A hospitality career awaits
Do you fit the role?
Chief Operating Officer
Hospitality Online
We are looking for a Chief Operating Officer to take the majority of the workload and to keep Hospitality Online running smoothly.
Massimo, our CEO, is not stepping away. He stays across the business and remains part of every big decision. What he needs alongside him is someone motivated, not shy of hard work, and able to keep the ship stable day to day while he focuses on growth, on winning new clients and on bringing a second company he has acquired into the fold.
This is a senior seat with real ownership of the operation. You are not being brought in to watch from the side. You are being brought in to carry the weight.
What the role looks like
The role is hybrid. We meet as a team once a week at a location that suits everyone, and the rest of the week is yours to run as you see fit. Travel to properties happens only when it is genuinely needed.
What you take on
- Run the operationOwn the day to day so that work moves on time and to standard without the CEO having to sit in the middle of it. You are the person the team checks in with and the person who decides what happens next.
- Own the systemsMost of what we do already runs on software built for the job. Your task is to make sure those systems are used properly, kept current and improved where they fall short, so that nothing slips between them.
- Hold the client relationshipsBe the steady point of contact our lodges, hotels and resorts come back to. Handle the briefs, the questions and the occasional difficult conversation, and keep every client feeling looked after.
- Plan the work and the capacityBuild the schedule across websites, content, campaigns and newsletters. Know what is landing this month, who is carrying it and where the pressure is going to fall before it falls.
- Lead the content teamTwo photographers join us next year and will produce the bulk of our content. You will brief them, plan the shoot calendar and direct that output rather than creating it yourself.
- Guard the qualityNothing leaves the studio that you have not been happy with. Hold the standard on the work, the writing and the way we present ourselves to clients.
- Manage suppliers and contractorsDevelopers, designers, freelancers, printers and platforms. Negotiate, brief them properly and hold them to their deadlines.
- Run the numbersQuotes, invoicing, following up on payment, supplier costs and keeping an eye on the profitability of each account. Flag what is not working while there is still time to fix it.
- Report on performanceClient reporting that shows the value of the work, and an honest internal picture of how the business is running, brought to the CEO regularly.
- Grow the teamHire, onboard and develop the people we bring in, and build a studio that good people want to stay at.
- Keep the ship stableBusy periods, tight deadlines and the unexpected are part of this industry. Your job is to absorb that and keep everything moving.
Most of the machinery already exists. We need the person who makes it run.
Who we are looking for
Motivated and hands on
You are not shy of hard work. You would rather solve something yourself than pass it up the line.
Senior experience
You have run teams and operations before, and you are comfortable being the person everything routes through.
Organised by nature
Deadlines, schedules and moving parts do not rattle you. You keep the picture in your head and the detail on the page.
Comfortable with systems
You take to software quickly and you would rather fix a process than firefight the same problem twice.
Good with clients
Our clients are lodges, hotels and resorts. They value people who answer clearly and follow through.
Someone who keeps the ship stable when it is busy.
A background in hospitality or in marketing will serve you well here. Knowing both is a real advantage.
Send us your CV
hello@hospitalityonline.co.zaEmail your CV along with a short note about the teams and operations you have run. We read every application ourselves.
Applications close 30 October · Position commences January 2027