General Manager
Leisure Focus Limited
A complete application in a minute
Tailored resume and cover letter, ready to send.
Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
Leisure Focus is seeking a General Manager for Windsor Leisure Centre. You will provide inspirational leadership, drive operational excellence, manage budgets and health and safety, and build strong community relationships.
The role reports to the Contract Manager and requires delivering high customer service and commercial performance. With a salary up to £55,000 and a strong leadership remit, you will lead centre operations, people development and continuous improvement while promoting
Qualifications
- Proven management or leadership experience in a customer-focused environment.
- Experience managing teams and performance against targets.
- Experience in financial management, budgeting and income/expenditure monitoring.
- Experience with health and safety and safeguarding.
- Ability to build relationships with customers, staff and external partners.
Responsibilities
- Lead the safe, efficient operation of Windsor Leisure Centre and meet performance targets.
- Develop and support a high-performing, inclusive team with succession planning.
- Manage budgets, income, expenditure and commercial initiatives to maximise income.
- Enhance customer experience and drive participation through community engagement.
- Ensure health, safety, compliance and safeguarding across all activities.
- Lead change, use data to drive continuous improvement and represent Leisure Focus professionally.
Skills
Education
Job description
Location: Windsor Leisure Centre
Salary: Up to £55,000 per annum
Contract: Full-time, Permanent
Reports to: Contract Manager
The General Manager will have overall responsibility for the successful operational, financial and commercial management of Windsor Leisure Centre, ensuring the centre delivers excellent customer experiences, high standards of health and safety, strong financial performance and positive outcomes for the local community.
The role will provide visible and inspirational leadership to the centre team, ensuring colleagues are supported, developed and motivated to deliver Leisure Focus standards.
The General Manager will work closely with the Contract Manager and the wider Leisure Focus leadership team to develop the centre, maximise participation and income, and deliver the organisation's strategic objectives.
- Provide overall leadership for the safe, efficient and successful operation of Windsor Leisure Centre.
- Ensure consistently high standards of customer service, cleanliness, presentation and facility operation.
- Monitor centre performance against agreed operational, financial and customer targets.
- Ensure effective staffing, rotas and resource planning.
- Oversee opening, closing and daily operational procedures.
- Manage incidents, complaints and operational challenges effectively.
- Ensure business continuity arrangements are maintained.
- Lead, motivate and develop the Windsor Leisure Centre team.
- Create a positive, inclusive and high-performing workplace culture.
- Support recruitment, onboarding, performance management and employee development.
- Identify training and development needs and ensure appropriate training is delivered.
- Ensure colleagues are appropriately supervised, informed and supported.
- Develop future leaders and support career progression within Leisure Focus.
- Take responsibility for the centre's financial performance and agreed budgets.
- Monitor income, expenditure and financial performance, taking action where required.
- Identify opportunities to increase participation, income and commercial performance.
- Develop and implement initiatives, promotions and activities to maximise centre usage.
- Build effective relationships with partners, schools, community organisations and other stakeholders.
- Support the development and implementation of business and service plans.
- Ensure customers receive an excellent, welcoming and inclusive experience.
- Promote the widest possible use of the centre and its facilities.
- Develop relationships with local communities, schools, clubs and organisations.
- Support the delivery of activities, events, competitions and community programmes.
- Monitor customer feedback and use insight to drive continuous improvement.
- Promote equality, diversity and inclusion across service delivery.
- Ensure all statutory and Leisure Focus health and safety requirements are met.
- Maintain appropriate safeguarding standards and procedures.
- Ensure staff are appropriately trained and competent for their roles.
- Oversee contractor, maintenance and facilities management arrangements.
- Ensure compliance with relevant policies, procedures and legislation.
- Promote a culture where health, safety and wellbeing are everyone's responsibility.
- Work closely with the Contract Manager and wider Leisure Focus management team.
- Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency, customer experience and commercial performance.
- Use data, customer feedback and performance information to inform decision-making.
- Lead and support change initiatives within the centre.
- Represent Leisure Focus professionally with customers, partners and stakeholders.
- Undertake other duties appropriate to the level and nature of the role.
- Proven management or leadership experience, ideally within leisure, sport, hospitality, retail, facilities or another customer-focused environment.
- Experience of managing and developing teams.
- Experience of managing leisure pool facilities
- Experience of operational management within a busy environment.
- Experience of managing performance and delivering against targets.
- Experience of financial management, budgeting or monitoring income and expenditure.
- Experience of managing customer service and resolving complaints or operational issues.
- Experience of health and safety and risk management.
- Experience of developing effective relationships with customers, staff and external partners.
- Experience managing a leisure centre or similar large public-facing facility.
- Experience of commercial development and income generation.
- Experience of delivering events, programmes or community initiatives.
- Experience of contractor and facilities management.
- Experience of managing change and continuous improvement.
- Experience of partnership working with schools, clubs, community organisations or local authorities.
- Strong leadership and people management skills.
- Ability to motivate, support and develop colleagues.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Strong customer-service focus.
- Ability to make confident decisions and solve problems.
- Strong organisation and time-management skills.
- Ability to manage competing priorities in a busy environment.
- Financial and commercial awareness.
- Ability to analyse information and use data to improve performance.
- Strong understanding of health, safety and safeguarding.
- Ability to build effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
- Confident using digital systems and technology.
- Inspirational.
- Accountable.
- Customer-focused.
- Commercially aware.
- Inclusive.
- Resilient.
- Collaborative.
- Proactive.
- Organised.
- Solutions-focused.
- You will be visible, approachable and confident, with the ability to lead from the front while bringing people with you.
- Relevant management, leisure, sport, business or equivalent professional experience.
- Relevant health and safety / first aid qualification or willingness to obtain where required.
- Leisure management or sports-related qualification.
- Management or leadership qualification.
- Relevant industry qualifications such as NPLQ or Pool Plant.
- IOSH, NEBOSH or equivalent health and safety qualification.
- Salary up to £55,000 per annum.
- Free gym membership for the employee and an appointed person.
- Discounted food and beverages on site.
- Discounted retail items.
- Career progression and development opportunities.
- Training and development.
- Employee Assistance Programme.
- Free on-site parking.
This is an exciting opportunity to lead one of Leisure Focus's key leisure facilities and make a genuine difference to the customer experience and the communities we serve.
We are looking for a General Manager who can combine strong operational leadership with commercial thinking, people development and a passion for leisure.
If you are ambitious, customer-focused and ready to take ownership of a busy leisure centre, we would love to hear from you.
General Manager positions are classed as a regulated post and therefore will require a DBS Disclosure. Where the individual does not already hold a DBS Disclosure, it will be necessary for the postholder to be submitted for a DBS check.
Leisure Focus is a not for profit Charitable incorporated organisation (CIO). It has been established to work with local communities; supporting clubs, organisations and individuals to achieve their sporting and lifestyle goals. We manage each facility in a responsible way, to ensure each customer has the opportunity to access activities regardless of their race, sex, age, religion, and financial circumstances, physical or mental ability.
In every role, across every site, our colleagues are the 'face' of Leisure Focus. Together, we
- Focus on the Customer.
- Approach everything systematically.
- Collaborate to achieve.
- Exceed expectation.
There are many great things about Leisure Focus. One of our strengths is that people come together from different cultures, perspectives, and experiences. We are world-class fitness experts, ensuring we at Leisure Focus have a culture where everyone is welcome. Our team members are at the heart of what we do and it’s why we’re here. We are proud to have a global inclusive workforce, with team members from all backgrounds and cultures. We are a disability confident employer, who is committed to inclusion and diversity in the workplace.
Closing Date: 31st October 2026.
But we reserve the right to make an early appointment for experienced and suitably qualified applicants.
This job description is not all inclusive. We reserve the right to amend this job description at any time. Leisure Focus is committed to being an inclusive employer. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and will provide reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process where required.
'/%3e%3cpath%20d='M101.744%2012.4726L102.894%2016.1947L99.0021%2013.2201L101.744%2012.4726ZM105.3%208.40937H100.488L99.0026%203.59473L97.5116%208.41047L92.7%208.40385L96.5965%2011.3834L95.1055%2016.1942L99.0021%2013.2196L101.408%2011.3834L105.3%208.40992V8.40937Z'%20fill='white'/%3e%3cdefs%3e%3clinearGradient%20id='paint0_linear_5593_1381'%20x1='90'%20y1='9.44471'%20x2='99'%20y2='9.44471'%20gradientUnits='userSpaceOnUse'%3e%3cstop%20stop-color='%2300AD70'/%3e%3cstop%20offset='0.998594'%20stop-color='%2300B67A'/%3e%3cstop%20offset='1'%20stop-color='%23DCDCE6'/%3e%3c/linearGradient%3e%3c/defs%3e%3c/svg%3e){kind=small}
