General Manager — New Nightlife & Hospitality Venue

General Manager — Nightclub & Lounge

Downtown San Diego, CA · On-site · Full-time

About WONDERGATE

WONDERGATE is a women-owned electronic music and hospitality company based in San Diego. We create distinctive music experiences and care about thoughtful hospitality, strong production, and supporting the local music community.

In late 2026, we’re opening a permanent nightclub and lounge in downtown San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter. The venue will bring music, nightlife, food, and beverage together under one roof.

We’re building a team that values high standards, genuine collaboration, and a respectful workplace. This is an opportunity to join us at an important stage of growth and help shape the venue from the ground up.

About the Role

We’re looking for an experienced General Manager to lead the opening and ongoing operation of the venue.

You’ll join us approximately 60–90 days before opening. During that time, you’ll help hire and train the opening team, establish operational systems, coordinate with vendors and partners, and prepare the building for its first events.

Once open, you’ll lead the venue’s day-to-day hospitality operation, including the floor, bar, food service, staffing, production coordination, and building operations. You’ll also work closely with the Private Events Manager to coordinate calendars and ensure the venue is properly staffed and prepared for upcoming events.

This is a hands-on leadership position for someone who understands both the business and human sides of hospitality. You should be comfortable managing the numbers, developing a strong team, and being present during the venue’s busiest hours.

What You’ll Do

• Lead day-to-day hospitality operations across the venue
• Recruit, train, schedule, develop, and manage venue staff
• Set clear expectations and oversee employee performance
• Build staffing plans around the venue’s operating and event calendars
• Coordinate calendars with the Private Events Manager to align staffing and operational needs
• Own the venue’s P&L, budgets, forecasting, and cost controls
• Manage labor costs while maintaining strong service standards
• Oversee bar operations, including inventory, purchasing, pour costs, and ABC compliance
• Oversee the venue’s casual food operation, including inventory, quality, food costs, service flow, and health-code compliance
• Collaborate with ownership on pricing and revenue strategies
• Coordinate with production, talent, and programming teams on event timelines, load-ins, and load-outs
• Oversee POS, inventory, scheduling, and reporting systems
• Monitor building maintenance and address operational issues
• Maintain compliance with health, safety, food-service, alcohol, and licensing requirements
• Manage vendor relationships
• Improve workflows, financial performance, and the overall guest experience
• Report directly to ownership

Qualifications

• Five or more years of experience as a General Manager or in a comparable venue leadership role
• Experience managing a nightclub, lounge, live-entertainment venue, bar, or high-volume hospitality operation
• Experience leading food-and-beverage operations; full-service restaurant experience is not required
• Proven experience managing P&L, budgets, labor, inventory, and cost controls
• Experience recruiting, training, scheduling, developing, and managing employees
• Strong knowledge of bar operations, inventory management, pour costs, and alcohol compliance
• Experience using POS, inventory, scheduling, and reporting systems
• Strong communication, organization, and problem-solving skills
• Ability to remain calm, make decisions, and lead effectively in a busy late-night environment
• Ability to work on-site in downtown San Diego, including nights, weekends, holidays, and selected closing shifts
• Ability to obtain RBS and Food Protection Manager certifications within 30 days of starting
• Experience opening a new nightlife or live-entertainment venue is strongly preferred
• Familiarity with the San Diego nightlife and hospitality market is preferred
• Experience working in electronic music or live entertainment is a plus
• Experience coordinating with production and talent teams is a plus
• A bachelor’s degree in hospitality, business, or a related field is preferred, but equivalent hands-on leadership experience matters more
• Spanish-language proficiency is a plus
• Legal authorization to work in the United States
• Work Environment

This is a full-time, on-site leadership position that requires flexibility, including availability on nights, weekends, holidays, and selected closing shifts.

The General Manager will not be expected to work every operating hour but must maintain proper management coverage and be present during key operating periods.

The role involves working in a busy, loud, high-energy environment and spending extended periods standing and moving throughout the venue.

Compensation and Benefits

• Base salary of $80,000–$100,000 per year, depending on experience
• Performance-based bonus
• Monthly health benefit
• Paid time off
• The opportunity to open a new venue and help shape its team, culture, and operations from the beginning

We’ll share additional details about the venue and concept with candidates who move forward. Please apply through LinkedIn with your résumé and a brief introduction.

WONDERGATE is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.