General Manager at Hilton Worldwide

The Role

• This exciting General Manager position will be responsible for managing the Pre-opening phase of the hotel, the hotel management team, and once open, the hotel targets to deliver an excellent Guest and Team Member experience while managing profitability and meeting our owners' expectations.  

What will you be doing?
Specifically, you will be responsible for performing the following tasks to the highest standards:

• Manage and lead the full pre‑opening phase of the hotel and, following opening, oversee the day‑to‑day hotel operation.
• Deliver sustainable profitability by achieving revenue targets, maintaining cost control, and meeting approved budgets and forecasts.
• Set and execute short‑ and long‑term strategic goals through effective business planning and performance management.
• Ensure exceptional guest satisfaction by complying with and exceeding Hilton Brand Service Standards at all times.
• Lead all key property matters, including capital projects, refurbishment initiatives, and overall asset upkeep.
• Act in the best interests of the hotel, the ownership, and Hilton in all operational and strategic decisions.
• Maintain strong governance, financial discipline, and operational controls across all departments.
• Provide visible, inspirational leadership to all Team Members, embedding Hilton culture, values, and service excellence.
• Recruit, lead, and develop the Hotel Executive Team, ensuring strong performance, engagement, and succession planning.
• Hold regular briefings and structured communication meetings with the Heads of Department.
• Lead and respond to internal and external audits, driving corrective actions and continuous improvement throughout the hotel.

What are we looking for?

• The ideal candidate will possess excellent leadership skills with a strong focus on Owner relations, Commercial and Operations, guest experience, and Team Member engagement.
• Enthusiastic and passionate, you will have current or previous experience as a General Manager within a similar quality hotel, and ideally with hotel openings experience.
• A General Manager serving Hilton brands is always working on behalf of our Guests and working with other Team Members.

Requirements
To successfully fill this role, you should maintain the attitude, behaviours, skills, and values that follow:

• A degree or diploma in Hotel Management or an equivalent qualification.
• Fluency in English is mandatory.
• An established General Manager ideally with Hilton experience and lifestyle hotel operation.
• Proven ability to build and sustain strong, collaborative relationships with owners, contractors, corporates, and key business partners, maintaining high visibility both internally and externally.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience identifying and delivering innovative revenue and profitability opportunities, particularly across rooms, F&B, meetings and events, and group business.
• Exceptional people leadership capability, with a strong track record of engaging, developing, and retaining talent, and successfully bringing teams together around Hilton culture and values.
• Demonstrated excellence in stakeholder and owner relations, with the ability to influence, guide, and manage expectations effectively.
• High levels of resilience, sound judgement, and hands‑on leadership are well-suited to operating in a complex and evolving market environment.
• Solid experience managing budgets, revenue strategies, forecasting, and financial performance in a similar‑sized or comparable full‑service hotel.
• In‑depth knowledge of the hotel, lifestyle, and service sector, with a strong understanding of brand‑driven operations.
• Experience working in Africa is preferred, with proven ability to navigate local market dynamics and build trusted relationships.
• Pre‑opening hotel experience is preferred, with the ability to lead teams through opening readiness and transition to stable operations.