General Manager - Operations

We are seeking a dynamic, values‑led General Manager - Operations to provide strategic and operational leadership across a portfolio of remote villages within Compass Group Australia.

The role holds accountability for operational delivery, safety, financial performance, leadership uplift and client relationships across ESS Remote operations. A key focus is stabilising performance, embedding consistent standards and strengthening leadership capability to support long‑term success.

This opportunity is ideal for a leader who thrives in complexity, brings exceptional stakeholder management skills, and is ready to operate with full portfolio accountability.

The Role

• Provide consistent, high‑quality delivery across food, accommodation, cleaning, retail and support services.
• Lead turnaround and stabilisation efforts in underperforming or higher‑risk operations, with a strong focus on risk mitigation and service continuity.
• Build trusted, transparent relationships with client representatives, acting as a senior and credible operational partner.
• Lead structured operational reviews, proactively identifying risks, issues and continuous improvement opportunities.
• Develop leadership capability through coaching, succession planning and structured development pathways.
• Drive cultural health, engagement and psychological safety across remote teams.
• Strengthen workforce stability, talent planning and leadership maturity.
• Deliver portfolio financial performance across labour, food, procurement and retail outcomes.
• Apply strong commercial discipline to protect margins and minimise operational and financial risk.

The Person

• Proven leadership experience in multi‑site remote, hospitality or complex service operations.
• Demonstrated success stabilising operations and leading performance recovery in challenging environments.
• Strong and visible safety leadership, with sound working knowledge of incident management and compliance.
• Track record of leading and developing leaders across dispersed and diverse workforces (including FIFO, casual and transient teams).
• High level of commercial acumen with experience managing multi‑site budgets and key performance drivers.
• Exceptional stakeholder management skills, with confidence engaging clients and navigating operational risk and change.
• High resilience, sound judgement and the ability to operate effectively in ambiguous, fast‑moving and remote contexts.

The Process

The role is open for internal applicants only. The process will include multiple interview stages and a psychometric assessment.

For a confidential discussion on this role and your suitability, please reach out to Fujio Shibata