Work With Us

Opportunity for a seasoned Venue Manager 

Drive people, performance, culture, capability and service 

Key leadership role in a fast growing privately owned business 

About Boat O’Craigo  

Boat O’Craigo is a second generation family-owned boutique winery, cellar door, restaurant and event business nestled in Victoria's highly acclaimed Yarra Valley wine region. With our own stunning vineyards in Healesville and Kangaroo Ground, we specialize in creating hand-crafting bespoke, single vineyard wines which punch above their weight.  

We have had a huge journey of growth over our 25 year history. We were awarded in 2018 by James Halliday as ‘5 Star’ and the ‘Dark Horse Winery of the Year’. With a relentless focus on quality and customer service, we have grown from a relatively obscure and unknown player to becoming well known for quality wine, great food and great service in a location with stunning mountain and vineyard views. 

After 6 years in the planning, we are just about to open our brand new restaurant, event space and beautifully landscaped outdoor garden and dining areas. This amazing new building will take the business forward significantly. This will be followed by a major redevelopment and extension of our cellar door and outdoor deck areas early in 2025. While we are growing rapidly, our focus will be to continue to craft premium quality wine and deliver the great food, education and customer that we are now known for. 

About our Team 

Our cellar door, restaurant and event space is located in the picturesque regional town of Healesville and at the foothills of the Black Spur Ranges and is the true home of our brand. Led by an experienced and diversely skilled team, we are proud of our work in creating an approachable, relaxed and positive vibe for our cellar door staff and patrons, whilst delivering outstanding customer service. We have an open, friendly, down to earth, supportive and inclusive culture where staff are valued and respected. It’s why our crew enjoy working at Boat O’Craigo and our customers come back to visit us time and time again as evident from our high staff retention rate and 4.8 star Google rating and reviews. 

About the Role 

We are now on the hunt to find a suitably qualified, experienced, passionate and transformational Venue Manager to join our senior leadership team in this critical full time and permanent role.  

The scope of the final role will be worked out in consultation with the successful applicant however the broad areas of responsibility will include the following. 

• Being responsible for overall venue capability, service, performance and results  
• Collaborate with owners and key staff in the identification and delivery of opportunities for growth and process improvement 
• Budget setting, cost control, analysis and reporting to identify improvement opportunities 
• Participate in a range of regular meetings with owners and the key leadership team 
• Leadership, management and supervision of your team of stars – 2IC, kitchen supervisor, concierge, tasting staff, sales staff plus front and back of house teams 
• Recruitment, induction, training, mentoring and performance management of the team to ensure that we have the right quantity and talent pools of high-calibre staff to deliver the service we aim to deliver 
• Forward rostering 4-6 weeks out and effective long term leave planning for key staff to ensure venue coverage 
• Managing all bookings and general enquiries 
• Managing relationships with key external partners such as tour companies and other service providers 
• Shift management including opening, toolbox meetings, set up, supervision, break management, shift flow and closing procedures 
• Working in conjunction with key colleagues (Sales Operations Manager / Event Manager / Wine Club Manager) in the planning and delivery of specific events 
• Banking, CRM and POS procedures 
• Driving a healthy team culture by leading by example, developing and running team building and training exercises 
• Identifying, mentoring, developing and retaining key talent 
• Overall responsibility for compliance - RSA, OH&S, food safety and emergency services key contact 
• Continuous process and standard procedure development, refinement, communication, compliance and incident resolution and reporting 
• Responsible for overall site presentation, cleanliness and security 

About You 

Good business requires good strong leadership and so the importance of this role cannot be understated. We are looking for an experienced hospitality Venue Manager who is passionate about food and wine. This role is all about people and leadership. We are looking for a gifted and inspirational leader who leads by example, works collaboratively with colleagues and staff, who isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty and who is highly skilled in the mentoring, coaching, development and supervision of high performance teams in a fast paced hospitality environment. This person will have a significant impact on the culture, direction and performance of the business. We are looking for somebody who can run a tight ship but who also creates a fun and enjoyable workplace for staff and a memorable experience for customers. 

The Perks 

• Ability to drive and influence change and performance 
• Rapidly growing business 
• Brand new venue 
• Competitive salary package commensurate with experience 
• Potential for roster rotation 
• Potential for accommodation on site for the right person 
• Staff discounts 

How To Apply 

Please don’t delay. This role is available to start early-mid November.  

To apply, please send your resume and a brief covering letter in the first instance outlining why this role is the perfect match for you totravers.graham@boatocraigo.com.au Alternatively, please contact Travers Graham directly on 0418 377 443 for a confidential discussion. 

We welcome your interest and look forward to meeting with you.