Duty Manager

Arena Racing Company; Sittingbourne; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 40,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Two annual members’ passes

Hotel discounts and golf

Annual leave 22–28 days

Pension & group life assurance

Healthshield with GP access & EAP

Funded training & development

Job summary

Central Park Greyhound Stadium, part of Arena Racing Company, seeks a proactive Duty Manager to oversee day-to-day operations of the stadium, ensuring safety and top standards on race days and events. You will collaborate with the Greyhound General Manager to drive exceptional guest experiences and maintain smooth operations across racing and non-racing activities.

The role offers a salary up to £40,000 per annum depending on experience, with a range of staff perks and development opportunities

Qualifications

• Experience in operational management within a racecourse, sporting venue, hospitality, leisure or hotel environment.
• Proven leadership and people-management skills with the ability to stay calm under pressure.
• Excellent communication, organisational and problem-solving abilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead race day and event operations, ensuring safety and high standards.
• Act as Duty Manager for the site and assist the Greyhound General Manager.
• Champion greyhound welfare and health & safety compliance.
• Manage staff, safety stewards and contractors, including recruitment and training.
• Plan staff rotas and ensure departments are properly resourced.
• Coordinate with hospitality, catering, and retail teams to deliver guest experiences.
• Handle customer feedback and resolve issues professionally.
• Oversee venue presentation, maintenance, and contractor performance.
• Manage stock, cash reconciliation and operational reporting.
• Monitor budgets and procurement to maximise value while controlling costs.
• Support marketing activities and customer bookings.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and profitability.

Skills

Leadership

People management

Communication

Decision making

IT systems

Education

Business or Events qualification

Health & Safety qualification

First Aid qualification

Personal Licence Holder

Tools

POS systems

Job description

Central Park Greyhound Stadium are looking for lively and hardworking people to join our staff.

Our team’s friendly attitude is reflected by the smiles on the customer’s faces from the moment they enter the stadium until the moment they leave.

We pride ourselves on excellent customer service and are always looking for different ways to excel.

We are looking for a proactive and motivated Duty Manager to join the team at Central Park Greyhounds.

This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in delivering outstanding race days, events and hospitality experiences while ensuring the smooth, safe and efficient operation of the venue.

What you'll be doing

As Duty Manager, no two days are the same. You'll take ownership of the day-to-day operation of the stadium, ensuring everything runs safely, efficiently and to the highest standards. Working closely with the Greyhound General Manager, you'll be instrumental in overseeing both racing and non-racing operations, leading teams, maintaining high operational standards and helping create memorable experiences for our customers.

Salary up to £40,000 per annum depending on experience

About us...

Arena Racing Company does so much more than lead the UK's largest horse racing group. We have 21 racing venues showcasing horse racing, greyhound racing, golf courses, hotels and events. In short, leisure, entertainment, media production and global distribution are at the heart of what we do, making it an exciting and diverse place to work! Our success is a team effort which is why we offer great opportunities for growth, development and career progression. After all, it's our employees that enable us to offer first class service and create an electric atmosphere, all within an industry we love.

What is ARC? We embrace diversity. We develop our people. We care for our visitors. We think about our impact. We are proud of our sport.

Work Perks

• 2 Annual Members’ passes giving access to over 1,500 racedays
• Hotel discounts and complimentary golf
• Annual leave starting at 22 days, rising to 28 with service
• Pension & group life assurance schemes
• Healthshield – including 24/7 GP access & EAP
• Funded training & development opportunities
• ...and plenty more!

Key Responsibilities:

• Leading race day and event operations, ensuring every fixture runs smoothly and safely.
• Acting as Duty Manager for the wider site and taking overall responsibility in the absence of the Greyhound General Manager.
• Championing greyhound welfare, ensuring it remains at the heart of everything we do.
• Leading Health & Safety compliance, emergency planning and operational procedures.
• Managing race day staff, safety stewards and third-party security teams, including recruitment, training and performance.
• Planning staff rotas and ensuring all departments are appropriately resourced.
• Working closely with hospitality, catering and retail teams to deliver exceptional customer experiences.
• Handling customer feedback and resolving issues professionally and efficiently.
• Overseeing venue presentation, maintenance programmes and contractor performance to ensure the stadium is always event-ready.
• Managing stock, cash reconciliation and operational reporting.
• Monitoring budgets and procurement to maximise value while controlling costs.
• Supporting marketing activity, social media, website updates and customer bookings.
• Identifying opportunities to improve operational efficiency, profitability and the overall guest experience.
• Building strong relationships with trainers, suppliers, contractors and homing partners.
• Leading by example and creating a positive, motivated and high-performing team culture.

About you...

• At least 3 years' experience in a similar operational management role.
• Experience within a racecourse, sporting venue, hospitality, leisure or hotel environment (desirable).
• Excellent leadership and people management skills.
• Strong organisational and problem-solving abilities.
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills.
• The ability to remain calm under pressure and make sound decisions in a live event environment.
• Good IT skills and confidence using business systems.
• A proactive, hands-on approach with excellent attention to detail.

Qualifications

• Business or Events qualification.
• Health & Safety qualification.
• Level 3 or Level 4 Spectator Safety qualification (desirable).
• First Aid qualification.
• Personal Licence Holder.

At ARC, we believe that a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace makes us a more relevant, more competitive, and more resilient company. We welcome people from all backgrounds, ethnicities, cultures, and experiences.We are an equal opportunities employer and do not discriminate on the grounds of gender, sexual orientation, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, gender reassignment, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, disability or age. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.

If you have a disability that requires reasonable adjustments, please let us know; we will ensure that individuals with additional needs are provided reasonable adjustments to participate in the job application or interview process and to perform essential job functions.

We understand the value that diversity brings to our business and we are striving to create a working environment that is inclusive, psychologically and physically safe and ensures everyone can be heard and valued for their contributions. We are committed to making a consistent, top-down effort to be role models on what diversity, inclusion and belonging means in society.