Head of Operations NZ

Head of Operations NZ | Haka House Hostels | Auckland HQ | Permanent Full Time

This is one of the most exciting leadership roles in New Zealand tourism.

Haka House New Zealand's largest and most loved hostel brands. With 13 properties across Aotearoa, a portfolio that is growing, and a leadership team that genuinely invests in its people, we are looking for a Head of Operations NZ who is ready to lead at the highest level and help shape the next chapter of this business.

This is not a role for someone who wants to manage from a distance. You will be a genuine partner to the CEO and leadership team, a trusted leader to the Operations team, and the person who translates strategy into what actually happens on the ground across our network every day.

🌿 About Haka House

We are a New Zealand-based and operated hostel group, with properties from the Bay of Islands to Aoraki Mt Cook. We are values-led, people-first, and genuinely committed to doing things well. Our culture is warm, direct and high-performing. No egos, no bull.

✨ The Role

As Head of Operations NZ you will lead our two Operations Managers, a GM of Lake Tekapo as well as our building facilities and maintenance manager, working closely with the CEO and wider leadership team to translate strategic goals into operational excellence across the portfolio.

You will own the operational performance of our 13 properties across Aotearoa. You will be the person who lifts the team, lifts the standards, and lifts the results.

Day to day that means:

• Providing strong, visible leadership to the operations leadership team and supporting their development
• Collaborating with the CEO and leadership team to shape and deliver the group's strategic and operational plans
• Driving operational quality, brand standards and SOPs across all properties
• Providing strategic oversight of guest experience, and supporting the team to lift reviews and scores
• Supporting Operations leaders with group-wide contracts, supplier relationships and key partnerships
• Overseeing building facilities and maintenance across all 13 properties, ensuring a proactive approach to maintenance planning, capital expenditure and keeping every property safe, functional and guest-ready
• Ensuring H&S protocols are upheld across the network
• Acting as a genuine business partner. This is a seat at the table role.

🌟 What We Are Looking For

You are an experienced, commercially savvy hospitality or tourism operations leader who has led teams across multiple sites and knows what great looks like. You bring:

• A thorough understanding of hostel, hotel or accommodation operations at a multi-site level
• Proven people leadership — you develop others and get the best out of a team
• Strong financial acumen and experience owning budgets and targets
• Strategic thinking with the ability to translate big picture into practical plans
• High EQ, strong relationship skills and the ability to influence at every level
• A genuine passion for New Zealand tourism and the kind of guests who choose to travel with us
• Self-directed, accountable and comfortable operating with autonomy
• Solid understanding of employment relations and people management at a senior leadership level, with a values-led approach

💥 What You Will Get

• A genuinely influential role at the heart of one of New Zealand's leading tourism brands
• A direct reporting line to the CEO and a genuine seat at the leadership table — this role has real influence over the direction of the business
• A culture that is genuinely people-first. We promote from within, invest in development, and you will have real influence from day one
• The opportunity to shape the operational future of a business that is growing
• Access to our Leadership Framework, Learna learning platform and ongoing development
• Wellbeing support through Groov and EAP

If you are a hospitality or tourism operations leader who is ready for your next challenge and wants to work somewhere that genuinely cares about doing things well, we would love to hear from you.

Apply with your CV and a cover letter telling us what draws you to Haka House and what you would bring to this role.

Position description Apply now

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