Centre Director – Clarks Village
Location: Clarks Village, Taunton, Somerset, United Kingdom
The role will be based on-site at Clarks Village, five days a week.
The Team
You will lead a dynamic on-site team comprising the Centre Operations Manager, Business Development Manager, Retail Manager, Admin/Office Manager, and Guest Experience Managers, all of whom report into this role. You will also play a key role in shaping the strategy and budget in collaboration with Elevate, our strategic facilities partners in a recently formed partnership with Landsec.
The role
As Centre Director at Clarks Village, you’ll take the lead at one of Landsec’s three Premium Outlets, alongside Gunwharf Quays and Braintree Village. Clarks Village is the UK’s first outlet destination – a vibrant, open‑air retail and leisure environment that attracts millions of visitors each year and showcases some of the nation’s best‑loved brands.
We’re seeking a commercially astute, people-focused leader who can inspire teams, build strong partnerships, and deliver exceptional guest experiences. You’ll combine strategic thinking with day-to-day operational excellence, driving sales, income growth and community impact while keeping our brand partners and guests at the heart of everything you do.
Principle Accountabilities
Leadership
* Leading and managing the Centre Team (consisting of Landsec employees, Service Partner employees and Contractors) providing them with day-to-day operational direction.
* Ensuring the execution of brilliant basics by the Centre Team, creating a safe and secure environment for guests and Brand Partners.
* Driving a high-performance team culture across the Centre, creating an environment where everyone is engaged and wants to deliver an exceptional experience for our guests and brand partners.
* Establishing and maintaining strong, collaborative relationships with key internal and external stakeholders, leveraging and influencing them for the benefit of the Centre and Landsec.
* Advocating for the Centre, continually driving for success, identifying improvements and implementing solutions that drive growth and mean we are seen as the preferred partner for the businesses we work with.
* Implementing the centre strategy from an operational perspective, feeding into the asset planning process and business plan.
Brand Partners
* Working as a proactive member the internal matrix structure within Landsec, pulling on the strength and expertise of specialist teams to ensure the Centre delivers operational and strategic excellence on a day-to-day basis.
* Build relationships with Brand Partner teams to understand their business and optimise sales.
* Maintaining a detailed understanding of Brand Partner metrics, analysing the information to provide insight and support as appropriate.
* Proactively seeking regular feedback from Brand Partners
* Involving Brand Partners in engagement programmes
* Demonstrating partnership and collaboration with local brand partners, testing and trialling commercial initiatives
* Demonstrating leadership/collaboration with Brand Partners to achieve high retail standards.
Guest Experience
* Managing the overall guest experience at the Centre, identifying dependencies and areas for improvement, ensuring effective feedback mechanisms are in place and resolving issues.
* Achieving exceptional Guest experience metrics
* Communicating the successful elements of the Centre’s guest experience
* Constantly evolving the Guest experience roadmap for the Centre, showing specific areas of focus and delivery
* Ensuring the Centre is accessible to all our guests and that it not only achieves, but maintains Disability Confidence status
Commercial Drive and Performance Measurement
* Setting sales targets and income reporting versus actual
* Effective management the Centre budget and KPI’s including; target versus actual, service charge and controllable costs in the budget.
* Demonstrating how the collective Centre Team are growing sales and income.
* Orchestrating teams involved in supporting commercial growth and sales of their Centre.
* Conducting lessons learnt, listening to constructive feedback and applying solutions, processes and practices to make sure the Centre delivers an exceptional experience for guests and Brand Partners.
* Effectively communicating knowledge and understanding of Centre’s business strategy and financial performance to a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, adapting the message to suit the audience.
* Maintaining effective working and commercial relationships with Service Partners
* Involvement in and understanding of research strategies and business planning forums
Community
* Building and maintaining strong and effective external stakeholder relationships
* Acting as an advocate for the Centre and proactively getting involved with the local community the Centre serves.
* Achieving ESG/Sustainability targets and/or demonstrating how Centre has supported different community events.
* Embedded in and supportive of local community issues
* Breath of relevant experience to be able to manage in a broad and high profile role
* A working knowledge and demonstration of success in matrix organisation
* Strong Commercial skills demonstrated within current or previous working environment.
* Proven experience of translating strategy into excellent execution
* Proven experience at building relationships with a broad range of stakeholders
* A confident communicator able to represent the business at all levels
Life and Benefits at Landsec
* Performance based annual bonus plan
* 25 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) rising to 27 days after 2 years and the option to purchase up to 10 additional days each year. Enjoy an additional three-day December festive break on top of your leave and a special ‘My Day’ to take off for whatever you choose.
* Enhanced pension contributions – Landsec will contribute up to 10.5% subject to your contribution.
* Private medical insurance, Health Cash Plan, Life assurance and income protection.
* Enhanced maternity, adoption, shared parental leave policies (view our Family policies page for more details)
* Two different share plans enabling you to share in the success you will help to build
* Up to 4 working days to volunteer per year and ‘Give As You Earn’ programmes allowing you to donate to charities straight out of your pay and we top up by 20%
Seniority level
Director
#J-18808-Ljbffr