Area Lead

Mid Devon; Tiverton; Remote; GBP 33,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous annual leave

Free uniform

DBS check

Employee assistance programme

Professional development

Job summary

Active Mid Devon in Tiverton is seeking a Fitness Area Lead to steer the gym, class programme and instructor team. You will partner with the Centre Manager to boost participation, retention and service excellence while shaping the future of our fitness offer.

Lead, develop and mentor staff, optimise group exercise through KPIs, and manage operations with Health and Safety at the fore. This role combines people leadership with hands-on programme development to drive growth.

Qualifications

• Experience in fitness/leisure environment.
• Experience leading, coaching or supervising teams.
• Strong understanding of member retention and customer engagement.
• Experience using data and performance indicators to improve participation.
• Knowledge of Health and Safety, NOPs and EAPs.
• Excellent communication, organisation and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop Fitness Instructors and Class Instructors.
• Review group exercise programme using KPIs to identify growth opportunities.
• Monitor performance data and reports to support service improvement.
• Introduce new initiatives, fitness products and strategies to enhance customer experience.
• Ensure exceptional customer service through proactive member engagement and programming support.
• Oversee cleanliness, presentation and operational standards of fitness facilities.
• Deliver induction training and ongoing staff development.
• Create and maintain fitness services via leisure management software.
• Support day-to-day leisure centre operations including reception and poolside cover.
• Ensure safe operation per Health and Safety, NOPs and EAPs.
• Coordinate maintenance with Estates and external contractors.

Skills

Leadership experience

Data-driven decisions

Customer engagement

Communication skills

IT literacy & leisure software

Tools

Leisure management software

MS Office

Job description

PERMANENT: Permanent -37 Hours per week
SALARY: Grade F - £32,578 - £35,570
LOCATION:Tiverton (subject to cross-site working)

Shape the future of fitness at Active Mid Devon

Are you passionate about fitness, people and delivering exceptional member experiences? Do you thrive on developing teams, driving participation and creating innovative fitness opportunities?

We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated Fitness Area Lead to join our leadership team at Active Tiverton. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced fitness professional to lead and develop our gym, fitness class programme and instructor team while helping to shape the future direction of our fitness offer.

Working closely with the Centre Manager and Fitness Manager, you will play a key role in improving member retention, increasing participation, analysing performance data and ensuring our facilities deliver outstanding experiences for every customer.

As our Fitness Area Lead, your responsibilities will include:

• Leading, motivating and developing a team of Fitness Instructors and Class Instructors through regular team meetings, one-to-ones and performance reviews.
• Reviewing and developing the group exercise programme using key performance indicators to identify opportunities for growth, improve attendance and maximise participation.
• Monitoring fitness performance data and management reports, including traffic light performance measures, to support service improvement and achievement of business objectives.
• Working with the Fitness Manager to introduce new initiatives, fitness products and strategies that enhance the customer experience and support retention.
• Ensuring Fitness Instructors provide exceptional customer service through proactive member engagement, programme support and maintaining high standards within the gym environment.
• Overseeing cleanliness, presentation and operational standards across fitness provision to create a welcoming and professional environment.
• Delivering induction training for new team members and supporting the ongoing development of staff through coaching, mentoring and training.
• Creating and maintaining fitness services through our leisure management software, including the setup and management of fitness classes and activities.
• Supporting the day-to-day operation of the leisure centre, including reception, gym supervision, recreation duties and poolside cover where required.
• Ensuring the safe operation of the facility in accordance with all Health and Safety legislation, Normal Operating Procedures (NOPs) and Emergency Action Plans (EAPs).
• Managing operational issues and maintenance requirements, liaising with Estates, Property Services and external contractors where necessary.

At Active Mid Devon we value: Pride, People, Performance and Partnerships

About you:

We are looking for someone who is passionate about fitness and developing people, with the drive to positively influence both customer experience and commercial performance.

You will have:

• Experience working within a fitness, leisure or health environment.
• Experience leading, coaching or supervising teams.
• A strong understanding of member retention and customer engagement.
• Experience using data and performance indicators to improve participation and service delivery.
• Sound knowledge of Health and Safety, NOPs and EAPs.
• Excellent communication, organisation and problem-solving skills.
• Confidence using IT systems, Microsoft Office applications and leisure management software.
• A commitment to continuous professional development and a desire to progress within the leisure industry.
• Generous annual leave entitlements
• Free uniform and DBS check
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Ongoing professional development and training opportunities.
• The opportunity to shape and develop a growing fitness programme

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who wants to move beyond delivering sessions and take ownership of a thriving fitness operation, influencing everything from instructor development and member retention strategies to class programming and business performance. Active Tiverton is entering a period of significant growth and development within fitness, providing the successful candidate with the opportunity to make a genuine impact on the future direction of the service.

The Job Description refers to the level of competencies required for this post. Foran explanation of what this means,please see Core Competencies .

A satisfactory basic disclosure check and three years complete employment history will be requested in the event of you being offered the position.

Unfortunately we are unable to sponsor skilled worker visas at this time. For more information on pre-employment checks, please review the documents found here.

Please remember to quote the following post and vacancy numbers:

CLOSING DATE:

CLOSING DATE: 11 November 2026 at 5:00pm

POST NUMBER:

POST NUMBER: LS36

VACANCY NUMBER:

VACANCY NUMBER: 2026157

MDDC reserves the right to close this vacancy early. We therefore encourage early applications.

We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer of first choice reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups. We are keen to make our interviews accessible. Let us know on your job application if you have a disability and need any reasonable adjustments.

We're committed to Equality of Opportunity andwelcome applications from all sections of the community.

If we've not contacted you within two weeks of the closing date, please assume your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.

Thank you for showing an interest in this vacancy and we wish you every success with your on-going job search.