We are excited to announce that The Path Entertainment Group are looking for an experienced and ambitious General Manager, to lead The Paddington Bear Experience, currently operating in London. We are looking for someone who considers themselves to be driven and creative with natural business acumen and an entrepreneurial spirit.
This role will have full autonomy to lead the day to day operation of the attraction, executing the business plan and delivering the company’s ambitions.
You will be expected to develop and maintain a positive working culture, which focuses on developing and training a dedicated team of people and creating an excellent customer experience.
You will also be responsible for all revenue generating verticals, including Ticketing, Food & Beverage, Retail and Photography. Ensuring commercial growth across all categories, whilst maximising Net Profit and Spend Per Head.
Key Responsibilities:
Leadership
* The General Manager will serve as the most senior authority in the building, ensuring consistent alignment between commercial objectives, guest experience and operational delivery.
* Provide effective leadership and motivation to a high-performing team, through training, recruitment and performance management. Oversee scheduling and staffing to ensure operational efficiency while fostering a culture of excellence.
* Full accountability for budgets and cost control, analysing financial performance to maximise profitability.
* Create new initiatives and return on investment cases, to maximise Spend Per Head and Net Profit.
* Lead decision making, based on data insight and audience trends captured through Ticketing and EPOS systems.
* Hold full accountability for Payroll and HR duties using our HR software, such as managing holiday, sickness & absenteeism, 1-2-1s, probationary reviews, and appraisals.
Marketing
* Lead relationships with external partners and hold them to account for driving ticketing revenue.
* Develop plans based on budget and seasonal trends, to keep the attraction relevant to our target audience.
* Work closely with the Brand and IP owners to ensure we are working within guidelines and delivering exceptional content across all sales and marketing channels.
Commercial Development
* Lead the venue management team to deliver clear training plans, allowing staff to develop sales techniques in key commercial areas of the attraction.
* Ensure effective incentives and targets are in place to engage the team and harness positive financial results.
* Develop knowledge of Ticketing and EPOS Systems to ensure the venue is operating in the most effective way to support the staff delivery.
Guest Experience
* Uphold the highest guest service standards for the attraction, leading all guest facing teams to go above and beyond on a daily basis.
* Work collaboratively across all departments to share feedback and evaluate the operation on a regular basis- suggesting improvements and taking ownership of actioning change.
* To encourage guests comments and feedback across all touch points, leading the coordination of responding to feedback, on site and through online channels.
Duty Management
* Act as Manager on duty on a rota basis, taking day-to-day responsibility for all aspects of management, public and premises safety and security and all aspects of Health & Safety management.
* Lead the decision making process on game / attraction management, using information from across departments to have full understanding for any cancellations.
* To always act in the best interest of the Company when actioning any cancellations.
* Collate full and detailed reports for the reasons of cancellations, informing the Senior Leadership team of the reasons for any game cancellations and sharing relevant reports.
Key Performance Indicators
* Maintaining budgets and staffing costs
* Achievement of income targets
* Effectiveness of line management, staff morale and retention
* Effectiveness of internal relationships and communication
* Success of individual projects across the Guest Experience journey
* Accuracy, relevance and timeliness of regular reports
* Guest review comments and scores
Knowledge, Skills & Experience
Essential
* Ability to lead teams with clarity, energy and purpose
* Result focused with the ability to take full ownership of operations
* Proven track record of managing successful venue operation departments
* Excellent team leader who can work flexibly to meet business requirements
* Excellent attention to detail with the ability to work under pressure, deliver to strict deadlines and manage conflicting priorities
* Customer focused with excellent verbal communication skills, with the ability to work at all levels within the business and communicate confidently with the Senior Leadership Team
* Experience of opening and launching new F&B concepts
* Experience of creating, maintaining and overseeing F&B operational procedures
* Experience of managing F&B and retail suppliers
* Experience of managing EPOS systems
* Experience of forecasting and maintaining labour margins
* Experience with F&B cash up / finance procedures
Desirable
* Valid UK Driving License
* Personal License Holder (if not we will arrange this)
* First Aid Trained (if not we will arrange this)
* Level 3 Food Hygiene Certified