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General Manager job description template

If you are hiring for this role, start here. This free template is our detailed definition of the position, with everything you need to find and hire the right person. Copy it, add your own requirements, and post it.

Free job description below
Median pay
$56,736per year, about $27 an hour
Range$20,000 to $85,500 a year
Hourly$10 to $41 an hour
EducationMany General Managers have earned a bachelor's degree in business administration, finance, economics, or a similar profession.
Also calledManager, Supervisor, District Manager
DepartmentExecutive
The role

What is a General Manager?

General managers supervise their teams at restaurants, retail shops, offices, and other enterprises to ensure that all company activities are completed successfully.

Their job is to provide a link between higher management and front-line personnel who deal directly with clients and consumers.

General managers ensure that their site maintains a good level of customer service by responding to complaints, product returns, and other concerns.

They implement various in-store promotions, educate their staff, plan shipments, and keep their team organized.

To carry out a sales strategy, they allocate responsibilities to shop workers and other team members.

What to screen for

The top General Manager skills.

Five things separate a strong hire from a résumé that reads well. Use these as your scorecard criteria.

SkillWhy it matters
Communication SkillsMany general manager roles need communication, whether written or verbal. These abilities are used by general managers to communicate vital company information to staff, stakeholders, and consumers. They must communicate simply and succinctly to ensure that everyone, regardless of experience or skill, understands. Active listening also allows for constructive dialogues, since it ensures that the general manager knows and responds to the demands of their audience.
Leadership SkillsEmployees and their job performance are overseen by general managers. These professionals must rely on their ability to lead, direct, and communicate with their team members in order to manage these people. General managers with good leadership qualities may inspire and drive staff to realize their full potential.
Strategic PlanningA general manager is a leader, thus these professionals are in charge of developing well-thought-out plans to prepare their teams and enterprises for the future. The general manager can assist in developing strategies in their department to accomplish the organization's goals after those goals have been established.
Technical SkillsGeneral managers frequently use computers and software to do their everyday jobs. Technical expertise unique to the industry in which these experts operate may also be required. Technical abilities are often learned through on-the-job experience, training programs, or formal schooling for general managers.
Organization SkillsThis ability allows general managers to successfully manage their time and resources, ensuring that their department has adequate assistance for the present as well as planning for the future. Because general managers may be in charge of the financial side of the company, these abilities can help them keep expenses under control so they can stay on budget and earn a profit.
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General ManagerExecutive · Free to use and edit

We are searching for a self-motivated and results-oriented General Manager to oversee and manage the business operations of our firm, as well as design and implement efficient business plans and initiatives. Allocating budget resources, formulating policies, coordinating business operations, monitoring and motivating employees, and managing operational costs are some of the tasks you’ll be performing.

Our organization needs someone with entrepreneurial drive and vision in leading business processes. This could help us preserve customer connections, generate new business, increase employee productivity, improve service, ensure sustainability, and accomplish corporate objectives.

Excellent communication skills, a great understanding of business activities, remarkable budgeting and financial abilities, and strong leadership characteristics are required for this position. All business actions should be accounted for by the notable general manager, who should also assist staff development, improve efficiency, drive sales and increase revenue, maintain customer connections, improve the organization's image, and satisfy overall growth objectives. Sounds like you? Apply today!

Duties and responsibilities

  • Creating major performance targets and monitoring employee performance
  • Developing and implementing business growth strategies
  • Recruiting fresh employees for a department or business unit
  • Assuring that departments or divisions provide clients with high-quality services
  • Working closely with account managers and other senior personnel.
  • Creating innovative solutions to address the demands of clients
  • Improving internal procedures in order to increase production.
  • Managing and evaluating large-scale project and performance reports
  • Managing a location's or business unit's budget and monitoring its financial health

Requirements

  • A bachelor's degree in business administration or a master's degree in business administration is required.
  • Good understanding of many business functions.
  • Excellent leadership abilities.
  • Exceptional communication abilities.
  • Extremely well-organized.
  • Stong work ethic.
  • Interpersonal skills.
  • Exceptional attention to detail.
  • Knowledgeable of computers.
Add your pay range, benefits, and location before you post. Postings with a stated range get significantly more finished applications than the ones that leave it out.

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Copy it straight into your job board or ATS, or have it emailed to you with the interview questions for this role.

Education

Degree first, then the certification.

Many General Managers have earned a bachelor's degree in business administration, finance, economics, or a similar profession.

They may also have credentials in the field in which they work, such as engineering or information systems.

Other applicants may hold a Master of Business Administration or another master's degree in a related field.

Candidates may additionally hold the Institute of Certified Professional Managers' Certified Manager Certification to further demonstrate their expertise and competence.

CM

Certified Manager Certification

Demonstrates managerial competence and expertise in business management.

Institute of Certified Professional Managers
Treat these as a signal, not a requirement. Plenty of strong candidates come up through experience without one.
After the applications land

Sample interview questions for a General Manager.

Once you have gathered the applications, work through these in order. Twelve questions across four areas, enough to tell your shortlist apart.

Personal
  • Tell us about your previous experience as a leader.
  • What is your most serious flaw?
  • What are a few of your assets?
Human Resources
  • What would you do if you had an unhappy employee?
  • What would you do if one of your employees gave you unfavorable feedback?
  • Tell me about a time when you worked on a project with people from other departments.
Management
  • Describe a moment when your task management went wrong and what you learned from it.
  • As general manager, how will you handle meetings?
  • As a manager, have you established any new procedures? How did it turn out?
Technical Skills and Knowledge
  • Could you provide a few key performance indicators (KPIs) that you would track in this position?
  • What are some of the issues that our industry faces?
  • What aspect of managing do you enjoy the most?
Pay

How much to pay when hiring.

Annual pay by percentile. Where you land depends on the size of the cycle they will own, and the 25th percentile is usually where a first analyst hire sits.

10th percentile$20,000
25th percentile$41,000
Median$56,736
75th percentile$65,000
90th percentile$85,500

Hourly equivalents run from $10 at the 10th percentile to $41 at the 90th.

Related job titles

Candidates may apply under a different name.

Post the title your industry uses and keep the rest of the description. These three roles overlap enough that the same posting usually reaches all of them.

Same work, different title

Three titles, one description.

Search behavior varies by industry, so the same job is advertised under several names. If you are unsure which one your candidates search for, run two titles and see which fills.

Manager

A Manager is the essential component of a thriving business ecosystem.

$43,942 median

Supervisor

Understanding the role of a Supervisor is crucial to attracting top professionals.

$63,748 median

District Manager

$69,167 median
Questions

Frequently asked questions.

What's the difference between an Assistant Manager and a General Manager?

While General Managers supervise an entire shop or office, Assistant Managers assist the General Manager by overseeing individual shifts.

Assistant Managers are frequently the business's keyholders, unlocking the doors at the start of the day, depositing cash in the safe, and activating the security system at the end of the day.

General Managers hire and dismiss personnel, define sales procedures, and manage firm finances, while Assistant Managers handle tasks like processing shift changes, taking inventory orders, setting up product displays, and organizing staff meetings.

What qualities to look for in a good General Manager?

Good general managers have outstanding people skills, which they employ in managing their employees.

They are aware of the company's overarching vision and establish reasonable goals for its employees.

General managers must be good communicators who can deal with problems with employees or clients and inspire their staff by recognizing their talents.

They provide their team with the tools they need to succeed by assigning duties and providing opportunities for them to grow and try out new ideas.

Successful general managers are adaptable and innovative problem solvers who can respond and adjust to obstacles like missed sales targets or dissatisfied consumers.

What should you look for in a resume for a General Manager?

Look for people with experience in the sort of business you're running while screening applications for a General Manager position.

A general manager of a retail store, for example, should have worked as a cashier, customer service associate, inventory manager, or assistant manager.

Successful applicants may have a background in business or have worked with corporate finances.

They should exhibit a willingness to learn by demonstrating how they progressed and evolved at previous companies.

Facts regarding how the individual increased business efficiency in their prior work will be included in a powerful CV.

What are the responsibilities of a General Manager on a daily basis?

General managers work mostly on-site at the firm they oversee, but they may go to corporate offices for meetings with company executives.

They do a review of the shop or business's customer-facing areas and meet with the Assistant Manager or department leaders to determine the day's goals.

General Managers spend time creating the budget, approving supplier orders, and signing employee paychecks.

They communicate with consumers and clients in order to develop strong relationships with their target audience and to handle any difficulties that may arise.

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