President of Operations

Boyne Resorts • Petoskey, MI

43d

About The Position

We are being more transparent in this posting than most companies would be for a role at this level. Here is why:
Boyne Resorts is a family business, founded in 1948 in northern Michigan. Over 78 years, we have grown from a single ski area to 13 mountain and golf destinations coast to coast, approaching $1 billion in annual revenue with more than 11,000 team members. We have done this while remaining privately held, family-led, and deeply committed to a culture built on five core values: Serve First, Developing Great People, Attitude is Everything, Long-Term Thinking, and Excellence in Execution.
We are creating the role of President of Operations because we have grown into a company that has earned dedicated operational leadership at this level. As CEO, my current structure of 15 direct reports is too flat for a company of this size and ambition. Our regional COOs and operational SVPs deserve a dedicated operational partner whose sole focus is enabling their success. And the company needs its CEO focused on the 3 to 10 year horizon: strategic partnerships, financial stakeholders, board engagement, industry leadership, and the kind of long-term thinking that has always differentiated us.
The right person for this role will be drawn to our story, not just our scale. If you read the rest of this posting and see yourself in it, we want to hear from you.
– Stephen Kircher, CEO - Boyne Resorts

About Boyne Resorts
Founded in 1948 by Everett Kircher, Boyne Resorts is one of the largest family-owned resort operators in North America. The company operates 13 mountain and golf destinations across Michigan, Maine, New Hampshire, Utah, Montana, Washington, and British Columbia.
Over the past decade, Boyne has invested aggressively in its physical infrastructure – new lifts, snowmaking systems, lodging, dining, and guest experiences across the network. Those investments have built a competitive moat around many of our properties. One of the company’s flagship properties, Big Sky Resort, is now ranked the #1 ski resort in North America.
As we often say internally, we are a “company of resorts, not a resort company”. Each property has its own character, its own community, its own DNA. Enterprise-level excellence at Boyne does not mean cookie-cutter operations – it means each resort operating at its highest potential while sharing what works across the network.
The Role
The President of Operations will serve as the senior operational leader of Boyne Resorts, reporting directly to the CEO and overseeing all resort operations across 13 destinations. The regional COOs and the company’s operational SVPs will report directly to this role.
This role carries real authority and real accountability:
Direct line authority over regional COOs and operational SVPs, with full ownership of operational performance across all 13 properties.
Ownership of the day-to-day management rhythm of the company, leading the regular operational cadence with all direct reports.
Development and implementation of enterprise-wide operational playbooks, standards, and best practice frameworks.
Operational decision-making authority, handling escalations and driving accountability without requiring CEO involvement on day-to-day matters.
Ownership of the development and succession planning pipeline for operational leaders across the organization.
Close partnership with the CEO and CSO on strategic initiatives requiring operational execution, serving as the operational voice in C-level strategic discussions.
The CEO will retain direct oversight of the company’s CFO, CIO, CMO, CHRO, CSO, and SVP of Development, along with strategic direction, capital allocation, board and investor relations, industry leadership, and organizational culture.
Who We Are Looking For
This is not a turnaround role. Boyne Resorts is in a strong position with great momentum. The right person will be someone who builds on that strength – not by imposing a new playbook from outside, but by understanding what makes this company special and creating the systems and structure that help it perform at an even higher level.
A servant leader. Our most deeply held operational value is Serve First. The right person leads by enabling others, not by directing from the top. They find genuine satisfaction in making the people around them successful.
A people developer. Developing Great People is not a program at Boyne – it is a core value. Building the next generation of operational leaders is a primary function of this role, not a secondary one.
A builder of operational playbooks. Creating, implementing, and evolving enterprise-level operational standards and processes that allow 13 properties to improve their sharing of best practices and operate at a consistently high level.
Enterprise-minded without being corporate. The ability to bring operational discipline and data-driven decision making to a family business culture without losing the soul of what makes that culture work. Systems that scale while respecting the unique character of each resort.
A trust builder. Boyne’s leadership team includes people who have built careers here over decades. The right person will take the time to understand what works, listen before changing, and earn credibility through their actions and consistency.
A long-term thinker. This is a family business with a 78-year legacy. The right person thinks in decades, not quarters, and understands the responsibility that comes with stewarding something this special. This role is designed with a multi-year development horizon – building the leader and the team to sustain operational excellence for the next generation.
Why Boyne
This is a rare opportunity in the resort industry: the chance to lead operations for a family-owned company at institutional scale. Boyne offers the resources and ambition of a major operator with the long-term thinking, cultural depth, and decision-making speed of a family business.
The company has invested over a billion dollars in its physical infrastructure over the past decade. The next chapter of growth will be defined by reinvestment into transformational projects and by operational excellence – consistency across the guest experience, data-driven decision making, enterprise-wide best practice sharing, and the development of world-class operational leaders. This role is being created to lead that work.
Significant strategic opportunities lie ahead – from continued reinvestments, creation of new four-season experiences and selective additions to the Boyne family of resorts. The President of Operations will play a central role in positioning the company to capitalize on these opportunities.
Compensation
This is a substantial senior leadership position. Compensation will be competitive and market-appropriate for the scope and responsibility of the role, including base salary, performance-based incentives, and a comprehensive benefits package.

Requirements

• Significant multi-site operational leadership experience, preferably in hospitality, resorts, entertainment, or similarly complex guest-facing businesses.
• Proven track record of leading and developing operational leaders across geographically distributed teams.
• Demonstrated ability to build operational playbooks, systems, and standards that drive consistency and performance without sacrificing local culture and autonomy.
• Experience managing P&L responsibility across multiple business units at significant scale.
• Strong executive presence with the ability to partner effectively with a CEO, C-level leadership team, and board of directors.
• Home office based with the ability to travel significantly across all 13 properties. No specific hub location required – anywhere that allows easy travel access across North America.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in seasonal businesses or organizations with highly variable demand cycles is a strong advantage.

Responsibilities

• Direct line authority over regional COOs and operational SVPs, with full ownership of operational performance across all 13 properties.
• Ownership of the day-to-day management rhythm of the company, leading the regular operational cadence with all direct reports.
• Development and implementation of enterprise-wide operational playbooks, standards, and best practice frameworks.
• Operational decision-making authority, handling escalations and driving accountability without requiring CEO involvement on day-to-day matters.
• Ownership of the development and succession planning pipeline for operational leaders across the organization.
• Close partnership with the CEO and CSO on strategic initiatives requiring operational execution, serving as the operational voice in C-level strategic discussions.

Benefits

• Compensation will be competitive and market-appropriate for the scope and responsibility of the role, including base salary, performance-based incentives, and a comprehensive benefits package.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Education Level: No Education Listed