Operations Manager - Visitor & Customer Experience, RotoruaNZ

Exciting opportunities at RotoruaNZ

RotoruaNZ is a Rotorua Lakes Council Controlled Organisation and operates as both the Economic Development Agency and the Regional Tourism Organisation for the Rotorua district. 

We are entering a dynamic new phase, with exciting changes to our structure unlocking fresh opportunities to grow our impact and better serve our community. As part of an exciting new evolution in our organisation, we have several roles available across strategy, operations, commercial partnerships, and events. This follows the recent integration of events delivery and venue operations into RotoruaNZ, marking a bold step forward in how we serve our community, our visitors, and our city.

We’re looking for passionate, skilled professionals to join our high-performing team and help deliver on our vision to make Rotorua a vibrant place to live, work, visit, study, invest and do business. If you’re driven by purpose, collaboration, and the opportunity to make a real impact – now’s the time to join us. Help shape the future of Rotorua with an organisation committed to innovation, partnership, and purpose.

Rotorua - a great place to live, work and play

Enjoy a fantastic lifestyle in Rotorua, surrounded by nature, and without the constant traffic, hustle and expense of larger cities. Here, you can easily access lakes, forests, and geothermal areas - all just minutes away - while also benefiting from the amenities of city living and the strong sense of rich culture and welcoming community. Spend less time commuting so you can take more time connecting with friends, family and the great outdoors.

About this role

The Operations Manager is a pivotal leadership role within RotoruaNZ responsible for overseeing and empowering a diverse management team including Visitor Service Managers, the Performing Arts Venue Experience Manager, and the Operations Manager Events Delivery across all RotoruaNZ managed venues.

This role orchestrates the seamless integration of visitor services, venue management, and event delivery, ensuring a unified and high-performing operation. By driving operational efficiency, elevating visitor and client experiences, and upholding the highest standards of compliance, the Operations Manager fosters a culture of excellence and continuous improvement. Through strategic leadership and effective cross-functional collaboration, this role ensures all operational activities are aligned with RotoruaNZ’s vision and objectives, strengthening the organisation’s reputation for outstanding venue and event experiences.

We are looking for a leader who is a superb communicator and team player, has an eye for detail, possesses excellent presentation, persuasion and influencing skills, and a proven ability to plan, organise and achieve results quickly.  You will need energy and enthusiasm, be positive and creative, and committed to delivering customer service to the highest level.  You will be self-managing as you tackle tasks and able to demonstrate you understand people and can lead from the front. 

Skills and experience

We are looking for candidates with a tertiary qualification in Business, Event Management, Hospitality or related field.  You will have 5+ years proven leadership experience in operations management, ideally within a visitor-focused, venue management, performing arts, or events environment.

Apply now!

If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you!  In exchange, we can offer you an interesting and rewarding role within a collaborative team based in a city that we believe is one of the best places to live in New Zealand.

This vacancy closes 22 June 2025

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