Licensed Club Manager
A Licensed Club Manager oversees the day-to-day operations of a licensed club in Australia, ensuring compliance with liquor licensing laws, managing staff, controlling finances, and maintaining member satisfaction. They hold responsibility for venues such as RSL clubs, golf clubs, bowling clubs, and social clubs that hold a liquor licence.
What this job is
A Licensed Club Manager oversees the day-to-day operations of a licensed club in Australia, ensuring compliance with liquor licensing laws, managing staff, controlling finances, and maintaining member satisfaction. They hold responsibility for venues such as RSL clubs, golf clubs, bowling clubs, and social clubs that hold a liquor licence. The role requires understanding of state-based licensing regulations, hospitality management, and business administration.
Are employers advertising this role?
Rising, up 25.4% over 5 years
Counted across a group of similar roles. These are three-month rolling averages of online job advertisements, not filled positions.
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index.
Day-to-day
Obtain and maintain a current liquor licence from the relevant state regulator (e.g. Liquor & Gaming NSW, Liquor Control Victoria) and ensure compliance with licence conditions. Monitor and enforce responsible service of alcohol (RSA) practices among bar and gaming staff, including verification of RSA certification. Manage budgets, financial forecasting, and profit-and-loss reporting for the club's operations across bars, gaming machines, dining, and membership services. Supervise rostering, recruitment, performance management, and training of hospitality, security, and administrative staff. Conduct internal audits of gaming machine compliance and cash handling procedures to prevent unauthorised use or theft. Prepare and lodge mandatory returns to state liquor regulators regarding gaming machine expenditure, member complaints, and licence compliance. Authorise purchase orders for stock (beverages, food, gaming supplies) and reconcile invoices against delivery dockets. Investigate and document member complaints regarding service, conduct, or breaches of club rules, and implement disciplinary actions where necessary.
Who does this now
About 4,400 people worked in this occupation across Australia at the 2021 Census.
What this role asks for
Diploma, advanced diploma or associate degree (ABS skill level 2)
Registration or licensing is required.
Can employers fill these jobs
Employers hiring for this occupation were generally able to find suitable applicants in 2025. This measures how hard employers found it to fill jobs. It is not a count of jobs, and it does not say whether the occupation is growing.
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Training Occupation Pathways dataset, March 2026, version 1.0
Jobs and Skills Australia defines an occupation-ready qualification as:
Completing this qualification will provide the skills and knowledge to undertake this occupation. Further training and experience may be required to meet specific industry requirements including licensing and registration.
Jobs and Skills Australia, Training Occupation Pathways dataset, March 2026, version 1.0
Requirements
The standard entry pathway requires a diploma, advanced diploma or associate degree (ABS skill level 2). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.
The honest hard part
You're locked into strict compliance with state liquor laws that change frequently and differ between NSW, Victoria, Queensland and other states. One mistake on a gaming machine return or RSA breach can cost you your licence and your job. You'll manage drunk patrons and staff conflicts regularly.
Where the jobs are
Remote work is not an option. Jobs cluster around gaming-heavy clubs rather than golf or bowling clubs. Actual vacancies are limited because managers stay in post for years once licensed.
Pay
Published for ANZSCO unit group 1414, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.
This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.
Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
Skills
- Apply health and safety standardscore
- Award Interpretationcore
- Comply with legal regulationscore
- Conflict Resolutioncore
- Customer Complaint Resolutioncore
- Customer servicecore
- Identify customer's needscore
- Incident Reportingcore
- Invoicing and Accounts Receivablecore
- Manage budgetscore
- Manage staffcore
- Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
- Problem Solvingcore
- Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
- Risk Identificationcore
- Rostering and Scheduling Supportcore
- Stakeholder Communicationcore
- Team Collaborationcore
- Time Management and Prioritisationcore
- Verbal Communicationcore
- Comply with food safety and hygiene
- Conflict De-escalation
- Coordinate operational activities
- Corporate social responsibility
- Create solutions to problems
- Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity
- Customer relationship management
- Follow company standards
- Handle customer complaints
- Implement sales strategies
- Leave Management
- Maintain customer service
- Measure customer feedback
- Microsoft Office Suite Proficiency
- Negotiation
- Payroll Processing
- Process Improvement Identification
- Recruit employees
- Reporting and Analytics
- Train employees
- Written Communication
Which of these do you have?
Tick the ones you haveCommon questions
Sources
- ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
- ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
- ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.
Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.
What Licensed Club Manager workers move into, from ten years of tax records.
Last updated: 30 October 2026
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