About the role
As part of the City’s Venues and Community leadership team, the Manager Major Venues provides strategic direction, business leadership, and operational oversight of the City’s network of major sporting and aquatic facilities.
Reporting to the General Manager Venues and Community, this pivotal executive role leads a business unit of approximately 130 employees plus a large casual workforce, managing complex, multi-site operations that balance commercial performance, community outcomes, and civic priorities.
The position is responsible for optimising venue utilisation, driving financial sustainability, ensuring safety and compliance, and enhancing customer and community value. Working collaboratively across internal and external stakeholders, the Manager Major Venues shapes the strategic direction of venue activation, investment, and engagement across the Gold Coast.
For more information including role responsibilities, please view the position brief.
About you
You are an accomplished and strategic leader with a proven record of success managing large, complex, and multi-site operations within the sport, recreation, or hospitality sectors. You bring a deep understanding of how to balance strategic foresight with operational excellence, ensuring venues deliver both strong commercial outcomes and meaningful community benefit.
With a confident leadership style and a collaborative approach, you inspire high performance, accountability, and innovation across diverse teams and stakeholder groups. You thrive in complex environments, providing clarity, direction, and influence while maintaining a strong focus on safety, service, and sustainability
You will also demonstrate:
- A bachelor’s degree in business administration or equivalent qualifications and executive-level experience in major venues, sport, recreation, or hospitality management.
- Extensive experience leading large, multi-site teams and managing diverse workforces, including significant casual and operational staff cohorts.
- Proven ability to develop and deliver strategic plans, manage substantial budgets, and drive operational performance at scale.
- Strong commercial and financial acumen with the ability to optimise resources and deliver sustainable outcomes.
- Exceptional stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, with experience partnering across government, community, and industry sectors.
- Highly developed leadership and people management skills with a focus on capability development, cultural alignment, and continuous improvement.
- Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to anticipate emerging issues and implement proactive, data-informed solutions.
- Outstanding communication, negotiation, and presentation skills, with the confidence to represent the organisation at senior and public forums.
- A demonstrated commitment to safety, service excellence, and community impact.
Be part of shaping the Gold Coast's future
The Gold Coast is inspired by lifestyle and driven by opportunity. We are the second largest Council in Australia.
We care about being the most flexible government organisation in Australia and we have a range of benefits to help you create the right balance:
- Coaching and advice to develop your leadership competencies
- Mental Health training
- Study allowance provisions
- 4 free confidential counselling sessions a year for you or an immediate family member
- Salary sacrifice provisions including vehicles on novated lease and superannuation
We pride ourselves on our shared mission of being a high-performing, customer-focused organisation which delivers value-for-money services to the community. We're committed to creating a diverse workplace and inclusive culture.
