Hammock Dunes Club General Manager/COO

GENERAL MANAGER/CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER PROFILE:
HAMMOCK DUNES CLUB
PALM COAST, FL

GENERAL MANAGER/CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER OPPORTUNITY AT HAMMOCK DUNES CLUB
Located on Florida's "First Coast" just south of Jacksonville, Hammock Dunes Club is directly on the Atlantic Ocean in Palm Coast, which is conveniently located between St. Augustine and Daytona Beach. The Club is known to be one of the most attractive clubs in the State due to its array of amenities, services, location, and overall value. The General Manager/Chief Operating Officer (GM/COO) role is an opportunity to partner with the Board of Directors to carry out their strategic vision and lead a talented operations team daily to deliver exceptional member experiences for the club. Someone with a strong club and hospitality background, a passion for the game, and a history of golf is desired.


The need is for a highly collaborative, actively visible, and forward-facing executive who sincerely enjoys building relationships with members and staff is necessary for success. An approachable "culture builder" who enjoys developing and mentoring their team, with the experience and talent to execute on the vision he/she creates with the Board to make Hammock Dunes Club one of the finest club experiences in the southeast is the ultimate goal. Candidates should have strong financial acumen and understand the importance of accountability, with a proven ability to grow the membership. A commitment to excellence will be who they are, coupled with the desire to train, motivate, and elevate their teams for the benefit of the member experience and the team member's career track and future success.

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ABOUT HAMMOCK DUNES CLUB
Hammock Dunes Club is a private oceanfront community located on Florida's Atlantic Coast in the beautiful city of Palm Coast, where ideal weather allows for year-round enjoyment. The Club offers an oasis of relaxation for its members and a host of amenities and activities to enhance the Club's oceanfront lifestyle. Hammock Dunes Club is located within 90 minutes of three major airports, 10 minutes of private airports, and Orlando's theme parks are just a short drive away.

Cornerstone to the Club's amenities are two outstanding championship, Audubon-certified golf courses. The Tom Fazio "Links" Course offers 18 relaxing holes with stunning oceanfront views, while the Rees Jones "Creek" Course meanders through 690 pristine acres of native oaks, palms, wetlands, and marsh. Both courses have excellent practice facilities.

Members have access to two private clubhouses. The Links Clubhouse is over 40,000 square feet and includes a resort-style heated pool and spa, fitness center, golf shop, and a variety of indoor and outdoor dining options, all overlooking the ocean. The informal, yet elegant, low country-style Creek Clubhouse is nestled in a natural setting and includes a casual restaurant and bar, screened porch, and golf shop.

In addition to these offerings, the Club has five Har-Tru tennis courts and six pickleball courts. A "Courthouse" building is the centerpiece of this area. In addition to all these amenities are four bocce ball courts, two of which are oceanside. The Club is also home to one of the largest croquet groups in Florida, and features three exceptional croquet lawns, located on the ocean, which host regular competitions.

Hammock Dunes Club has been recognized repeatedly as one of the world's top private golf country clubs. Annually, since 2013, it has been named a Distinguished Emerald Club of the World by an independent review board from Boardroom Magazine.

HAMMOCK DUNES CLUB BY THE NUMBERS:

• The Club enjoys an annual operating budget of over $15.0M.
• F&B operations revenues are approximately $3.2M, with 90% coming from ala carte dining.
• Approximately 501 Full Members, 24 Sports Members, 179 Social Members, and 7 National Members.
• Initiation fees are $90,000 for Full Equity, $65,000 for Regular, Non-Equity memberships, and $22,500 for Social memberships.
• Dues, including capital dues, for a Full Member are $19,538, for Sports $15,943, and for Social $12,284 annually.
• Approximately 170 employees, nearly all year round.
• Average age of Members is approximately 64.
• Board Members, each serving three-year staggered terms.
• 12 standing committees: Admissions; Finance; House; Food & Beverage; Golf; Greens; Sports & Activities; Strategic Planning; Membership, Marketing & Communications; Nominating; Grievance and Legal.
• Nine direct reports to the GM/COO, including: Clubhouse Manager, Director of Golf, Director of Agronomy, Director of Racquets, Membership Director, Director of Member Sales, Director of Sports, CFO, Executive Chef, and Chief Engineer.
• The Club is organized as a 1120 not-for-profit corporation.
• Approximately 44,000 rounds of golf are played on the two courses.
• The Club uses Northstar for its POS and accounting systems.

HAMMOCK DUNES CLUB WEB SITE:

GENERAL MANAGER/CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER POSITION OVERVIEW
The GM/COO of Hammock Dunes Club reports directly to the Club President and Board of Directors and manages all aspects of the club's operations. He/she coordinates and administers the club's policies as defined by the Board of Directors, develops operating policies and procedures, and directs the day-to-day work of all departments to include golf operations, course maintenance, member services, food and beverage, fitness, racquet and croquet sports, facilities maintenance, accounting/budgeting and human resources, as well as being actively involved in membership marketing efforts. Specific emphasis on delivering the highest quality standards to enhance the experience for members and their guests.

The GM/COO is expected to be an engaging, relationship-driven leader who is the consummate and respectful professional in terms of transparency, honesty, straightforwardness, integrity, accountability, leadership, and dedication. The ability to inspire and motivate a strong team at HDC, earn the respect of the members and employees, as well as the community at large, will be a key to success.

Hammock Dunes Club is a busy and multi-faceted operation that requires significant administrative and organizational skills. The ability to analyze and convey financial information, develop processes, and make improvements is critical in moving the Club forward. As well, having the ability to create a culture of "continuance evolution to excellence" in all that is done and provided (service, programming, amenities, etc.) is a key attribute necessary for success and needs to be a strong priority.


Communication, while clearly important at all clubs, is of utmost importance at HDC. This outgoing dynamic individual must be comfortable and effective in being able to communicate with all levels of staff, with the varying demographics of the membership, with outside vendors and community leaders, and in both one-on-one and large group settings. A natural front-facing leader with an approachable style who can collaborate effectively with the Board, Committees, and Senior Staff will be an excellent candidate for this role. The GM/COO must be focused on ensuring that the Club's vision is relevant, topical, and well-constructed, and that all involved know their accountabilities.

Manage all club department heads, including the Clubhouse Manager, Director of Golf, Director of Golf Course Maintenance, Director of Racquets, Membership Director, Director of Member Sales, Director of Sports, CFO, Executive Chef & Chief Engineer.

INITIAL PRIORITIES OF THE NEW GENERAL MANAGER/COO

• In the first 90 days, prioritize spending time with the Board, Members, and the team to "listen and understand the culture and history of HDC" before making any significant changes. Be available, approachable, interactive, and "present."
• Prioritize evaluating the overall service experience, especially in food and beverage operations and golf operations, and analyzing existing and creating when necessary SOP's and procedures to elevate the service levels across the board. The goal is to execute the long-term plan to improve the overall service culture and experience at the club.
• In partnership with the interim CFO, review all budgets, financial projections, and capital needs in the first 90 days with a goal of creating an operating plan for 2027 that will ensure the delivery of the member experience desired and put forth by the Board of Directors for the membership.
• Analyze current KPI's and evaluate if they are appropriate to evaluate the operation and make sure the necessary goals and objectives are being met. Educate and empower the Team to ensure they understand their responsibilities and accountabilities.
• Consider the current organizational chart, including a strong focus on the human resources and communications areas, and make a recommendation to the Board for any changes or enhancements after fully evaluating.
• Review current practices for improvement for staff recruitment, retention, and overall development/training strategies, and working with the Team develop a plan for enhancement in each area as appropriate.
• Evaluate the employee strengths/development opportunities, communicate the vision and strategy to each employee's role in achieving individual and collective Club goals. Strategically map a plan to further develop a dedicated and talented professional team, ensuring high morale and staff satisfaction, ultimately translating into high member and guest satisfaction. The Club wants a GM/COO who can create and sustain a mentorship culture that provides a consistent execution of the philosophy of "treat members like guests and guests like members" by the staff
• Create a "State of the Club" report to the Board after ninety (90) days of evaluation and observation, providing them with keen insights and recommendations regarding procedures, staffing, programming, and other key processes within HDC.
• Assess membership trends and evaluate the effectiveness of current sales and marketing efforts. Develop initial recommendations to strengthen member engagement, retention, and targeted growth where appropriate

CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS

• A positive, highly energetic individual with a proven track record as a general manager/COO and a passion for service excellence in all facets of club operations, providing innovative leadership and sound guidance to club membership and staff.
• As noted, have the verifiable history and ability to attract, hire, mentor, develop, and lead a high-performing team of professionals, ensuring that they continue to function as one team, rather than individual departments, while setting and maintaining standards of performance appropriate to perpetuating the Club's strategic vision. This is especially important due to the spread of key amenities and personnel over a multi-campus property.
• The term visionary leader who is both disciplined and inspirational, who can impart an appropriate culture of consistent, quality service and attention to detail. Someone who is "hands on," but who works strategically and can clearly communicate his/her strategy and expectations to the team for whom he/she is a natural mentor.
• In terms of experience, have a minimum of 10 years of progressive leadership/management experience in a private member-owned private club or high-end resort operation, preferably those with member boards and committee involvement.
• This leader should be the "consummate hospitality professional" with a "servant's heart" and strong operational management skills, who, in collaboration with the Board, Member Committees, and Senior Staff, can define and strategically execute plans to ensure the Hammock Dunes Club is viewed as one of the premier clubs on the Atlantic coast and beyond.
• Proven history of success and keen understanding of quality food and beverage operations, golf operations excellence, mentoring, strategic planning, innovation and creativity, and strong service culture development.
• Have demonstrated ability to attract, hire, develop, mentor, and engage a high-performing cross-functional team, all focused on a "continuous evolution to excellence" in all that they do, with a strong focus on building and maintaining a strong 'employer of choice' delivery in all areas. Critical to this outcome is ensuring a highly collaborative leadership team, armed with clear goals and accountabilities, but supported by a strong advocate for their individual and group success.
• Exhibit financial and budgeting acumen with prior P&L responsibility, as well as a true understanding of the balance sheet, member equity, capital reserve strategies, and cash flow.
• Have had prior involvement in conceptualizing, developing, coordinating, and executing capital projects of some magnitude, including gaining member and staff support and understanding current trends and member/staff expectations. Staying relevant and ahead of changing demographic expectations as it relates to services, programming, and amenities will continue to be of high importance at HDC
• Be a creative problem solver who commands respect because of the way he/she interacts with others and lives up to his/her word and confidently puts forth recommendations to the Board and Staff; a true "thought partner" with the Board and Committees to the long-term success of HDC.
• Demonstrated track record of successfully developing and executing strategies that drive targeted membership growth while maintaining the club's positioning and member experience

EDUCATIONAL AND CERTIFICATION QUALIFICATIONS

• Preferably, a college graduate with a bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management, Business, Finance, or similar with above noted experience.
• CCM, or PGA Executive Management certification, or similar credentials are preferred, yet not required.

EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION
In compliance with federal law, all hired employees must verify their identity and eligibility to work in the United States and complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

SALARY AND BENEFITS
Salary is open and commensurate with qualifications and experience. The Club, along with the typical CMAA benefits, offers a bonus and benefit package.

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO APPLY
Please upload your resume and cover letter in the order listed using the link below. When prompted for them during the online application process, you should have your documents fully prepared to attach. Please be sure your image is not on your resume or cover letter; it should be used on your LinkedIn Profile.

Prepare a thoughtful cover letter addressed to the Hammock Dunes Club search committee/Attn: Jim Craycroft, President and Search Chair . Clearly articulate your alignment with this role, why you want to be considered for this position at this stage of your career, and why HDC and the Palm Coast, FL area will benefit you, your family, your career, and the Club if selected.

You must apply for this role as soon as possible.

IMPORTANT: Save your resume and letter in the following manner:
"Last Name, First Name - Resume" &
"Last Name, First Name - Cover Letter - Hammock Dunes"
(These documents should be in Word or PDF format.)

Note: Once you complete the application process for this search, you are not able to go back in and add additional documents.

If you have any questions, please email Bethany Taylor: View email address on click.appcast.io

Search Executives:
Paul K. Levy, CMAA, PGA
Search & Consulting Executive
O: (833) KKW-HIRE, ext. 711
M: View phone number on click.appcast.io
View email address on click.appcast.io

Kurt D. Kuebler, CCM, CMAA Fellow
Partner
O: (833) KKW-HIRE, ext. 701
M: View phone number on click.appcast.io
View email address on click.appcast.io