General Manager/Chief Operating Officer

Club:
Seabrook Island Club

Location:
Seabrook Island, SC 

Position:
General Manager/Chief Operating Officer

The General Manager/Chief Operating Officer Opportunity at Seabrook Island Club:
A tremendous opportunity waits for a results-oriented, high-energy, naturally engaging, and interactive hospitality leader to take on the GM/COO role at this incredible club within the Seabrook Island community, located just south of Charleston, South Carolina.  The Club, like many during the pandemic, has seen significant numbers of new members and overall usage, and an expanded overall season.  The new GM/COO will be integral to being the continuity and industry expert to work with the Board and Leadership Team at Seabrook to ensure that it effectively transitions and stays on the forefront of trends, member satisfaction and engagement and is viewed as a clear employer of choice in the greater Charleston area community.

This is an exceptional opportunity to live and work in one of the most desirable areas of the country and to be part of a transformational experience, taking a well-established, club to new heights while balancing tradition and history with relevance of programming, amenities, services and member and staff experiences. 

Click here to view a brief video about this opportunity.

About Seabrook Island Club & Community:
Seabrook Island Club operates within a private, welcoming oceanfront community, just minutes from historic Charleston and is situated on a gated barrier island where members enjoy miles of pristine beaches, serene marshes, and a lush maritime forest. Seabrook Island is a birders paradise and has won recognition as an Audubon International Certified Sustainable Community.  Carefully master-planned to preserve the wonderfully diverse natural habitat and wildlife, Seabrook Island offers a diverse array of custom-designed luxury homes, townhomes, villas, and homesites.

Members and their guests enjoy superb Club amenities including two championship Audubon-certified golf courses, a tournament-grade tennis center, full-service equestrian center offering beach and trail rides, oceanfront pools, and multiple dining venues. There is also a public deep-water marina and shopping village just outside the gate.

The Club's Island House, with grand views of the ocean and the adjacent beach club, provides a variety of indoor and outdoor dining options for lunch, dinner, and private events.  Members and guests can avail of formal dining year-round in the Palmetto Room and casual fare in Bohicket's Lounge, at the Island House on the new golf veranda or Cap'n Sams' Grill in addition to seasonal options at the Pelican's Nest or the Osprey Café.

As noted above, the Club and Community have seen a significant influx of new members/residents over the past 18 months, with a total of 458 new members joining during that period.  Many of them either making Seabrook their primary residence or staying longer on island than owners had in the past.  Consequently, leading the organization from a strategic perspective is critical.

Seabrook Island Club by the Numbers:

• With over 2,100 members, most are nonresident.  Over 500 members rent their properties and renters have Club privileges.  Over 15,000 amenity cards are issues to rental guests per year
• Membership is mandatory with the purchase of a property on the island
• There are multiple membership categories for both residents and non-residents with the highest category of Full Resident/Family paying $12,696 in dues and descending amounts in other categories
• Initiation fees range from $15,000 to $33,000, based on the Membership category selected
• Members also pay Interest Dues and Reserve Fund fees that for a Full Resident/Family are $156 and $864 annually
• Total Approximate Gross Revenue – $22.0M in 2020, up from $19.2M in 2019

o Seabrook Island Club revenue: $16.5M in 2020 up from $16.0M in 2019
o Seabrook Island Real-estate: $6.0M in 2020 up from $3.2M in 2019 

• Approximate Annual Dues Revenue – 2019 $8.2M; 2020 $9.1M
• Approximate F&B Volume – 2019 $3.5M; 2020 $3.3M
• Rounds of golf - 2019 - 49,000; 2020 - 59,000
• Employees: Full-time Annual – 123, Seasonal - 50-70 additional
• Average age of membership – 65 and trending much younger
• There is a total of 13 Board Members, each serving three-year terms
• There are 10 standing committees including:  Executive, Finance, Membership, Operations, House, Social/Recreation, Golf & Greens, Racquet Sports, Equestrian, Marketing & Communications, Nominations, Compensation and Audit
• The Club uses Jonas for its accounting and POS  

Seabrook Island Club Website:
www.seabrookisland.com 

Seabrook Island Club General Manager/Chief Operating Officer Position Overview:
The GM/COO at Seabrook Island Club has full responsibility for all aspects of operations of the Club, effectively managing all resources and reporting to the President and Board of Governors and is expected to be the embodiment of an "exceptional member-centric experience."  The GM/COO will lead the management team, be representative of modern management "best service and member experience" practices, while promoting a positive, engaging, responsive and highly competent service culture in all operations. 

The GM/COO is expected to be an interactive "thought partner" with the Board and Committees, working closely with both groups as they collectively make decisions and set "vision and strategic direction" for the long-term well-being of the membership.  All this needs to be done with a sincere, integrity-filled, "available and approachable" style, recognizing the need to be the "face" of Seabrook Island both internally and in the surrounding areas.

The successful new GM/COO at Seabrook Island must possess especially strong skills in leadership, driving for results and "mentoring".  Additionally, working with the senior staff and a group of meaningfully engaged and well-regarded employees focused on delivering exceptional results.   Organizational structure, accountability and clearly defined goal setting and monitoring (essentially strong performance management skills) are necessary critical success factors of this role and leader.  Critical to his/her success is a proven history of attracting, developing, and retaining key leadership talent.  Additionally, being proactive and astute in understanding and executing necessary organizational adjustments when and where needed to stay both relevant and ahead of trends and member desires.

The GM/COO will have oversight responsibilities for multiple departments, personnel, goals, objectives, and overall performance of all operations including: Food & Beverage, Culinary, Golf Operations, Golf Course Maintenance, Landscape Maintenance, Accounting and Finance, Member Services, Facilities Maintenance, Family and Youth Programming, Racquet Sports and Social Activities.  

Due to the governance model on the Island, the GM/COO must work closely and collaboratively with the Seabrook Island Club Property Owners Association (SIPOA) and The Town of Seabrook (TOS).  Also, the Club owns Seabrook Island Realty, Inc., (SIRE --- A wholly owned subsidiary of the club).  This requires close coordination between the Club and SIRE.  Successful and collaborative relations and coordination is critical from the GM/COO and those entities.

Members recognize the enhanced continuance of an energized, well-trained, committed team is critical for continued success.  A sincerely engaged, personally invested, and instinctually 'front facing' style is particularly important for one's success in this role.  Being able to have candid, thoughtful and diplomatic discussions with members as member expectations of involvement and conduct are being refined is also critically important.  

This is especially important now as the demographics of the island are rapidly changing because of the pandemic with significant increased usage (and compaction) and changing desires of new younger members.

Key attributes, characteristics and style of the successful new leader include:

• The GM/COO must be a "hands on" interactive leader who directly monitors the operation and mentors the staff throughout each day; someone who recognizes and embodies the details necessary for consistency and high levels of satisfaction in all operations and amenities.  Able to set clearly defined goals and objectives, holds people accountable for results in a performance management system without being viewed as a micromanager while doing so.
• The ability to define culture, be a strong and natural representative of the cultural style that embodies Seabrook Island and where it is heading or needs to go to stay relevant and highly desirable to current and future members.
• The GM/COO must possess a personality that is genuine, likable, positive, and upbeat and one that projects attractive qualities that puts people at ease while also being "driven," "motivated," "action oriented" and understanding the need to be "organizationally agile" and "strategic". Honesty, humility, straightforwardness, integrity, accountability, leadership, and dedication are all necessary characteristics of success. 
• The GM/COO will be generous with their time for others, sharing their experience, knowledge of the Club and hospitality profession.  Being a "thoughtful and active listener" as part of a very well-developed communication skill is critical.  Verbal as well as strong writing communication skills are necessary.
• Energetic with a passion for people and building relationships; a proven record of success in this regard is critical.
• The GM/COO must be a true leader who can work closely with other leaders in a team concept, supporting and learning from each other.
• The GM/COO should be "confident yet humble and an astute listener with a bias for action."  He or she must also have the ability to engage in a meaningful fashion with both the members and the employees (beyond the board) to execute on day-to-day operations and ensure the long-term strategy is attained and is actively involved in creating it.
• The GM/COO must be confident in their abilities yet possessing natural humility in his/her interactions with others.  Someone who is "never complacent" and instills a "continuous evolution to excellence" within his or her team.  Clearly, someone who is able to effectively manage change.
• Possess the natural "art of seeing something…." and then either executing a plan to improve, add, eliminate or rally for whatever it is; essentially being naturally "aware" and "proactive."
• Being creative, innovative and mission oriented; anticipating how the Club continues to evolve is important, as is being actively 'networked' in the industry to the point of being on the forefront of trends in clubs, communities, and economic cycles.
• Naturally outgoing, conversant, respectful, and diplomatic, but able to say "no" when appropriate without alienating members or staff while doing so. Also, understanding this is a unique and diverse operation that combines traditional elements of club management with coordination, collaboration of a homeowner's association.

• A BS or BA degree (or equivalent) from an accredited college or university, preferably in business or hospitality management. 
• A CCM and CCE designation or similar accreditation outside of the club industry is desirable.

Instructions on How to Apply:
Please upload your resume and cover letter, in that order, using the link below. You should have your documents fully prepared to be attached when prompted for them during the online application process.  Please be sure your image is not present on your resume or cover letter; that should be used in your LinkedIn Profile. 

Prepare a thoughtful cover letter addressed to Mr. Jamie Ryan and the Seabrook Island Club Search Committee and clearly articulate your alignment with this role and why you want to be considered for this position at this stage of your career and why Seabrook Island and the Charleston, SC area will be beneficial to you, your family, your career, and the Club if selected.

You must apply for this role as soon as possible but no later than September 7, 2021.  Candidate selections will occur later that month with first Interviews expected in early October and second interviews a short time later.  The new candidate should assume his/her role in as soon as reasonable, ideally before the 1st of the new year.