Pipers Landing Yacht & Country Club General Manager/COO Position Available In Martin, Florida

Job Title:

Piper’s Landing Yacht & Country Club General Manager/COO

Job Category:

GM/COO

Club:

Piper’s Landing Yacht & Country Club

Location:

Palm City, FL

GENERAL MANAGER/CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER PROFILE

PIPER’S

LANDING YACHT & COUNTRY CLUB

PALM

CITY, FL THE GENERAL MANAGER/CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER OPPORTUNITY AT PIPER’S LANDING YACHT & COUNTRY CLUB

The role of General Manager/Chief Operating Officer (GM/COO) at Piper’s Landing Yacht & Country Club (Piper’s Landing or PLYCC) offers an exceptional opportunity to join a high-functioning club community characterized by strong membership satisfaction and a positive culture of support, collegiality, and “family” among both members and staff. The new GM/COO must continue to elevate the overall experiences of members and staff while being diplomatic, “hands-on,” mentoring, interactive, caring, and charismatic. As a bundled club community, Piper’s Landing is seeking a consummate leader who enjoys wearing many hats, essentially functioning as the mayor, city manager, and club manager simultaneously. This leader must possess strong overall competencies in each area, along with a natural desire to be actively engaged, approachable, and highly interactive. Palm City is one of the more desirable locations in the state, offering excellent schools and convenient access to waterways, beaches, and airports, while still maintaining a small-town feel. This presents a great opportunity for a long-term ‘home’ in a fully amenitized club community. Click here to view a brief video about this opportunity.

PIPER’S LANDING YACHT & COUNTRY CLUB AND COMMUNITY

Piper’s Landing Yacht & Country Club is a member-owned private country club community located on Florida’s Treasure Coast, just 45 minutes north of Palm Beach International Airport. Its purpose is to provide an experience that exceeds member expectations in a welcoming atmosphere of understated elegance, while upholding fiscally responsible governance that reflects its core values. Members enjoy a variety of amenities, including the unspoiled natural beauty of their exceptional nature preserves, officially designated as wildlife sanctuaries, and the stunning landscape of a private 18-hole championship golf course with a challenging design of 6922 yards and six different tees. The golf course was originally designed by “Gentleman Joe Lee” and recently redesigned by Gene Bates. Members can also set sail from the calm waters of their naturally protected yacht basin or challenge themselves on five Har-Tru tennis courts and two pickleball courts. In addition, the state-of-the-art 3,300-square-foot Lifestyle Center offers a wide array of fitness and cardio options, including personal trainers. Along with its extensive social calendar, Piper’s Landing Yacht & Country Club provides dining options that range from casual to elegant, with creative menus available for all occasions at Piper’s Landing. Piper’s Landing has been recognized with the following awards:
By

BOARDROOM

Magazine, designated as a Special Distinguished Club from 2016 to 2021 and an Exceptional Distinguished Club in 2022.
By Indian River Magazine

• “Best Place to Play Golf on the Treasure Coast” 3 times, most recently in 2023.
  By The Hometown News
• “Best Golf course in Martin County” 4 times, most recently in 2021.
  By United Way of Martin County
• “Top 10 Most Generous Community” almost every year.

PIPER’S LANDING YACHT & COUNTRY CLUB BY THE NUMBERS

A bundled community with mandatory membership, there are 302 units within Piper’s Landing covering six different single-family home styles and just over 100 custom-built homes.

Initiation Fee:

$95,000 plus a one-time capital contribution of $30,000. $25,000 is refundable upon resignation

Annual Dues:

On average, approximately $30,000, including all HOA fees as well, depending on home type
Approximately 27,000 annual rounds of golf
Approximate operating budget $11.1M
Approximate Food and Beverage volume $1.7M
There are approximately 60 full-time year-round employees and 12 seasonal additions with H2Bs
The club operates POS and Accounting on JONAS
There are 9 board members each serving 3-year terms
The average age of the members is 65 with many younger residents moving to the community in the past few years
Real estate prices have more than doubled in the past three years as many homes have been renovated.
Standing Committees include Architectural Review, Audit, Finance, Golf, Greens, House, Legal, Lifestyle, Marina, Marketing, Membership, Nominating, Strategic Planning, Tennis and Pickleball with several Ad Hoc committees at present
The corporation files an 1120 tax return
There is a $4,570.00 annual capital charge and there are several smaller capital projects in process at present, along with a few larger projects under study, including a future golf course restoration

PIPER’S LANDING YACHT & COUNTRY CLUB WEBSITE

www.

PipersLanding.com

GENERAL MANAGER/CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER POSITION OVERVIEW

The Board desires a GM/COO who works very closely with the Club’s Board of Directors and actively engages with several committees. The GM/COO is seen as the “face” of Piper’s Landing Yacht & Country Club and, in partnership with key volunteers, serves as a primary visionary and “inspirationalist” to ensure that PLYCC consistently executes at an exceptionally high level of personalized service. The new GM/COO must embrace a mindset of continuous improvement, as avoiding complacency will be crucial. The Board is very keen on ensuring that it remains in a governance, policy, and evaluation ‘lane.’ At the same time, the GM/COO manages all operational matters and serves as an active ‘thought partner’ on strategic and policy issues. A key factor in the new GM/COO’s success is the ability to understand the unique nature of residential community clubs, likely through current or previous firsthand experience. A critical aspect of success is placing members/residents first and recognizing the importance of a foundation of staff support, mentorship, clear direction, ‘walking the talk’, and ‘being present’ in his or her natural and engaging style. Being a strong advocate for staff, developing talent, and prioritizing communication with the team are essential success factors. The ability to manage expectations through high levels of dynamic leadership and reasoning is critically important. Much of this can be achieved by being actively involved in all areas of the club’s amenities and community, being approachable, accessible, diplomatic, and possessing the necessary gravitas to instill confidence among all constituencies. Attention to detail in maintenance, SOPs, overall member experience, staff culture, and other key areas is crucial, as is “getting things done” once issues and solutions have been identified. As noted, outstanding communication skills, especially the demonstrated ability to listen and respond respectfully, are essential for success at Piper’s Landing with members, staff, and others in the community—vendors, city officials, etc. The culture of Piper’s Landing as the preeminent “smaller and more personalized” active lifestyle club and community in Martin County is vitally important. The key attributes, characteristics, experiences, and style of a successful new leader include:
Being a naturally positive, energized, aspirational leader who understands the dynamics of a residential community.
Possess a deep knowledge of the active club and community operations, with especially strong F & B skills, strong financial acumen, and an appreciation of modern performance management systems and technology. If not already a CAM license holder, commit to obtaining one within the first 90 days of employment. Additionally, understanding marina operations, while not required, is a plus.
Actively participating and thought partnering with the Board, Committees, and contributors to PLYCC’s success. Ultimately, the goal is to allow members to be members, enjoying their time and volunteer contributions, and not making operating decisions but being policymakers and strategic partners instead.
Naturally outgoing, conversant, respectful, and diplomatic, but able to say “no” when appropriate without alienating members or staff while doing so. Being respectfully confident and connected to the membership and team is critical.
Having experience and skills in creating and implementing strategic plans; anticipating how the Club continues to evolve is important, as is being actively ‘networked’ in the industry to the point of being at the forefront of trends in clubs, communities, real estate, and economic cycles. It is likely a course renovation will occur in the next several years. Working with appropriate committees to get that done and planning for member access to other courses during the downtime will further highlight this need.
Possessive of a strong record of selecting and developing talent in club senior leadership roles, and helping those departmental leaders continuously develop themselves and their respective staffs in a desire to create a culture of continuous evolution to excellence in execution and delivery.
Financially astute and able to effectively guide a $11.0+M operation.
A track record of results in governance/leadership partnership with active Member Boards.
Active involvement in CMAA or similar organizations where he/she has a strong network of peers, and can stay actively abreast of the industry, trends, and opportunities for PLYCC to stay relevant and proactive for its members and staff.

INITIAL PRIORITIES OF THE NEW GENERAL MANAGER/CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

The following priorities have been identified as recommended primary focus:
Meet and sincerely interact with and engage as many members as possible, “be present!” Build trust whenever and wherever possible, schedule interactive times, and follow up on details. “Be involved and in charge!” And “communicate, communicate, communicate” to develop critical relationships to succeed early on in one’s tenure.
Spend time with the team, especially senior staff in all areas of operations, to get to know them, evaluate their abilities and aspirations, and ensure that they and their respective teams have clear expectations and accountabilities in place. Understand how each operating department functions and collaborates by dedicating the necessary time in each area early on in the new role.
Develop a report to provide the Board with a thoughtful “State of the Club” analysis following ninety (90) days of overview and insight. This document will be part of the ‘roadmap’ to success, staffing, planning, budgeting, and other tactics and strategies for short

• and long-term goals, and it should outline recommendations and opportunities to ensure a first-class delivery of a highly consistent member/resident experience in all areas.

The focus on continuing and further enhancing quality experiences is critical, as is ensuring that they are seamless in their delivery in every department, all of which have complete reporting responsibility to the

GM/COO. A

strong background in developing and executing training, orientation, and development programs is helpful.
Work closely with the F & B team to ensure an appropriate foundation of success in this department, both in the culinary and service execution sides of the operation. F & B operations are of utmost importance to membership satisfaction and meeting most members’ expectations in this area is a critical success factor. Service standards and consistent delivery thereof are important areas of focus.
Fully understand the Club’s financial model and potential future capital needs throughout the community.
Get to know the local constituency groups—Martin County, Palm City officials, SFWM, and others with whom the club and community regularly deal to establish immediate positive relations.
Evaluate how technology is implemented in all departments and develop a strategy for future use to ensure Piper’s Landing stays relevant.

CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS

A minimum of 7

• 10 years of progressive leadership/management experience, preferably in a private member-owned country club residential community with multi-dimensional operations, or leading hospitality operations outside of the club industry in a similar hospitality operation.

A verifiable understanding of leading a residential community club operation is critical.

EDUCATIONAL AND CERTIFICATION QUALIFICATIONS

A bachelor’s degree is preferred with a focus on Hospitality Management
Substantial private club or hospitality experience will be considered in lieu of the degree.
Industry certifications such as CCM, CCE, or PGA are encouraged but not required
CAM licensing will be required within the first 90 days if not already obtained and current

EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

SALARY AND BENEFITS

Salary is open and commensurate with qualifications and experience. The Club offers an excellent bonus and benefits package, including association membership.

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO APPLY

Please upload your resume and cover letter in the order listed using the link below. When prompted for them during the online application process, you should have your documents fully prepared to attach. Please be sure your image is not on your resume or cover letter; it should be used on your LinkedIn Profile. Prepare a thoughtful cover letter addressed to Nick Farr, President, and the Piper’s Landing Yacht & Country Club Search Committee. Clearly articulate your alignment with this role, why you want to be considered for this position at this stage of your career, and why PLY&CC and the Palm City area will be beneficial to you, your family, your career, and the Club if selected. The role is open and available immediately, with a reasonable transition upon selection. You must apply for this role as soon as it is convenient, but no later than Monday, June 2, 2025. Candidate selections will occur later that month, with the first interviews expected before Independence Day, followed by the second interviews and a final selection shortly after the holiday.

IMPORTANT

Save your resume and letter in the following manner:
“Last Name, First Name

• Resume” &
  “Last Name, First Name
• Cover Letter
• Piper’s Landing”
  (These documents should be in Word or PDF format)

Note:

Once you complete the application process for this search, you are not able to go back in and add additional documents.
If you have any questions, please email

Patty Sprankle:

patty@kkandw.com

Lead Search Executive:

Kurt D. Kuebler, CCM, CMAA Fellow, Partner

Main Office:

 (833) KKW-HIRE, ext. 701

M:

 (407) 864-6798

• Jupiter, FL
  kurt@kkandw.

com