Centre Manager (Teddington)

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and London Borough of Wandsworth; Greater London; On-site; GBP 37,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

A public sector council is seeking a Centre Manager to lead the Teddington Sports Centre. The role involves managing operations and staff while enhancing services for the community. Applicants must have relevant qualifications, and significant experience in a leisure environment is required. The position offers a competitive salary of £37,602 with opportunities for progression and a generous benefits package including 40 days annual leave. The closing date for applications is January 25, 2026.

Benefits

40 days annual leave

Generous pension plan

Learning and development opportunities

Qualifications

• Significant previous experience in a leisure/fitness environment, ideally at management level.
• Good working knowledge of operational management of a sports and fitness centre.
• Understanding of Diversity and Equality in employment and service provision.

Responsibilities

• Manage the Borough’s dual-use Sports Centre and improve facilities.
• Develop services and run adult and junior programmes.
• Supervise permanent staff and casual members.

Skills

Good communication skills

Organizational skills

Team work

Health & Safety knowledge

Education

Sport/leisure/recreation management qualification

First Aid qualified

Job description

Centre Manager, Full-Time

Location: Teddington Sports Centre, TW11 9PJ

Salary: SO2: £37,602 pa

• Are you a friendly and confident communicator who enjoys working with a team to provide great service?
• Do you hold a suitable sport/leisure/recreation or relevant management qualification and have previous experience in a leisure environment?
• Then we need you to join our team and lead on centre and programme development at Teddington Sports Centre

Where you’ll be working

Facilities here include a multi-purpose sports hall, tennis courts, all-weather pitch, squash courts, studios, multi-use games area and beach volleyball courts. The centre is open to the public weekdays from 5pm to 10pm and weekends from 9am to 6pm. You’ll be working 36 hours per week on a rota and this will include a mix of daytime, evening and weekends shifts.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll manage the Borough’s dual-use Sports Centre and work with internal and external partners to improve the facilities, develop services and run a comprehensive and balanced adult and junior programme, in line with the Council’s Sport and Leisure Strategy. You’ll have direct supervision for a team of permanent staff (and a bank of casual staff members). You’ll be developing your staff through 1-2-1s, appraisals and team meetings. Your workload will cover programming, finance, health & safety, marketing, quality assurance, facility development and staff management. You’ll also be expected to step in and act as Duty Manager when required, getting involved in the day to day operations. Have a look at the job profile online for full details on the varied role you can expect to be doing.

What we’ll need from you

• You must hold a suitable sport/leisure/recreation or relevant management qualification in order to apply for this role and must be First Aid qualified.
• Good communication and organisational skills are key essential for this role.
• We’re looking for someone with significant previous experience of working within a leisure/fitness environment, ideally at management level.
• You’ll also need a good working knowledge of the operational management of a sports and fitness centre, Health & Safety procedures, and an understanding of Diversity and Equality in employment and provision of service.

What we can offer you

This SO2 level role initially starts at £37,602 pa (with a progression range of up to £45,564 pa).

This post will also have the developmental opportunity to progress to grade PO1, with additional areas of responsibility being undertaken. (PO1 salary progression range is £38,976 to £47,229 pa).

*progression up a salary scale is achieved through positive annual appraisals.

We can also offer working arrangements that will enhance your work-life balance. These include a 36 hour working week and a generous holiday allowance of 40 paid days per year (includes bank holidays), plus a wide range of learning and development opportunities.

In addition, we offer a comprehensive range of staff benefits such as membership of the Local Government contributory pension scheme, childcare vouchers, new technology scheme, interest-free loans on annual travel cards, discounts with many leisure activities, restaurants, shops and other establishments.

Apply now

If you are suitably qualified and experienced for this role, submit your CV application and a supporting statement – tell us what makes you the best person for the job!

Please ensure you fully complete all stages of the application process as incomplete applications will be rejected.

Closing Date

Sunday 25 January 2026 at Midnight.

We will contact you by email after the closing date to let you know if you have been shortlisted for interview.

The closing date is given as a guide and we reserve the right to close this advert early, or once sufficient applications have been received. We strongly advise you complete your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Interviews

Interviews are provisionally scheduled for 10 and 11 February 2026 and will be held in person at our offices in Twickenham. Candidates will be required to give a short presentation as part of the interview assessment.

Equality, Diversity, Inclusion

Richmond & Wandsworth Better Service Partnership are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions to the Councils and can improve the way we deliver services.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer. If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment and selection process, please let us know.

We also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Some posts may be exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to these posts will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

We offer a wide range of benefits designed to attract, develop, and reward our employees such as 40 days annual leave (including Bank Holidays), flexible working and a generous pension plan.