STUDIO NOIR

Private · Master Plan · v1.0
STUDIO NOIRGM JOB SPEC

STUDIO NOIR · General Manager Job Spec

Phase 1: no GM hired. Studio Manager (part-time contractor) handles operational admin.

Phase 2: GM is the linchpin. Full spec below.

Phase 1 note

STUDIO NOIR does not hire a General Manager for Phase 1.

Reason: at boutique studio scale (60-80 members, one small space, 2-3 contract instructors), the operational load is too small to justify a $150K to $200K senior hospitality hire. The Phase 1 Studio Manager (part-time contractor, ~10 hrs/week, $25/hr) handles class scheduling, member sign-ups, contract instructor coordination, and general admin.

The Phase 1 setup: - Taj = founder + face + creative director - Trill = strategy + capital + external professional relationships - Tia = marketing + brand execution - Studio Manager (contractor) = day-to-day admin - Contract instructors (2-3) = teach classes

The GM role activates in Phase 2 when the flagship opens with multiple studios, recovery wing, café, retail, 20+ FTE staff, and full-day operations.

Phase 2 GM Job Spec (preserved from earlier planning)

Who we hire

Two lanes of qualifying background.

Lane 1: Luxury hotel hospitality

Prior GM, Hotel Manager, or Director of Operations at one of: - Four Seasons - Aman - Peninsula - Rosewood - Mandarin Oriental - Auberge Resorts Collection - Bulgari Hotels - Belmond - Cheval Blanc

Candidate has run a property or major department in a Forbes 5-star or AAA 5-diamond environment. Personal ownership of guest recovery, service standard audits, F&B integration.

Lane 2: Fitness-hospitality hybrid at luxury tier only

Prior GM, Regional Director, or Head of Club at one of: - Equinox Hotels (GM or Hotel Manager level) - Life Time Diamond or Life Time Sky properties (GM) - Bay Club Company (Club GM at a flagship) - The Wing (pre-close) or Chief Executive Club properties - Soho House (House Manager or GM) - Aviator Nation Ranch or Remedy Place (GM)

Standard-tier fitness resumes do not qualify. Not Orangetheory, Crunch, Gold’s, Planet Fitness, or standard Life Time Athletic.

Skills (non-negotiable)

  • P&L ownership at a property doing $6M+ annual revenue
  • Managed a team of 40+ direct and indirect
  • Owned a hospitality service ritual (not just SOPs, a real ritual with training and QA)
  • F&B literacy: co-managed a café, bar, or private dining room
  • Membership or loyalty program experience: private club, hotel loyalty tier, or luxury retail clienteling
  • Vendor and contract negotiation: signed for $250K+ vendor deals
  • Comfortable being the face of the club when Taj is not on-site, without pretending to be the brand
  • Ability to protect the founder’s calendar and creative time as a core duty

Skills (strongly preferred)

  • RDU, Southeast, or Sun Belt market experience
  • Wellness or spa program oversight
  • Pre-opening experience (at least one property from build-out to open)
  • Private events and buyouts at $50K+ level
  • Public-facing brand rep experience (press-comfortable, not press-hungry)
  • Bilingual English and Spanish

What the GM owns

  • Daily operations, all shifts, all departments
  • Full property P&L (revenue, cost, capex)
  • Direct management of: Director of Member Experience, Head of Programming (ops line), Director of Finance and Ops, Head of F&B, Head of Instructor Development, Marketing Manager, Community Manager
  • Membership retention, waitlist, and churn as top-line KPI
  • Service standard, training, and audit
  • Vendor relationships and contract renewals
  • Facilities uptime, safety, and compliance
  • Escalation and guest recovery personally on named accounts
  • Weekly report to Taj, monthly to Trill and Taj together, quarterly board pack

What the GM does NOT own

  • Brand voice, editorial, look, sound, or scent standards (Taj)
  • Programming curation, guest instructor invites, creative drops (Head of Programming with Taj sign-off)
  • Capital strategy, franchise strategy, cross-brand strategy (Trill and Taj)
  • Marketing brand system and campaign creative (Tia)

Compensation (Phase 2)

RDU comp basis. Priced above local market to secure hotel-luxury talent for a first-of-its-kind Triangle property.

  • Base salary: $150K to $200K
  • Annual bonus: 15% to 25% of base, paid on KPI achievement:
    • Membership churn under 6% annualized
    • NPS 70+
    • Property EBITDA margin at plan
    • Instructor retention above 80%
    • Zero critical service or safety failures
  • Equity: 2% through the 10% option pool, 4-year vest, 1-year cliff
  • Sign-on: $25K to $40K (half at start, half at open)
  • Relocation: up to $30K for out-of-market hires
  • Benefits: full health, dental, vision, life, short and long-term disability
  • 401k: 4% match after 6 months
  • PTO: 25 days plus club closure days
  • Club membership: complimentary, family included, café and lounge tab up to $500/month
  • Continuing education: $5,000/year for hospitality or executive coursework

Total target compensation Year 1 (Phase 2): $195K to $265K cash plus equity plus benefits.

Interview process (Phase 2)

Six stages, 4-6 weeks from first screen to offer:

  1. Recruiter phone screen, 30 min
  2. Taj on values and taste, 60 min in person if in market
  3. Trill on strategy, P&L, franchise-readiness, 90 min
  4. Panel with Tia + operating partner + board-adjacent advisor, 90 min
  5. Working session: candidate presents 90-day and 12-month plan for STUDIO NOIR, 2 hours
  6. Final with Taj: dinner or long walk, unstructured, single question — does Taj want this person carrying her name into the club every morning?

Reference checks: minimum 5 (one former direct report, one former peer, one former boss, one former guest/member, one former vendor).

Background check and financial check: standard.

Retained recruiter (Phase 2)

Retain a hospitality specialty firm. Do NOT use a fitness industry recruiter.

Preferred firms: - J. Patrick and Associates (hospitality executive search) - Aimbridge Hospitality (internal talent network for referrals) - Highgate (internal talent network for referrals) - The DiJulius Group (luxury service and hospitality bench) - Genesis10 Executive Search (hospitality practice)

Retainer: one-third at signing, one-third at shortlist, one-third at accepted offer. Fee: 30% of first-year cash comp (standard retained hospitality search).

Search timeline (Phase 2): kick off 14 months before Phase 2 open. Aim to sign GM 9-10 months before open so GM owns pre-opening hiring, training, and soft-launch. Do not open Phase 2 flagship without a GM in seat for 6 full months.

  • Phase 1 org chart: 06_ORG_HIRING/00
  • Phase 2 key hires sequencing: 06_ORG_HIRING/02
  • Phase 2 staffing model: 06_ORG_HIRING/03
  • Phase 2 compensation philosophy: 06_ORG_HIRING/04