Senior Guest Experience Manager

The standard we hold for our guests is the same standard we hold for our team. Seen, heard, valued and at ease applies in both directions.

High Note Hospitality Group is an independent hospitality group, founded and run by hands-on operators. Our first venue, Chip Bee Bistro, has been trading at Chip Bee Gardens since July 2025. Our second venue opens at the Singapore Botanic Gardens in late 2026. We are small, deliberately so, and we are building.

Working here means joining a team that takes the craft seriously and the work personally. You will have clear standards, real support, and the trust to make the calls that matter in the moment. You will also have a direct line to the people building the group, because we are the people building the group.

Reports to: Head of Guest Experience & Hospitality Strategy, with direct working access to the Directors

Employment Type: Full-time, Permanent

Location: Botanic Gardens, Singapore

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About the Role

The Senior Guest Experience Manager is a senior front-of-house leader with primary responsibility for guest experience and service excellence at our Botanic Gardens venue, while contributing to the continued development of hospitality standards across the Group.

You will lead the front-of-house management team and wider service team, ensuring consistent execution of service standards, operational discipline and commercial performance.

This is a highly visible, hands-on leadership role. You will spend significant time on the floor during service while also developing managers, implementing operational improvements, strengthening guest relationships and partnering closely with culinary leadership and the founders to build the Group’s hospitality culture.

The role requires someone who can lead confidently during a busy service, develop people with patience and clarity, understand the commercial realities of running a restaurant, and still notice the small details that shape how a guest feels.

What You'll Own

Leadership & Operations

• Lead front-of-house operations for the venue, ensuring exceptional guest experiences and strong operational execution
• Lead, develop and support Guest Experience Managers, Assistant Managers, Supervisors and the wider front-of-house team
• Establish, maintain and continuously improve service standards
• Provide calm, visible leadership during peak services
• Drive a culture of accountability, professionalism, care and continuous improvement
• Partner closely with culinary leadership, fellow venue leaders and the founders on operational planning and execution
• Support the development of broader Group hospitality standards, systems and initiatives where required

Guest Experience

• Champion thoughtful, genuine hospitality from reservation through departure
• Build strong relationships with regular guests, VIPs and key stakeholders
• Oversee reservation systems, including SevenRooms, guest profiling and CRM initiatives
• Ensure guest preferences and relevant information are captured and used meaningfully
• Handle complex guest concerns and recovery situations with professionalism, empathy and sound judgement
• Analyse guest feedback and identify opportunities for continuous improvement
• Ensure service recovery standards are consistent, thoughtful and appropriate to the situation
• Develop a culture where guest recognition is personal rather than performative

People Leadership

• Recruit, onboard, coach and develop high-performing front-of-house talent
• Build capability within the management team rather than holding all decisions personally
• Conduct performance reviews, coaching conversations and development planning
• Support succession planning for key operational and leadership roles
• Ensure appropriate staffing levels, scheduling discipline and labour productivity
• Foster a respectful, positive and high-performing workplace culture
• Address performance concerns clearly, fairly and promptly
• Create an environment where team members feel seen, heard, valued and able to perform at their best

Financial & Commercial Performance

• Monitor labour costs, productivity and operational efficiency
• Support budgeting, forecasting, purchasing and cost management
• Review operational reports relating to sales, labour, guest feedback and profitability
• Identify trends, risks and opportunities, and implement improvement plans where required
• Work with the leadership team to improve average spend, beverage performance and overall commercial results
• Balance guest experience with the commercial discipline required to operate a sustainable business
• Contribute to annual planning and venue performance reviews

Quality & Compliance

• Ensure Standard Operating Procedures are consistently followed, reviewed and improved
• Lead internal quality checks and support external inspections where required
• Maintain high standards of cleanliness, presentation and venue maintenance
• Ensure compliance with workplace safety, food hygiene and all relevant regulatory requirements
• Maintain appropriate incident reporting and follow-up processes
• Support strong allergen awareness and service communication across the team
• Ensure operational standards remain consistent during both routine and high-pressure periods

Continuous Improvement

• Analyse operational performance and identify opportunities for improvement, innovation and efficiency
• Lead the implementation of new systems, processes and service initiatives
• Support venue-opening projects and operational readiness where required
• Contribute to cross-functional projects across operations, finance, people, guest experience and commercial performance
• Share learning and best practices across the Group
• Perform any other reasonable duties assigned by Management

What we're looking for

Essential

• Eight or more years of front-of-house hospitality experience, with at least three years in a managerial or senior supervisory role
• Demonstrated experience leading restaurant operations and front-of-house teams
• Genuine warmth, presence and the instinct to put guests at ease
• Ability to lead a team through the pressure of service without losing composure or standards
• Strong working English and the confidence to host any table, from a long-standing regular to a first-time guest
• Strong people leadership skills, with experience coaching and developing managers and team members
• Sound commercial understanding, including labour productivity, operational efficiency and restaurant performance
• Confidence handling complex guest concerns and service recovery
• Ability to work evenings, weekends and public holidays in line with restaurant operations

Desirable

• Experience with SevenRooms or an equivalent reservations and CRM platform
• Wine knowledge to WSET Level 2 or equivalent practical fluency
• Experience in independent, chef-led or owner-operated restaurants
• Exposure to opening or building a new venue
• Experience working across more than one venue or contributing to group-wide operational initiatives
• Experience in premium casual, contemporary dining or high-volume quality-led restaurants
• Familiarity with restaurant POS systems such as Lightspeed

What we offer

• A salary aligned to the Singapore market for senior FOH roles, reviewed annually
• Discretionary performance bonus linked to agreed senior-management KPIs and overall venue and company performance
• Paid leave, public holidays, medical coverage, and parental leave
• Staff meals on every shift
• Company medical benefits
• Access to training, courses, and industry exposure, including tasting trips and visits to other venues we admire
• Access to training, courses and industry exposure, including tastings, venue visits and opportunities to learn from operators and businesses we admire
• Direct working access to the founders and senior leadership team
• A working environment where standards are clear, feedback is direct, and good judgment is trusted

Why This Role Matters

We are building the next stage of High Note Hospitality Group and the leadership team that will shape it.

This is not a role for someone who wants to manage from an office or simply maintain an existing system. We are looking for someone who wants to be present, lead from the floor, develop people, understand the numbers, build lasting guest relationships and help define what hospitality should feel like as the Group grows.

You will be joining at a point where your judgement, standards and leadership can have a genuine impact.