Job overview

Position: Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO)

Company: Stan Safaris

Location: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Employment type: Full-time

About Stan Safaris

Stan Safaris is a growing Tanzanian tourism and hospitality group specializing in authentic safari experiences, accommodation, and transport services across East Africa.

Driven by local expertise and a commitment to excellence, the company is focused on delivering world-class guest experiences while expanding its operational footprint and market presence within the tourism and hospitality industry.

Position summary

Stan Safaris is looking for an experienced and results-oriented Group Chief Executive Officer to provide overall executive leadership across all business divisions.

The GCEO will be responsible for:

• Strategy execution
• Business expansion
• Operational excellence
• Financial performance
• Organizational development
• Customer experience

The ideal candidate should have strong leadership experience in tourism and hospitality, combined with expertise in operations management, transport and logistics, business development, and organizational leadership.

The GCEO will report directly to the shareholders and will be accountable for the overall strategic, operational, and financial performance of the company.

Key responsibilities

The Group Chief Executive Officer will be responsible for the following duties:

• Provide strategic leadership and overall direction to the company by developing and executing long-term business strategies aligned with growth objectives and market positioning.
• Oversee all company operations to ensure efficiency, profitability, accountability, service excellence, and effective coordination across departments and business units.
• Drive business growth by identifying new revenue opportunities, expanding market reach, and developing innovative tourism and hospitality products and services.
• Lead business development, sales, and marketing initiatives to increase occupancy, bookings, partnerships, and brand visibility in local and international markets.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with travel agents, tour operators, corporate clients, tourism boards, investors, suppliers, and strategic partners.
• Lead financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and performance management to ensure financial sustainability and profitability.
• Strengthen operational systems, internal controls, reporting structures, and accountability frameworks across the organization.
• Ensure exceptional customer experience and service delivery standards across all company operations.
• Provide leadership, mentorship, and performance oversight to senior management teams and department heads while fostering a high-performance organizational culture.
• Oversee transport coordination, fleet management, logistics operations, maintenance planning, and operational scheduling to ensure efficiency, safety, and cost-effectiveness.
• Monitor market trends, competitor activities, customer behavior, and industry developments to identify opportunities for innovation and continuous improvement.
• Represent the company in strategic meetings, industry forums, stakeholder engagements, and business negotiations.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable tourism, transport, labor, health and safety, and business regulations.
• Prepare and present business performance reports, strategic updates, operational reviews, and financial summaries to shareholders and directors.

Qualifications and experience

Applicants should meet the following qualifications and experience requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management, Tourism, Business Administration, Logistics, or a related field.
• MBA or postgraduate qualification is preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years’ senior leadership experience within hospitality, tourism, or related industries.
• Proven experience in a CEO, General Manager, Country Manager, or Operations Director role.
• Strong background in hospitality operations, tour operations management, transport/logistics, and commercial growth.
• Demonstrated success in business expansion and profitability improvement.
• Strong strategic, financial, and operational management capabilities.
• Experience managing multi-property or multi-department operations.
• Excellent leadership, communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.

Ideal candidate profile

The ideal candidate should be:

• Strategic and commercially minded
• Operationally strong and results-oriented
• Experienced in hospitality and logistics operations
• Skilled in building systems, structures, and accountability
• Passionate about customer experience and operational excellence
• Entrepreneurial, disciplined, and proactive
• Comfortable managing complex and fast-growing operations

• Provide strategic leadership and overall direction to the company by developing and executing long-term business strategies aligned with growth objectives and market positioning.
• Oversee all company operations to ensure efficiency, profitability, accountability, service excellence, and effective coordination across departments and business units.
• Drive business growth by identifying new revenue opportunities, expanding market reach, and developing innovative tourism and hospitality products and services.
• Lead business development, sales, and marketing initiatives to increase occupancy, bookings, partnerships, and brand visibility in local and international markets.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with travel agents, tour operators, corporate clients, tourism boards, investors, suppliers, and strategic partners.
• Lead financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and performance management to ensure financial sustainability and profitability.
• Strengthen operational systems, internal controls, reporting structures, and accountability frameworks across the organization.
• Ensure exceptional customer experience and service delivery standards across all company operations.
• Provide leadership, mentorship, and performance oversight to senior management teams and department heads while fostering a high-performance organizational culture.
• Oversee transport coordination, fleet management, logistics operations, maintenance planning, and operational scheduling to ensure efficiency, safety, and cost-effectiveness.
• Monitor market trends, competitor activities, customer behavior, and industry developments to identify opportunities for innovation and continuous improvement.
• Represent the company in strategic meetings, industry forums, stakeholder engagements, and business negotiations.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable tourism, transport, labor, health and safety, and business regulations.
• Prepare and present business performance reports, strategic updates, operational reviews, and financial summaries to shareholders and directors.

• Strong leadership experience in tourism and hospitality
• Expertise in operations management
• Expertise in transport and logistics
• Expertise in business development
• Expertise in organizational leadership
• Strategic thinking
• Commercial acumen
• Results-oriented
• Building systems, structures, and accountability
• Customer experience focus
• Operational excellence
• Entrepreneurial spirit
• Discipline
• Proactiveness
• Communication skills
• Negotiation skills
• Stakeholder management skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management, Tourism, Business Administration, Logistics, or a related field.
• MBA or postgraduate qualification is preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years’ senior leadership experience within hospitality, tourism, or related industries.
• Proven experience in a CEO, General Manager, Country Manager, or Operations Director role.
• Strong background in hospitality operations, tour operations management, transport/logistics, and commercial growth.
• Demonstrated success in business expansion and profitability improvement.
• Strong strategic, financial, and operational management capabilities.
• Experience managing multi-property or multi-department operations.
• Excellent leadership, communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.