Regional Operations Director - Places Leisure

At Places for People, we hire People, not numbers! So, if you like the sound of one of our jobs, please apply - you could be just who we're looking for! Of course, experience and track record are important, but we're more interested in hiring someone that embodies our People Promises. That's someone that does the right thing, is enthusiastic and motivated to grow, believes in Community spirit, is respectful and enjoys their work. As the UK's leading Social Enterprise, we're dedicated to creating inclusive and thriving Communities for both our Customers and Employees.

So, what are you waiting for? Join a community that cares about you!

More about your role

We are recruiting a Regional Operations Directors as part of a significant transformation within Places Leisure, introducing a critical leadership layer between our National Operations Director and our Area Manager population. These are high-impact, senior leadership roles responsible for leading large, complex, multi-site operations across  our North & Central  regions. These roles will be home-based with extensive travel across sites in each region.

You will be accountable for delivering strong commercial and operational performance across a significant portfolio of leisure contracts, with responsibility for driving measurable growth in revenue, membership and customer engagement across a multi ‑ million-pound operation.

You set and deliver the operating strategy for leisure contracts, driving performance against agreed KPIs, profit targets and long ‑ term business plans.  You will lead large-scale cultural and operational change, creating a more consistent and high-performing operating model across geographically dispersed teams.

You lead commercial growth by using data and insight to increase footfall, membership and revenue across multiple sites, while ensuring strong operational standards, brand consistency and compliance. You own the customer and client experience, building senior relationships, managing risk and supporting contract renewals.

You develop and lead Area Managers, create a high ‑ performance culture, manage financial performance, champion digital and transformation initiatives, and drive continuous improvement across operations in partnership with wider support teams.

More about you 

Essential Criteria

• Experience in a similar role  operating at Regional / Director level within a large-scale, multi-site, customer-facing business (for example leisure, hospitality, retail or healthcare), with complexity comparable to Places Leisure

• Proven accountability for commercial performance, including revenue growth, profit delivery, cost control and KPI achievement,  with ownership of a significant P&L (ideally within a large, multi-site environment)

• Strong leadership capability, with experience developing senior managers, driving high performance and leading through change across geographically dispersed teams

• Demonstrable ability to use data, insight and digital tools to inform decisions, drive performance and present clearly to senior stakeholders

• Strong track record of managing client relationships, compliance and operational risk while delivering consistent customer experience and brand standards
• Currently Reside in the the North of England

You have extensive experience leading large teams in fast ‑ paced frontline environments such as leisure, hospitality or retail, with responsibility at a similar operational scale. You bring strong commercial and financial capability, including accountability for large budgets and profit and loss performance, and you use data and digital tools to make informed decisions and present clear insights to senior leaders.

You are likely to be currently operating at a Regional or Director-level role, and will bring experience of leading large, geographically dispersed teams through transformation and change.

You communicate confidently and credibly at all levels, lead through change with resilience, and adapt your leadership style to motivate and inspire teams across a geographically dispersed operation while building strong internal and external partnerships.

Benefits

We are a large diverse and ambitious business, which will give you all the challenge you could wish for.

We know that there's always more we can do to make you smile, that's why we offer a comprehensive benefits package with each role, yours will include:

• Pension with matched contributions up to 7%

• Excellent holiday package – 33 days annual leave with the option to buy or sell leave

• Car allowance

• Cashback plan for healthcare costs – up to £500 saving per year

• A bonus scheme for all colleagues at 15%

• Training and development

• Extra perks including huge discounts and offers from shops, cinemas and much

more.

What's next?

If you meet the criteria and are ready to make the next step in your career then apply following our simple 5 minute application process, upload a CV and a supporting statement which demonstrates how you meet the requirements of the role. If you have any questions please email the recruitment team View email address on careers.placesforpeople.co.uk

As part of our commitment to diversity and inclusion, we offer a guaranteed interview to candidates who are disabled, neurodiverse, or have served in the Armed Forces, provided you meet the essential criteria for the role. If you would like to be considered under this scheme, please indicate this in your application. 

We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application or interview experience, please let us know. We're happy to work with you to ensure you have the opportunity to perform at your best.

If you are a Places for People customer and you're looking for support with your application, please contact our skills and employment team on View email address on careers.placesforpeople.co.uk . 

Please note that we may bring the closing date forward, if we receive a large number of quality applications. If you are interested in this role we would advise applying immediately to avoid disappointment.

If you are using a mobile device such as an iPad then ensure your CV is stored in the cloud, we currently support Google Drive, OneDrive and Dropbox.

W e understand the importance of a supportive and inclusive work culture so please talk to us at interview about flexibility you may need. We can't promise to give you exactly what you want, but we promise not to judge you for asking. For this role we are open to discussing the possibility of reduced hours, flexible start and finish times or compressed hours.  

If you are a recruitment agency please note we operate a PSL and do not take cold calls

Safeguarding

At Places for People, safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. We are committed to creating safe communities for our customers and colleagues by protecting children, young people, and adults at risk from harm, abuse, and neglect. 

We follow robust safeguarding policies and procedures, ensuring all employees, volunteers, and contractors uphold the highest standards of safeguarding and accountability. Our recruitment process includes pre-employment checks, including Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks where applicable, to promote a safe and secure working environment. 

By joining Places for People, you are expected to contribute to our safeguarding culture, following our policies and reporting concerns to protect those in our communities