Mystery surrounds the process that ended in Clarence Hofheins being granted a work permit for the top job at Cambridge Beaches resort.Mr Hofheins’ hiring as general manager of the acclaimed resort raised some eyebrows in the hospitality industry.As a non-Bermudian, Mr Hofheins’ application would normally have been subjected to strict work permit application procedures, including advertising requirements.The Royal Gazette could find no evidence of the job being advertised.An Economy Ministry spokesperson confirmed that the advertising requirement had been waived, but would not say much else.“The Ministry can confirm that a work permit, together with an application to waive the requirement for advertising has been approved for Mr Clarence Hofheins in the capacity of general manager of Cambridges Beaches Ltd,” the spokesperson said.“It should be made clear that advertising waiver applications are considered on a case-by-case basis and where there is clear and demonstrable benefit to Bermuda and Bermudians, or where there is a senior post which must be filled internally.”Mr Hofheins, former Newstead Belmont Hills managing director, replaced Mike Winfield who retired as president and CEO of Cambridge Beaches on August 15, but retained his shareholding in the West End resort.Mr Hofheins had been working at David Dodwell’s Nisbet Plantation Beach Club in Nevis since April.The Economy Ministry did not respond when asked why the advertising waiver application had been approved. Instead a public affairs officer advised this newspaper to put any additional questions to Cambridge Beaches.Cambridge Beaches human resources department referred us to Richard Quinn, who has been in charge of the day-to-day operations of the resort since 2002.Mr Quinn referred us to Derek Stapley the chairman of the board of Cambridge Beaches and its parent Frascati Hotel Company.Mr Stapley is believed to be off the Island and did not return any messages by press time last night. He has previously told this newspaper that the board hired a local employment agency to handle the recruitment.“The agency handled the entire hiring process and this naturally involved working closely with the Department of Immigration,” Mr Stapley said.Prior to his position at Newstead, Mr Hofheins worked at the Elbow Beach Hotel and before that, for 13 years he was a manager at Robert Redford’s Sundance Ski Resort in Utah.Mr Hofheins stayed on for a period at Newstead Belmont Hills after the fractional resort was put into receivership in January 2011 by Butterfield Bank.Mr Winfield, a staunch supporter of Bermudians at the resort, said that he had nothing to do with the process that ended in the selection of Mr Hofheins as his successor and could not comment.In the press release announcing his retirement, Mr Winfield said he was especially proud of the representation of Bermudians in the running of the resort.“Cambridge is truly the Bermudian resort, manned, managed and owned, predominantly by Bermudians,” he was quoted as saying.