Campground Manager - Hot Springs National Park KOA, AR

General Manager (GM)
Job Description

About KCN : KCN is an outdoor hospitality investment and management company. We focus on purchasing value-add campground properties, improving and stabilizing them, and then managing and growing them with our in-house property management team. We're focused on building a portfolio of the best RV campgrounds in the country - where our guests love to visit and our team loves to work.

Our Mission is to invest in Outdoor Hospitality: to create unique experiences that bring our guests closer to nature and each other, to provide a rewarding work environment for our team members, and to achieve outstanding financial returns for our investors.

Our Vision is to build a growth-oriented company that provides our team with enriching personal and professional opportunities while delivering outstanding returns for our stakeholders. As a leading Outdoor Hospitality company specializing in campground and RV properties, we are driven to create exceptional experiences for our guests while optimizing profitability and maximizing returns for our investors. We accomplish this by investing in value-add properties that meet our strict criteria and pass our rigorous diligence processes.

Position Summary The GM is responsible for the day-to-day operations of an individual campground property, ensuring a high-quality guest experience, strong financial performance, and effective team leadership. This role requires balancing operational excellence with community engagement, revenue generation, financial stewardship, and being a leader for the onsite team. The GM serves as the on-site leader accountable for guest satisfaction, property performance, and team leadership.

General Duties

The GM oversees all aspects of property operations, ensuring that the campground is safe, welcoming, and efficiently run. This includes leading and supervising the onsite team, maintaining facilities, ensuring compliance with brand standards, and providing an exceptional guest experience.

Responsibilities:

• Oversee daily operations of the campground, including housekeeping, grounds, and maintenance as well as guest services, which includes the Kampstore, food and beverage (if applicable), events and activities, etc.
• Oversee ongoing contracts/permits and filings for campground systems as necessary: water, septic, business licenses, etc.
• Ensure compliance with KOA brand standards, company policies, and local regulations.
• Maintain a safe environment for guests and onsite team, including adherence to safety procedures and emergency protocols.
• Implement and oversee staffing schedules to ensure adequate coverage during peak and off-peak periods.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for guests, handling escalated concerns with professionalism and unreasonable hospitality.
• Work with Regional Manager and Operations Lead on ongoing property repairs, maintenance and CAPEX projects.
• Oversee all park infrastructure, buildings, operating equipment, and tools and ensure they are properly maintained and accounted for.
• Develop and manage an annual events calendar for the property. Work with KCN Marketing to promote and drive awareness.

Community Involvement & Engagement

The GM builds and sustains strong relationships within the local community, fostering goodwill and driving business through partnerships, events, and local marketing initiatives.

Responsibilities:

• Represent the campground at community events, local tourism boards, and chambers of commerce. Involve your team members if/when appropriate.
• Develop partnerships with local attractions, vendors, and businesses to enhance the guest experience for our guests.
• Plan and support campground events that engage both guests and the local community. Work with marketing to drive promotion and awareness. Do so using an annual calendar, allowing for ample time to plan and market these events.
• Encourage and track guest reviews to maintain strong online reputation via both Google Reviews and KOA NPS (Net Promoter Score). Marketing is responsible for review responses. Address ongoing concerns or complaints made visible through ongoing review analysis.
• Support and drive contributions to Care Camps Foundation through onsite events like the pancake breakfast, treasure hunts, etc.

Financial Duties - Top Line Revenue

Driving revenue growth through occupancy, premium site utilization, and effective marketing is central to the GM's role. The manager actively monitors demand, identifies opportunities, and implements strategies to maximize revenue. A critical component of this responsibility is serving as an active member of the property's Revenue Management Team -a cross-functional group comprised of the GM, Revenue Manager, and Marketing Manager-focused on collaboratively optimizing revenue performance. The manager also oversees the onsite Kampstore, ensuring it contributes meaningfully to overall property revenue and margin goals through effective merchandising, upselling, and guest service. Well-planned and executed events and recreation are additional ways the GM helps drive the financial performance of the property.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as an active member of the Revenue Management Team, collaborating with the Revenue Manager and Marketing Manager to analyze trends, adjust pricing, and optimize revenue strategies.
• Monitor occupancy trends and implement strategies to optimize guest experience and revenues.
• Promote premium cabins, deluxe patio sites, and store purchases to increase average daily revenue per guest.
• Oversee the onsite Kampstore, ensuring strong sales and alignment with revenue and margin goals.
• Train and coach onsite team to upsell and cross-sell store products, campground amenities, and premium site options at check-in and through guest communications.
• Execute local marketing campaigns in partnership with Marketing Manager.
• Track guest retention and repeat visitation, implementing programs to recognize and encourage loyalty.

Financial Duties - Expenses

The GM is accountable for financial stewardship, including budget adherence, expense control, and accurate reporting. Ensuring the property operates within its financial goals is a key measure of success.


Responsibilities:

• Develop and manage annual operating budgets in partnership with Regional Manager, Operations Lead and KCN Finance.
• Monitor daily, weekly, and monthly financial performance metrics. GM is responsible for reporting results to Regional Managers and KCN Finance.
• Ensure proper cash handling and banking procedures, including regular cash deposits and daily reconciliations, petty cash ledger, etc.
• Approve vendor invoices and monitor inventory for the Kampstore and campground supplies. Work with other members of the Operations team as needed for ordering and re-ordering.
• Control labor costs through effective review of actual hours to budget, proactive scheduling and oversight of your team.
• Identify and implement cost-saving measures without reducing guest experience quality.

Manager Duties

The GM leads and develops the onsite team, ensuring that the team is motivated, well-trained, and aligned with the property's service standards. Strong leadership fosters both team performance and guest satisfaction. Your team is the key to your success so setting the tone, coaching regularly, and providing opportunities for your team to embrace challenges and grow in their roles will lead to a better experience for your team, your guests, and your park.

Responsibilities:

• Recruit, hire, train, and develop your onsite team across all departments.
• Identify high performers and utilize the Manager In Training program as appropriate.
• Conduct regular team meetings, reviews, and performance evaluations. This will require coaching and real-time feedback.
• Foster a culture of accountability, teamwork, and guest-first service.
• Provide ongoing training to ensure compliance with operational and safety standards.
• Recognize and reward strong team performance to reduce turnover.
• Act as a mentor and coach for your entire team and, specifically, managers in training and department leads.

Variable Bonus Structure - Overview

• Annual bonus eligibility: up to 15% of base salary
• Weighted by category:

1. Top Line Revenue - 35% - actual vs budget, role on Revenue Management Team
2. Onsite Store Performance - 15% - actual vs budget for revenue and margin
3. Financial Stewardship - 20% - actual vs budget on expenses
4. Guest Experience - 20% - Google Review Star Average ≥ 4.5 stars; KOA NPS score ≥ 80, timely corrective action on review feedback
5. Community Engagement - 10% - Engagement with local organizations and events

• Consistent reviews with annual true-up: Complete bonus scorecard quarterly or bi-monthly depending on property schedule (seasonal vs year-round), RM to file on HR drive. Quarterly reviews are not pay-outs, they are check-ins throughout the year to keep performance on these key metrics front and center with the team.
• Scorecard with final metrics provided annually and used to calculate team bonus

KCN performs criminal background checks for all employees. Active employment is conditional on a favorable background check and company executive discretion.