Free General Manager Job Description Templates
Free general manager job description templates for small business: restaurant, retail, hotel, operations, and assistant GM. Download as DOCX.
General Manager Job Description Templates
6 free templates by industry. Download as DOCX or copy-paste.
A general manager runs your business day to day: owning operations, the budget, and the team, and answering for the results. For a small business, hiring a GM is often the moment the owner finally steps back from doing everything, which makes it one of the most important hires you will make. The job description you write sets what the GM owns, who they report to, and how success is measured, and it becomes the foundation for the offer and onboarding.
At FirstHR, we build for small businesses where the owner makes the key hires directly. The six templates below cover the most common versions of the role: general small business, restaurant, retail, hotel/hospitality, operations, and assistant GM. Each is ready to use, with essential-function language and an acknowledgment line built in. Fill in the bracketed fields, adjust to match your business, and post. For the fundamentals behind any posting, the guide to writing a job description covers the basics.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template that matches your business and the role you are hiring for. The core structure is the same across all six, but each one emphasizes the operations, metrics, and language that fit a specific kind of GM role. Use this guide to choose.
6 Free General Manager Job Description Templates
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each one follows the same structure: company overview, job summary, key responsibilities and essential functions, qualifications, compensation, and an acknowledgment line. Fill in the brackets before you post.
Template 1: General Manager (Small Business)
The all-purpose version for a small business hiring its first or main GM. Owns operations, budget, and the team, reporting to the owner, with essential functions and an acknowledgment line. Start here for a standard GM role.
Template 2: Restaurant General Manager
For restaurants and cafes. Adds front and back of house, food and labor cost control, guest experience, scheduling, and food safety compliance. Use this for a restaurant GM role.
Template 3: Retail / Store General Manager
For retail locations. Adds sales targets, inventory and shrink control, visual merchandising, cash management, and customer service. Use this for a store GM role.
Template 4: Hotel / Hospitality General Manager
For small hotels and properties. Adds property operations, revenue and budget, department heads, guest satisfaction, and food and beverage. Use this for a hospitality GM role.
Template 5: Operations General Manager
For service or multi-department businesses. Adds operational strategy, cross-department coordination, process improvement, and vendor management. Use this for an operations-focused GM.
Template 6: Assistant General Manager
For a deputy to the GM. Adds support duties, staff supervision, scheduling, and authority to lead in the GM's absence. Use this for a number-two role and GM stepping stone.
What Does a General Manager Do?
A general manager runs the day-to-day operations of a business or location and owns its results. The Bureau of Labor Statistics describes general and operations managers as planning, directing, or coordinating the operations of organizations, often overseeing multiple departments or locations. In practice, a GM oversees operations, owns the budget and profit and loss, hires and leads staff, sets and tracks goals, ensures quality and compliance, and reports to ownership.
The role varies sharply by industry. A restaurant GM controls food and labor cost; a store GM drives sales and manages shrink; a hotel GM runs departments and guest satisfaction. That is why the job description should describe the role for your specific business. For a closely related role that often overlaps, the operations manager job description templates cover the operational side of the job.
General Manager Duties and Responsibilities
General manager duties fall into four broad areas. A strong job description selects the specific responsibilities from each area that apply to your business rather than listing every possible task. These are the responsibilities most often expected of the role.
For a restaurant role, the duties weight cost control and guest experience; for an operations role, cross-department coordination and process improvement. For help scoping the role before you write the posting, the guide to defining job responsibilities walks through a simple process.
What to Include in a General Manager Job Description
Every strong general manager job description includes the same core sections, with concrete duties rather than generic ones. The templates above are built around them, but it helps to see the difference between vague and specific wording.
| Weak bullet | Strong bullet |
|---|---|
| Run the business | Oversee daily operations across the business |
| Handle money | Own the budget, costs, and profit and loss |
| Manage people | Hire, train, schedule, and lead staff |
| Hit goals | Set and track goals and key metrics |
| Keep things compliant | Ensure quality, service, and compliance standards |
Specific, outcome-focused duties attract candidates who can deliver and signal a serious employer. Frame the core duties as essential functions and keep the language neutral, since the EEOC prohibits job advertisements that show a preference based on protected characteristics. For a fuller framework, the SHRM guide to writing a job description covers the standard sections.
General Manager by Industry
The general manager role shifts meaningfully by industry. Picking the right template keeps your posting accurate and helps the right candidates recognize themselves in it.
| Industry | Focus | Distinct metrics |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant | Front and back of house | Food cost, labor cost, guest experience |
| Retail / Store | Sales and store operations | Sales targets, shrink, inventory |
| Hotel / Hospitality | Property and departments | Revenue, guest satisfaction, occupancy |
| Operations | Cross-department efficiency | Budgets, process, vendor management |
A small business usually starts with one GM who owns everything, then may add an assistant GM or specialized managers as it grows. Match the template to your industry and stage rather than to a larger structure you do not yet have.
GM vs Assistant GM vs Operations Manager
These titles overlap and are easy to confuse. Knowing the difference helps you write the right job description and hire for the actual need.
| Role | Scope | Reports to |
|---|---|---|
| General Manager | Whole business or location | Owner or ownership |
| Assistant GM | Supports GM, leads in absence | General Manager |
| Operations Manager | Operations and processes | GM, owner, or COO |
If the role owns the entire business or location, use a general manager template. If it supports the GM, use the assistant GM version. If it focuses on running operations within the business, an operations-focused template fits best.
General Manager Salary
General managers are well-compensated, with pay varying widely by industry, business size, location, and responsibility. Set your range using government data as a baseline, then adjust for your business.
Set the range realistically for your industry and size rather than anchoring to large-company figures, and consider a performance bonus tied to results, which is common for GM roles. Most GM positions are salaried and exempt, so review the Department of Labor FLSA rules when you classify the role. Always publish a range, since it attracts more qualified candidates and is required in a growing number of states.
How to Write a General Manager Job Description
A strong general manager job description takes about 20 minutes to write if you follow a clear structure. Here is the process the templates are built around. If you are building out your leadership team, the small business hiring guide covers the steps around the posting itself.
Hiring a General Manager for a Small Business
A large company hires a GM through a recruiting team into a defined structure. A small business does not. The owner writes the posting, interviews, and onboards the new GM, often while still running parts of the business themselves. As you build your team, the next leadership hires follow the same pattern, which is why bringing on an assistant manager shares the same approach. Here is how to write the posting for that reality.
From Hiring to Onboarding
The job description is step one. Once a candidate accepts, the same document becomes the basis for the offer and onboarding. Because a GM takes on real authority quickly, the work you put into defining the role now pays off in how fast and how well they take the reins.
A clear mandate and structured onboarding get a new GM owning the business quickly, which matters because they will be making decisions that move the whole company. Once your offer is ready, the offer letter template handles the next step, and an onboarding template gives the new hire a structured start. FirstHR connects the offer, e-signature, paperwork, and onboarding workflow in one place so a small business can manage the full process from one system.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a general manager do?
A general manager runs the day-to-day operations of a business or location and is responsible for its results. The Bureau of Labor Statistics describes general and operations managers as planning, directing, or coordinating the operations of organizations, overseeing multiple departments or locations. Day to day, that means overseeing operations, owning the budget and profit and loss, hiring and leading staff, setting and tracking goals, ensuring quality and compliance, and reporting to ownership. The specific focus varies by industry. A restaurant GM controls food and labor cost, a store GM drives sales and manages inventory, and a hotel GM oversees departments and guest satisfaction.
What are the duties and responsibilities of a general manager?
A general manager's responsibilities fall into four areas. Operations: overseeing daily operations, maintaining standards, and managing inventory and vendors. Financial: owning the budget and profit and loss, controlling costs, and hitting targets. People: hiring, training, scheduling, and leading the team. Strategy: setting goals and metrics, improving processes, and planning for growth. The exact mix depends on the business. A restaurant GM weights food and labor cost and guest experience, a retail GM weights sales and shrink, and an operations GM weights cross-department coordination and process improvement. A good job description selects the duties that fit your business.
What should a general manager job description include?
A strong general manager job description includes a job summary, who the role reports to, key responsibilities or essential functions, qualifications, physical demands where relevant, compensation, and an equal opportunity statement. For a GM, it helps to be specific about what they own: operations, budget and P&L, staffing, and the metrics they are accountable for. Listing the essential functions of the role supports fair and consistent hiring and accommodation decisions. Many employers also add an acknowledgment and signature line so the new GM confirms they understand the role. Match the responsibilities to your industry, whether that is restaurant, retail, hotel, or operations.
What is the difference between a general manager and an assistant general manager?
A general manager has overall responsibility for a business or location, owning operations, the budget, staffing, and results, and usually reports to the owner or ownership group. An assistant general manager supports the GM, supervises staff, manages schedules, and steps in to lead in the GM's absence, reporting to the GM rather than directly to ownership. The assistant GM role is often a stepping stone to a full GM position. In a small business, you might hire just a GM, or add an assistant GM as you grow. Use the assistant GM template when you need a deputy who can run things when the GM is away.
What is the difference between a general manager and an operations manager?
The roles overlap, and titles vary by company, but there is a general distinction. A general manager has broad responsibility for an entire business or location, including operations, budget, staffing, sales, and overall results. An operations manager focuses more specifically on the operational side: processes, efficiency, resources, and cross-department coordination, often without full P&L ownership. In a small business, one person frequently covers both, which is why the operations GM template exists. If the role you are hiring for owns the whole business or location, use a general manager template; if it focuses on running operations within it, an operations-focused version fits better.
How much does a general manager make?
General managers are well-compensated, with pay varying widely by industry, business size, location, and responsibility. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $102,950 for general and operations managers in May 2024, with the lowest 10 percent under $47,420 and the highest 10 percent over $239,200. Pay in a small restaurant, store, or property is often toward the lower end of that range, while large or complex operations pay more. Many GM roles also include performance bonuses tied to results. Always include a salary range in your posting, since it attracts more qualified candidates and is required in a growing number of states.
What happens after I hire a general manager?
Once a general manager accepts, the job description becomes the basis for the offer and onboarding. Because a GM takes on real authority quickly, a structured onboarding matters: give them the context, access, and authority they need, and define what success looks like in the first 90 days. Have them sign the offer and the job description acknowledgment, collect paperwork, and walk through your operations, finances, team, and goals. A new GM who understands the business and their mandate quickly has an outsized impact on a small company. FirstHR handles the offer, e-signature, paperwork, and onboarding workflow in one place so you can bring a new GM up to speed from one system.