Sr. Mgr., Uqonic Lounge Ops, NA

gategroup•New York, NY

7d•$140,000 - $145,000

About The Position

Provides strategic and operational leadership across a portfolio of airport lounges in the North America region. The role is accountable for delivering a consistently exceptional, personalized guest experience grounded in a strong hospitality culture while achieving operational, financial, safety, quality, and people-performance objectives. It leads and develops Lounge Managers and regional support teams, establishes high standards for hospitality and service delivery, and drives consistency through shared operating standards, best-practice deployment, performance management, and continuous improvement. The role also empowers local teams to provide authentic, anticipatory, and personalized service. The Senior Manager serves as a key operational and hospitality partner to clients, airport authorities, and internal stakeholders, ensuring lounge operations meet contractual commitments, brand expectations, and evolving guest needs. The position leads regional operations, supports business growth, new lounge openings and contract transitions, and works across culinary, procurement, HR, finance, and commercial teams. It is responsible for operational performance, financial outcomes, compliance, quality assurance, client relationships, and the development of high-performing teams across the regional lounge network.

Requirements

At least 10 years of progressively responsible management experience in a luxury airline, five-star hospitality, premium restaurant, or international hotel environment, in addition to education equivalency.
Bachelor’s degree in a hospitality management-related field, or six years of equivalent work experience in hotel or restaurant management in place of a degree.
Proven leadership experience in high-end guest services and hospitality operations.
Demonstrated success leading multicultural teams in fast-paced, service-driven operations.
Experience delivering premium customer experiences and service excellence standards.
In-depth knowledge of luxury food and beverage operations, hygiene regulations, and international safety standards.
In-depth knowledge of HACCP and food safety compliance requirements.
Ability to coach, mentor, and develop high-performing service teams.
Strong financial acumen, including budgeting, cost control, and resource planning.
Excellent proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
Fluency in English and the local language.
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to lead effectively under pressure in a complex, high-profile operational environment.
Strong stakeholder management skills, including the ability to build trust, influence decisions, and foster collaboration.
Passion for delivering luxury guest experiences with exceptional attention to detail.
Highly developed interpersonal skills to engage across levels of seniority and diverse cultural backgrounds.
Strong problem-solving and decision-making capabilities.
Proactive, hands-on, and operationally focused leadership approach.
Ability to maintain discretion, professionalism, and strong brand representation.
Excellent organizational and time-management skills, including prioritizing competing demands.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience managing premium airport lounges or VIP hospitality environments.
Familiarity with lounge management systems and operational reporting tools.
Additional international languages.

Responsibilities

Provide leadership in hospitality, food and beverage operations, premium guest services, and multi-site operational management.
Lead North America regional lounge operations teams, drive continuous improvement, support business growth, and act as a key liaison between airline partners, airport authorities, and internal stakeholders.
Ensure an exceptional and consistent guest experience, hospitality standards, and brand compliance across all locations.
Establish, monitor, and continually improve guest-experience standards, service models, and operating procedures.
Analyze guest feedback, satisfaction data, operational trends, and service failures; identify root causes and implement sustainable improvements.
Work with the Executive Chef for Lounges to foster effective front-of-house and back-of-house collaboration and consistent practices.
Lead pre-opening, transition, and mobilization activities for new lounge openings and contract transitions.
Improve margins through staffing optimization, procurement efficiencies, and operational best practices.
Identify revenue-enhancement and cost-saving opportunities while maintaining service excellence.
Collaborate with North America Lounge leadership and support departments on contract renewals, RFP responses, and commercial negotiations with airline and airport partners.
Ensure compliance with food safety, sanitation, health regulations, and airport operational standards.
Oversee audit readiness and compliance, including HACCP, health inspections, and internal quality reviews.
Drive quality assurance programs focused on guest satisfaction, cleanliness, presentation, and service consistency.
Ensure compliance with labor laws and regulations, company policies, security protocols, and airport authority regulations.
Build client relationships through operational transparency, performance reporting, and proactive issue resolution.
Participate in business reviews, executive and customer presentations, and strategic planning sessions with key stakeholders.
Collaborate with culinary, procurement, HR, finance, and commercial teams to support operational success.
Lead, mentor, and develop Lounge Managers and regional support teams, fostering accountability, engagement, and service excellence.

Benefits

Paid time off
401(k) with company match
Company-sponsored life insurance
Medical, dental, and vision plans
Voluntary short-term and long-term disability insurance
Voluntary life, accident, and hospital plans
Employee Assistance Program
Commuter benefits
Employee discounts
Incentive pay of 10% of annual base salary, dependent on successful attainment of company, team, and individual goals