactively maintained to reduce downtime and opportunity losses.

Workforce planning, Resource Management & Rostering

• Collaborating with the Operations Manager, you will execute on the roster strategy across all departments, ensuring optimal coverage, cost control and compliance with awards and legislation.

• Own workforce planning and staffing forecasts in line with demand, seasonality and events, ensuring revenue potential is maximised at all times and the team is not under pressure, while partnering with the Operations Manager on recruitment planning where required.

• Oversee leave approvals, timekeeping, break compliance and shift handovers, ensuring operational continuity at all times.

• Step in operationally when required, leading the service team during peak periods, absences, leave or high-pressure situations.

Financial Performance & Commercial Management

• Contribute to the venue’s financial performance through effective in-venue revenue optimisation across all business units, cost control and operational efficiency.

• Support the development of operational budgets, ensuring labour, stock and event costs are tracked and aligned as budget targets are established.

• Work with HQ to analyse financial and performance reports to identify trends, risks and opportunities for improvement.

• Collaborate with HQ on pricing strategies, packages and offers to maximise revenue and guest value.

Workplace, Health and Safety

• Own venue compliance across health, safety, aquatic, employment and licensing requirements.

• Ensure all team members are trained, compliant and confident in safety procedures.

• Conduct regular venue inspections and risk assessments, addressing hazards promptly and thoroughly.

• Stay informed of regulatory changes and ensure timely implementation across the venue.

Organisational Collaboration

• Collaborate closely with HQ teams including Operations, Reservations, Marketing and People & Culture to implement initiatives and strategies on the ground.

• Represent the venue in internal communications and leadership forums, providing insights on performance, trends and opportunities.

Reporting, Insights & Accountability

• When required, prepare and submit accurate, timely reports on performance, guest experience, team metrics and operational health.

• Maintain strong administrative standards across rostering, payroll, staffing records, incidents, feedback and compliance documentation.

• Use data and insights to inform decision-making, continuous improvement and strategic recommendations.

Please note:

This role requires flexibility in working across weekends and public holidays as required, or during periods of leave coverage.

This role may be required to undertake additional duties from time to time that are reasonable and consistent with the purpose and level of the position.

Skills, Experience and Qualifications

Essential:

• Minimum 3-5 years' experience in a similar people leadership role in either venue, bathhouse, hospitality, or wellness operations leadership.

• Proven experience with rostering across large multi-disciplinary teams (35+ team members).

• A current CPR and First Aid Certificate.

Desirable:

• Demonstrated ability using digital systems for bookings, team communication and stock management.

• Demonstrated experience in process improvement, operational planning and SOP documentation

• Advanced Excel and/or equivalent software and HRIS management systems skills
  
  

  Behavioural competencies

  • Service focus

  • Communication

  • Lead change

  • Identifies talent

  • Motivates Others

  • Organisational savvy

  • Team Player

  • Action Oriented

  • Courage

  • Self awareness
    
    To Apply upload a Cover Letter with your application