Centre Manager - Indoor Leisure Attraction

Clip 'n Climb Crawley; Crawley; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Employee Assistance Programme

Perks portal with exclusive discounts

Team discounts at café

Free climbing for you and a guest

Free soft play entry for family

Discounted party bookings

Incentives and recognition schemes

Opportunity to grow with the business

Job summary

Clip 'n Climb Crawley is seeking a hands-on Centre Manager to own the day-to-day operations across the centre, including climbing arena, reception, café, parties and events. You will lead from the front in a fast-paced, customer-facing environment and manage a team that grows to around 45 staff during peak periods.

You will develop and coach Team Leaders, manage rotas, HR and compliance, and make sure health & safety standards are maintained. Flexibility to work across peak periods is essential.

Qualifications

• Previous experience supervising or managing a team in a busy customer-facing environment.
• Experience leading a predominantly young workforce is important.
• Ability to support rotas, HR and compliance.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of day-to-day running of the centre.
• Lead and support teams on shift (4–15 people).
• Oversee up to 45 staff during peak periods.
• Be visible across climbing arena, reception, café, parties and events.
• Develop Team Leaders and wider team.
• Place the right people in the right places based on demand.
• Support rota planning and management for Operations Director.
• Assist with recruitment, onboarding, absence and performance.
• Maintain high standards of health and safety, safeguarding and compliance.
• Handle customer issues and complaints when required.
• Ensure the centre is clean, presentable and operationally ready.
• Monitor labour, sales and other day-to-day performance.
• Identify problems early and implement corrective actions.
• Contribute to improving customer experience and operations growth.
• Grow with the business and take on increasing responsibility.

Skills

Team leadership

Customer-facing

People development

Tools

HR & compliance

Scheduling

Job description

We're looking for a hands-on, energetic and proactive Centre Manager to take ownership of the day-to-day running of Clip 'n Climb Crawley.

This isn't an office-based management role.

We're looking for someone who wants to be out in the business, leading from the front and working across all areas of the centre, from the climbing arena and reception to our café, parties, events and everything in between.

Our team can grow to around 45 employees during busy periods, with anywhere between 4 and 15 people working on a shift depending on business levels. A large proportion of our team are young people, so experience of leading, developing and getting the best out of a younger workforce is particularly important.

We need someone who can see the bigger picture while still noticing the small things. Someone who spots a potential problem before it becomes a major one, is comfortable making decisions and isn't afraid to step in when something needs sorting.

You'll work closely with our Operations Director, taking ownership of the day-to-day centre operation while also supporting with rotas, HR, compliance and the continued development of the business.

What You'll Be Doing

• Taking ownership of the day-to-day running of the centre
• Leading and supporting teams of between 4 and 15 people on shift
• Helping lead and develop a wider team of up to 45 employees during our busiest periods
• Being visible and hands-on across our climbing arena, reception, café, parties and events
• Supporting and developing our Team Leaders and wider team
• Making sure the right people are in the right places based on customer demand
• Supporting the Operations Director with rota planning and management
• Supporting with recruitment, onboarding, absence, performance and other HR matters
• Maintaining high standards of health and safety, safeguarding, training and operational compliance
• Taking ownership of customer issues and complaints when required
• Making sure the centre is clean, presentable and operationally ready
• Monitoring labour, sales, upselling and other day-to-day commercial performance
• Identifying problems early and taking action before they escape
• Looking for opportunities to improve the customer experience and how we operate
• Supporting the Operations Director with the continued development and growth of the business

About You

You'll have previous experience supervising or managing a team in a busy customer-facing environment. Experience within leisure, hospitality, visitor attractions, retail or a similar operation would be an advantage.

Experience of working with and leading a predominantly young workforce is particularly important. You'll need to know how to support and develop people while also setting clear expectations and maintaining accountability.

You'll be someone who is:

• Hands-on and happy to lead from the front
• Proactive rather than reactive
• Confident managing busy shifts and changing priorities
• Comfortable making decisions and taking ownership
• Calm when things don't go to plan
• Able to have difficult conversations when needed
• Organised and comfortable supporting rotas, HR and compliance
• Commercially aware, particularly when it comes to staffing and labour
• Approachable and able to build strong relationships with a younger team
• Keen to bring forward ideas and challenge how things could be done better
• Most importantly, you'll be willing to get involved.

If reception gets busy, the café needs support, a party needs attention or the climbing arena needs another pair of hands, we expect our Centre Manager to be comfortable stepping in and leading by example.

Working Pattern

Our off-peak operation currently runs Friday to Monday, so you must be able to work flexibly across these days, including weekends.

During school holidays and other peak periods, we operate seven days a week, so greater flexibility will be required during these periods.

Your working pattern will vary depending on business levels, events and operational requirements. Weekend and school holiday working is an essential part of the role.

Grow With Us

We're not necessarily looking for someone who has already done everything.

You might already be managing a leisure, hospitality or customer-facing operation, or you could be an experienced Assistant Manager or Deputy Manager who is ready for the next step.

What matters to us is finding someone with the right attitude, leadership ability and operational experience who wants to step into the role and grow alongside the business.

We have ambitious plans for the future and want our Centre Manager to play a genuine part in them. For the right person, there will be opportunities to develop, take on greater responsibility and make the role their own as the business continues to grow.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary, depending on experience, with clear development opportunities in a growing business
• Employee Assistance Programme, offering 24/7 wellbeing and mental health support for you and your immediate family
• Employee Perks Portal, with exclusive discounts from brands including Dominos, HelloFresh, Benefit Cosmetics and JD Sports, plus discounted holidays with TUI and Jet2holidays
• Exclusive team discounts at our South Ridge Café
• Free climbing for you and a plus one
• Free soft play entry for your immediate family members
• Discounted party bookings for you and your immediate family members
• Regular incentives and prize opportunities through our employee appreciation scheme
• The opportunity to develop your role and responsibilities as the business grows

If you're looking for a management role where you can make a genuine impact, develop a team and be part of the operation rather than managing it from behind a desk, we'd love to hear from you.