General Manager

General Manager

Department: Management & Admin

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Mercure Dumfries

Compensation: £42,000 / year

Picture this: you're leading a hotel that's doing something different. Operating under a government contract, this isn't a traditional hospitality environment—but it is a place where strong leadership, operational excellence and genuine care for people make all the difference.

As General Manager, you'll oversee every aspect of the hotel's operation, ensuring it delivers a safe, compliant and well-managed environment while meeting the highest contractual and operational standards. You'll lead and develop a passionate team, drive financial and operational performance, build strong relationships with government partners and local stakeholders, and create a positive culture where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.

Alongside successfully leading today's operation, you'll play a key role in preparing the hotel for tomorrow. You'll develop your people, strengthen operational standards and help shape the hotel's future, ensuring it's ready for a smooth and successful return to full commercial trading when the time is right.

Every day is an opportunity to inspire your team, make a meaningful difference to people's experiences and leave the hotel in an even stronger position for the future.

As General Manager, your key responsibilities will include:

• Oversee Daily Operations:
  Ensure the smooth and compliant operation of all hotel departments — including reception, housekeeping, catering, and facilities/maintenance — with a focus on delivering safe, consistent, and respectful service to all service users in line with contractual and regulatory requirements.
• Manage staff:
  Supervise, train, and motivate hotel staff to ensure excellent guest service and efficient operations, while also handling recruitment, performance management, and fostering a positive work environment to support staff development and retention.
• Budget management:
  Monitor and manage hotel expenses and budgets to ensure financial targets are met, including overseeing banking activities, and ensuring accurate financial reporting and reconciliation.
• Maintain safety and cleanliness standards:
  Ensure the hotel complies with health and safety regulations, support external auditors during their audits, and ensure all necessary documentation and procedures are in place to maintain cleanliness and safety across all areas.
• Community Engagement:
  Act as a key liaison between the hotel, local community, and external stakeholders. Promote clear, open communication to foster positive relationships with residents, local authorities, and partner organisations. Support initiatives that enhance understanding of the hotel’s role and services, ensuring the respectful integration of service users within the local context. Work closely with internal teams to ensure consistent, community-aware operations.
• Stakeholder Engagement:
  Liaise and cooperate closely with government contract partners, to ensure contractual obligations are met and operations remain aligned with agreed standards and expectation
• Collaborate with the Region or Network:
  Work with marketing, sales, and other departments to drive occupancy and improve service offerings.
• Monitor inventory and ordering:
  Ensure adequate stock levels of supplies for hotel operations and manage ordering and inventory control.
• Be instrumental in the planning and development of the hotel, helping to position it for long-term success when it returns to full trading.

You're an experienced hotel leader who thrives in a fast-paced operational environment and knows how to bring out the best in people. You lead with integrity, communicate openly and create a culture where everyone feels valued, supported and empowered to succeed.

You'll also bring:

• Previous experience as a General Manager or in a senior operational leadership role within hospitality or a customer-focused environment.
• A proven track record of leading high-performing teams, driving operational excellence and delivering strong commercial and financial results.
• The…