General Manager, Fitness Membership, Aquatics, Recreation

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced General Manager to lead the day-to-day operations of a high-volume, customer-focused location, member-based facility. This individual will have overall responsibility for team leadership, staffing, sales and revenue performance, customer experience, financial management, safety, and operational excellence.

The General Manager will lead and develop a team of approximately 30–60 employees while ensuring the location achieves its financial, operational, and customer-service goals.

Background/Industry Experience
We are open to candidates from a variety of customer-facing, service-oriented industries. Successful candidates may come from fitness, aquatics, recreation, hospitality, family entertainment, youth programs, and membership-based businesses.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on leader who enjoys developing people, managing a busy operation, driving revenue, and creating an exceptional customer experience.

Key Similar Titles:

General Manager, Assistant General Manager, Operations Manager, Director of Operations, Branch Manager, Center Director, Facility Manager, Club Manager, Membership Director/Manager, Recreation Manager, Aquatics Director/Manager, Fitness Manager, Studio Manager, and Family Entertainment Center Manager.

Leadership
The successful General Manager will:

• Create an exceptional customer experience.
• Build and develop a strong team.
• Lead with integrity, compassion, and accountability.
• Drive measurable business and operational results.
• Recognize and celebrate employee and team accomplishments.
• Continuously look for opportunities to improve the operation.

Operations & Leadership

• Direct and manage all day-to-day location operations.
• Lead, coach, develop, and motivate a team of approximately 30–60 employees.
• Ensure company policies, procedures, and operating standards are consistently followed.
• Conduct regular meetings with the management team.
• Maintain appropriate staffing levels to support business needs and customer demand.
• Recruit, hire, train, develop, and retain high-performing employees.
• Address employee performance and personnel issues appropriately and consistently.
• Build a positive, accountable, and engaging workplace culture.

Sales & Revenue

• Drive location sales, enrollment/membership, retention, and revenue performance.
• Lead and motivate employees responsible for sales and customer engagement.
• Monitor performance against established sales and revenue goals.
• Ensure customer-facing employees have strong knowledge of programs, services, and offerings.
• Identify opportunities to improve customer retention and increase revenue.

Financial Management

• Manage the location's operating budget and financial performance.
• Understand and manage income statements and key financial metrics.
• Monitor labor costs, payroll, purchasing, and operating expenses.
• Analyze revenue and expense variances and take corrective action when necessary.
• Manage employee scheduling to balance customer needs, productivity, and labor costs.
• Oversee ancillary revenue areas as applicable.

Customer Experience

• Create a professional, welcoming, and customer-focused environment.
• Maintain high standards for customer service and overall customer satisfaction.
• Drive strong Net Promoter Score (NPS) results.
• Monitor customer retention and address service issues promptly.
• Ensure employees consistently deliver a positive experience for customers and families.

Safety & Compliance

• Ensure a safe, clean, and well-maintained environment for customers and employees.
• Oversee implementation of emergency and safety procedures.
• Ensure employees are properly trained on required safety protocols.
• Maintain compliance with company policies and applicable safety requirements.
• Ensure required certifications and training are maintained.

Performance & Administration

• Manage multiple operational priorities, projects, and deadlines.
• Utilize scheduling, booking, reporting, and administrative systems.
• Monitor key performance indicators and take action to improve results.
• Ensure timely and accurate completion of required reports and administrative responsibilities.
• Partner with regional leadership regarding location performance, staffing, financial results, and operational needs.

Qualifications

• Previous experience managing a customer-facing business, location, branch, facility, or operation.
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing a sizable team.
• Experience managing budgets, labor, scheduling, expenses, and operational performance.
• Strong business and financial acumen.
• Sales, membership, revenue-generation, or customer-retention experience strongly preferred.
• Strong leadership, communication, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Comfortable being a visible, hands-on leader within the operation.
• Must be able to work onsite.
• Availability to work some evenings and weekends based on business needs.

Industry experience is flexible. Candidates with relevant management experience in fitness, recreation, hospitality, family entertainment, youth programs, retail, membership-based businesses, or other service-oriented environments are encouraged to apply.

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