About the Twelve Apostles Visitor Experience Team
The Twelve Apostles Precinct team is responsible for the day-to-day delivery of safe, high quality and engaging visitor experiences across the Twelve Apostles Visitor Experience Centre and the broader precinct.
The team oversees frontline visitor services, ticketing, parking, engaging tours and excellent site presentation, ensuring the Precinct operates seamlessly.
Working collaboratively with the Precinct General Manager and internal teams within GORCAPA, the team balances operational excellence, strong commercial performance and staff development, whilst upholding cultural, environmental and safety obligations.
Purpose of the position
The General Manager - Twelve Apostles Precinct provides comprehensive leadership and strategic oversight of the Visitor Experience Centre (VEC) and its surrounding precinct, from its critical pre-opening development phase through to ongoing operational excellence and sustainable growth.
This role holds full accountability for the visitor experience across the precinct, including the VEC’s operational excellence, financial performance, and strategic growth, all whilst ensuring an exceptional and sustainable visitor experience at an iconic Australian landmark, aligning operational objectives with the strategic vision of GORCAPA and broader regional tourism goals.
Primary Responsibilities
The General Manager will be responsible for a broad range of functions, encompassing strategic leadership, operational oversight, financial management, and stakeholder engagement.
Given the Visitor Precinct is currently under construction, this role will initially have a significant focus on project leadership and pre-opening activities, including:
Pre-opening & Project Delivery
- Lead VEC pre-opening activities ensuring day-one operational readiness.
- Represent GORCAPA within project governance groups.
- Develop operational policies and procedures, as required.
- Oversee team recruitment, training and system implementation.
- Coordinate and provide input to final fit-out, merchandising and launch strategy.
- Secure all required licenses, permits and regulatory approvals.
Financial & Strategic Management
- Assume full profit and loss responsibility for the VEC and visitor experience across the precinct.
- Drive revenue generation, budgeting, KPI monitoring and forecasting.
- Contribute to strategic planning and identify future investment opportunities.
Operations Management
- Deliver world-class visitor experience through day-to-day oversight.
- Manage all site contracts, partnerships and vendor relationships.
- Ensure OHS compliance and emergency preparedness.
- Serve as Duty Manager during peak periods and critical incidents.
- Liaison for capital works and maintenance programs.
Visitor Experience & Product Development
- Develop new products and services to enhance visitor experience across the precinct.
- Implement visitor dispersal strategies using events, promotions, and pricing strategies.
Stakeholder Relationships & Representation
- Build relationships with sub-tenants, government, tourism partners, licence tour operators and community stakeholders.
- Represent GORCAPA at industry events and contribute to regional tourism planning.
Risk Management
- Identify, report and mitigate operational and strategic risks.
Key Selection Criteria
Qualifications & Experience:
- Tertiary qualification in Business, Tourism, Hospitality or Project Management (or related field) or equivalent experience.
- Senior leadership in large-scale visitor attractions, tourism destinations, sporting facilities, mixed use hospitality or complex public venues.
- Pre-opening, commissioning, or major project delivery experience (desirable)
- Demonstrated success in managing significant budgets, driving revenue growth, and achieving financial targets in a commercial environment.
- Demonstrated success in leading, motivating, and developing diverse teams within a dynamic operational environment, fostering a high-performance and safety-conscious culture.
- Proven experience in managing commercial contracts and strategic partnerships.
- Extensive experience in cultivating and managing relationships with diverse stakeholders, within government, tourism, community, and executive.
- Overseeing crisis management and emergency response plans in a public-facing setting.
Knowledge and skills:
- Understanding of current tourism industry trends, regional destination planning, visitor dispersal strategies, and market dynamics, particularly within the Victorian context and the Great Ocean Road region.
- Comprehensive knowledge of best practices in visitor attraction operations, including ticketing systems, retail management, food & beverage operations, visitor services & facilities management.
- Strong understanding of financial management principles, budgeting, forecasting, revenue generation, and commercial drivers.
- Understanding of relevant OHS legislation, environmental regulations, emergency management frameworks, and licensing requirements applicable to public venues in Victoria.
- Knowledge of sustainable tourism practices and environmental management principles relevant to operating within a sensitive natural heritage site.
- Capacity to develop and articulate a clear strategic vision, translate it into actionable plans, and anticipate future challenges and opportunities.
- Highly proficient in financial analysis, budget management, forecasting, and using data to drive informed decision-making and achieve commercial objectives.
- Superior ability to identify complex issues, conduct thorough analysis, develop creative and practical solutions, and make sound decisions under pressure.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex information clearly and concisely to diverse audiences, including developing high-quality reports and presentations.
- High degree of adaptability to a dynamic and evolving environment, demonstrating resilience and composure when faced with challenges.
Terms and Conditions of Employment
Appointment to this position is subject to the successful applicant being able to:
- Provide a National Police Check Certificate
- Obtain a Working with Children Certificate
- Provide evidence of Australian Work Rights
- Hold a current Australian Driver’s Licence.
Peter William Partners have been exclusively retained by GORCAPA to deliver this executive search. Any unsolicited applications will be redirected to Peter William Partners and managed via the campaign. If you experience any difficulty in lodging your application online, please contact info@peterwilliampartners.com.