HatariTravel - Assistant Hospitality Manager | Operations, Guest Relations & HR)
Hatari Lodge & Shu’mata Camp – Two Landscapes, Tanzania
We are looking for an Assistant Hospitality Manager to support and co lead lodge operations, guest relations,
HR and stock / budget management across:
- Hatari Lodge – 15 rooms inside Arusha National Park, Tanzania
- Shu’mata Camp – 7 tents inside the Enduimet Wildlife Management Area, Tanzania
You will work closely with the Senior F&B & Procurement Manager and the owners.
This is a live in, off grid role across two landscapes, two restaurants, two teams.
If you are looking for a standard city hotel assistant manager job, this is not it. If you feel ready to live and work at the edge of wilderness, read on.
Where you will live and work
- Hatari Lodge – small, owner run lodge inside Arusha National Park
- Shu’mata Camp – intimate tented camp in the Enduimet Wildlife Management Area
- Two distinct but connected landscapes
- Two restaurants, each with its own setting and rhythm
- Two teams, coordinated under one shared vision and standard
- Off grid conditions, with the freedoms and limitations of protected areas
There is no city life on your doorstep. Nature is your theatre, your movie, your entertainment of any kind. Daily rhythm is set by weather, wildlife, guests and community, not office clocks. Your role is to help create clear, humane routines and systems within this fluid context.
Who we are
Hatari Lodge has a long history as a pioneer in nature based tourism in Arusha National Park.
Together with Shu’mata Camp, we are known as:
- A training ground for future hospitality leaders
- A trendsetter in nature and community based, low impact travel
With our sister company Wondergarden, we explore transformative, sensory travel rooted in:
- Landscape & ecology
- People & culture
- Food & all the senses – often on foot
We call our approach culinary conservation: using gastronomy and storytelling to support conservation, local economies and regenerative practices. You would join an experienced, tight knit team in a well-regarded, owner run operation.
The role in essence
As Assistance Hospitality Manager – Operations, Guest Relations & HR, you:
- Support and co-manage day-to-day operations at Hatari Lodge & Shu’mata Camp
- Work closely with the Senior F&B and Procurement Manager to align
- Service standards
- Stock control
- Budget awareness across departments
- Taking a lead role in:
- Guest relations & hosting (arrival, stay, experiences, departures)
- Front of house coordination
- HR basics: staff scheduling, training follow up, communication, morale
- Operational systems: checklists simple reporting, cross department coordination
You are a bridge person: between owners, senior F&B/Procurement, kitchen, service, housekeeping, maintenance and guests.
This role is ideal for someone who:
- Has solid small scale hospitality experience already, and
- Wants to grow towards a full Hospitality Manager role in a meaningful, non-corporate context.
Minimum requirements (please read carefully)
Apply only if these describe you:
- Background & experience:
- English: fluent (spoken and written) – essential
- German and any additional languages – a strong plus
- Proven experience (with references) in at least several of:
- Guest relations / hosting
- Front of House or lodge operations
- Team supervision / HR basics (rotas, communication, coaching)
- Stock control & basic budget awareness (e.g. controlling usage, waste, simple cost tracking)
- Your experience is in small scale, owner run environments, such as:
-
- Small lodges or safari camps
- Regenerative / hospitality farms
- Boutique hotels
-
- You have not built your career mainly in:
- Corporate hotel chains
- Large, standardised resorts
- Mass tourism operations
You understand and prefer place based, human scale hospitality over corporate standardisation.
- Commitment & legal framework
- Able to commit to a minimum of 2 years
- Start date: 1 May 2026
- 3 month probation period
- Work and residence permits for Tanzania are mandatory.
- We support the process; it is a shared responsibility and shared risk for both sides (time, admin, costs).
- You must be willing and able to engage with visa and permit requirements.
You are not looking for a “half year experience”, but a chapter where you can build something and grow.
- Mindset & lifestyle
- Genuinely excited by living and working off grid in two protected landscapes
- Comfortable with:
- Limited external entertainment and urban comforts
- Close teamwork and interdependence
- The reality that everyday can be different, sometimes unpredictably so
- You value:
- Time in nature
- Deep, real connections
- Having a tangible impact on place, people and planet
If this sounds too remote, too committed, too unconventional, this role is not for you. If you feel a clear “yes” reading this, we would like to hear from you.
What you will find
- An experienced, multi-disciplinary team at Hatari and Shu’mata
- Two small, characterful properties with a strong reputation among locals and industry partners
- Close collaboration with owners and a Senior F&B & Procurement Manager
- A living “laboratory” for nature based tourism and culinary conservation
Where you add value
- Helping to keep daily operations smooth across lodge and camp
- Strengthening guest relations and hosting, ensuring a deeply personal experience
- Supporting HR, training and communication so the teams feel held and informed
- Contributing to stock and budget discipline across departments (without turning the place into a corporate hotel)
- Holding the balance between structure and flexibility in a wild, off grid setting
How to apply
Please apply only if you meet the minimum requirements above, and include:
- Short motivation (max 1 page)
- Why Hatari Lodge, Shu’mata Camp and the idea of culinary conservation across two landscapes speak to you
- How your experience in small scale, owner run operations prepared you for this specific role
- CV (focused):
- Clearly highlight roles in small lodges, safari camps, regenerative farms, boutique hotels
- Briefly describe 2 – 3 concrete things you have helped to organise or improve (e.g. duty roster, guest communication flow, stock control, simple retporting)
- References:
- At least two owner managers or direct supervisors with contact details
We will respond only to candidates whose profiles closely match the criteria above.
To apply please get in touch with Marlies Gabriel: [email protected]
Deadline for submissions: 28 February 2026