General Manager Bulgaria

Are you ready to join our travel revolution? Journey On!

We are Dufry Sofia, proudly part of Avolta, a Swiss-based global leader in F&B and Travel Retail.
Our diverse portfolio spans duty-free and travel retail stores, restaurants, and innovative hybrid outlets located in airports, highways, cruise ships, railway stations, and more. With operations in over 1,000 locations across 70 countries, including Bulgaria, we are where travelers need us most.

Our rich variety of brands ensures we are always in the right place at the right time for every traveler.
Avolta stands for innovation, quality, and international expertise, connecting more than 75,000 passionate and talented employees united by a shared mission. Working at an airport means joining a world-class experience, where every day brings new opportunities to connect, inspire, and make a difference. Want to learn more about us? Visit avoltaworld.com

About the role:

The General Manager Bulgaria is the driving force behind Avolta’s success in the country, leading all operations across retail and food & beverage (F&B).
This strategic role is accountable for delivering commercial growth, operational excellence, and outstanding financial performance, while ensuring an exceptional customer experience that reflects Avolta’s global standards.

As the country leader, the General Manager shapes the business strategy, inspires high-performing teams, and builds strong partnerships to elevate Avolta Bulgaria to the next level. This position demands visionary leadership, a relentless focus on results, and the ability to transform challenges into opportunities — setting the benchmark for innovation and excellence in travel retail.

Key Accountabilities:

Operational & Financial Management:

•    Oversee all Dufry OOD and Nuance operation in Bulgaria ( Retail and F&B).
•    Ensure full and exact implementation of the company’s commercial and operational plans. 
•    Develop and execute annual budget, forecasts and P&L. 
•    Monitor performance, identify areas and services to the airport authority and customers.
•    Guarantee delivery of promised facilities and services to the airport authority and costumer.
•    Manage relationships with the airport authorities, Soft Connect, Border Police, CAA, customs, tax institution, and business partners.
•    Represent the company at the Board and regional stakeholders.
•    Conduct business operations in accordance with Avolta’s ethical standards, local and external local laws, and all other applicable regulations.
•    Manages and monitors the commercial budgets of the company under their scope with the input from the commercial plan and the SLAs and forecasting on personnel expenses, concession fees and SG&A expenses.
•    Works with Chief Executive Officer, NCE on tactical business development, provide input to the country strategy planning and contribute to business decisions.
•    Interfaces with procurement and logistics on issues pertaining to SLAs negotiated by the Chief Executive Officer, NCE.

Commercial & Strategic Leadership:

•    Contribute to the development of country strategy and commercial plans.
•    Secure and Expand contracts while optimizing company assets.
•    Provide financial analysis, reporting, and investment recommendation.
•    Drive business development initiative aligned with Avolta’s regional objectives.
•    Support digital transformation initiatives, inc. POS upgrades, CRM tools, and loyalty programs.

Food&Beverage (F&B) Operations:

•    Leading the F&B portfolio, inc. restaurants, cafes, and bars at the airport.
•    Ensure compliance with all food and safety, hygiene, and service quality standards.
•    Adjust concepts and menus in line with costumer’s preferences and market trends.
•    Collaborate with Avolta’s Global F&B team on new brand concepts and product innovations.
•    Review guest feedback and implement continuous improvements in services and offers.

People Leadership & Development:

•    Build and lead a high-performing team across all operational areas.
•    Drive success by matching talent to business needs at every level.
•    Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, and excellence.
•    Drive employee engagement and retention through strong Leadership and development programs.
•    Ensure compliance with local labor law and company policies.
•    If applicable, you communicate and work in partnership with the local Unions/Works Council in order to ensure that the interests of the employees are accounted for in all the major decision-making processes.

Technical Profile Required:

•    P&L management, Budgeting, Financial modeling (Excel, Power BI, SAP, or similar).
•    Experience with retail management systems RMS and ERP.
•    Working knowledge of F&B management software, inc. POS integration and inventory control.
•    Proficiency in data analysis, KPI tracking, and reports.
•    Understanding of airport operations, logistics, and concession management systems.
•    Familiar with digital marketing analytics tools (Google Analytics, CRM dashboards is a plus.

Key Relationships:

• Country Commercial Category Manager.
• Country Marketing Manager.
• Regional PCO Manager.
• Country Supply Chain Global.
• Category Management.
• Global Supply Chain Customer Service.
• Airport Authorities.
• Customs.
• Tax Authorities and other local authorities.
• Regional CEO and PCO Lead.
• Local and regional industry organizations.

Candidate profile:

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree in Business, Economics, Hospitality, or related field.
• Minimum 7 years of operation experience, including 5 years in a senior management role.
• Proven track record in retail, hospitality, F&B, or FMCG sectors.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and problem – solving abilities.
• Fluent in English (spoken and written). Bulgarian preferred as additional language skill but not mandatory.

Our offer:

• A leadership role in a global travel retail and F&B organization, shaping the future of customer experiences.
• Opportunity to drive growth and define the strategic direction of Avolta operations in Bulgaria.
• Competitive compensation package, including full social benefits and performance-based bonuses.
• A dynamic, multicultural environment that fosters continuous learning, innovation, and collaboration.
• Autonomy and impact, lead and expand a country operation with full P&L responsibility.
• Professional development through global leadership programs, international conferences, and cross-country projects.
• An inclusive and diverse culture that values leadership, integrity, and teamwork.

Join Avolta: 

Avolta aims to make it priority to hire people of all backgrounds, genders, race, age, income, education, ethnically background, religion, political orientation, disability, sexual orientation or personality – we also make it our priority that our associates feel that they belong to our organization. Therefore, we promote an inclusive environment in which everyone feels accepted, respected and valued as an individual and in which opportunities and resources are equally accessible.

This is a great opportunity for a General Manager who is ready for the next step in their career, If you are looking for a dynamic role within a worldwide organization where people are put at the heart of what we do, then we look forward to hearing from you!