Operations Director Purple Ski at Purple Ski

 Company Overview

Ski France / Summer France is a highly-regarded specialist in the management of hotel-restaurants and holiday rentals. What we don't know about holidaying in France is not worth knowing!

31 years of experience has put us in a privileged position. Originally operating under the name of Madame Vacances, our UK based office has been renamed, but our values and service keep the same high standards. We offer a wide range of holiday rentals and hotels across many regions of France. We have built strong and lasting relationships with local providers, and are able to anticipate what is important to our clientele to deliver an unforgettable holiday experience, as well as exceptional and personalised customer service.

At the heart of our raison d'être is a deep desire to deliver real customer satisfaction. This has come to define what Ski France / Summer France is all about.

Position Overview

The main purpose of this dynamic role is to oversee the entire operation of Ski France and Summer France, working closely with Resort Managers and head office teams. This person is responsible for ensuring that day to day operations are carried out smoothly and every detail has been planned out and executed at a high level. This role involves a high level of dedication and organisation, great communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to be flexible.

Previous Experience

Great spoken and written English language skills and good spoken French and basic written French language skills are essential
Job holder must be highly organised, efficient, resourceful and able to work alone as well as part of a team.
Job holder must possess good judgement, be determined / tenacious in meeting her/his objectives and have excellent communication skills
Previous winter season experience at a high level such as Resort Manager or higher is essential
People management experience in a chalet, hospitality or catering environment
Confident driver in winter conditions, and held a full and clean driving for a minimum of 5 years

Main Duties
Staff
1) Is the overall manager of the ski France team, including:
a) Recruitment of winter team prior to the season and during
b) Directly manages and supports Resort Managers on a daily basis, answering questions etc as needed. Regular weekly resorts visits and meetings are required

2) Puts together the team Rota and involved in all aspects of planning to ensure smooth operation

3) Oversees the management of staff accommodation, including
a) assigns staff to accommodation in accordance with their preferences and our requirements
b) monitors and keeps register of staff guests during the season, deals with any noise/nuisance issues, performs regular housekeeping checks (by photo)
c) deals with any maintenance and repairs to staff accommodation (minimal)
d) at end of season, checks cleaning and state of repair, hands back to owner(s)

3) Arranges and coordinates purchase and delivery of lift passes, ski hire (including all liaison with staff re wishes/requirements) with Resort Managers.

4)Provides support to staff to arrange medical appointments and prefecture visits to complete visa requirements (UK visa employees).

6) Provide support for staff medical insurance (ongoing admin done by Admin assistant). During the season, deals with any injuries, serious illnesses (e.g., taking staff to hospital, helping get the right/ best treatment etc), supporting re bereavement etc., "in loco-parentis"

7) Plans and leads start of season training and set-up with Resort Managers

8) Provides ongoing support to Resort Managers with team management during the season:
a) Deals with any disciplinary issues or grievances and any dismissals
b) Supports in dealing with significant performance related issues (these are mostly dealt with by Resort Managers)

9) Conducts exit meetings with each departing staff member with Resort Managers (including season review and obtaining improvement suggestions)

10) Manages payroll and timesheets monthly:
a) calculates amounts due /prepares timesheets and instructs payroll team

11) Keeps a track of supplies such as Telephones/Wifi/dongles/equipment and uniforms and supervises the returns at end of season in conjunction with RM

Chalets
1) Oversee management all maintenance and repairs during the season involving 3rd party providers (electricians, plumbers, white goods repairs, flooring etc), also annual chimney sweeping and fire extinguisher maintenance, snow clearing

2) Oversees the occasional chalet housekeeping and hygiene inspections done by Resort Manager

3) Organises Chalet Handovers at the start of the season and signs off on the closedown of chalets for interseason including organisation of the inventory purchases and maintenance.

4) Oversees / manages interseason maintenance including
a) preparing lists of work to be done,
b) obtaining quotes an, obtaining owner approval,
c) managing contractors
d) Sources miscellaneous chalet supplies for repairs (e.g., soft furnishings, lampshades etc)

Purchasing: Supplies and Services (in conjunction with Resort Managers)
1) Contracts for all supplies and services and manages all supplier relationships except banking,
accounting and technological areas
Includes:
a) Utilities and firewood
b) Laundry
c) Wine and champagne
d) Lift companies (with concierge/sales team)
e) Ski schools (with concierge/sales team)
f) Childcare providers (with concierge/sales team)
g) Taxi companies (with concierge/sales team)
h) Telephone and internet
i) Mobile telephones and wi-fi
j) Firewood

2) Monitors utilities usage across all properties, deals with any issues, orders / re-orders firewood, oil and gas as required with Resort Managers and Supplies Manager.

Quality of service

1)Ensures that services delivered to a high standard and in accordance with product sold

2)Liaison with UK head office for guest requirements etc

3)Customer service - support/action and decisions taken when dealing with guest grievances and feedback

4)Assists Resort Managers with plannings to ensure successful delivery of product

Vehicles

1)Hand over and hand back of vehicles

2)Records kept of which vehicle is with which person

3)Allocation of speeding fines and parking tickets

4)Organisation of repairs to vehicles throughout the season and prior to hand back

5)Signs off on vehicles before hand back

Financial and administrative
1) Manages the annual planning and review processes:
a) Prepares the annual budget, leads in spending decisions (except sales & marketing, IT). Also prepares and maintains budget revisions (reflecting actual sales and occupancy and major actual expenditures)
b) Prepares the annual competitor analysis and school holidays studies, uses these to support review of product and pricing

2) Control of purchases/spend and waste vs food budget

Job Type: Full-time

Salary: 38,000.00€ - 40,000.00€ per year

Ability to commute/relocate:
73000 Chambéry: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Required