General Manager

Virgin Active; Northampton; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

33 days annual leave (incl. bank)

Pension with 5% matching

Competitive bonus

Complimentary Virgin Active membership

Staff discounts across Virgin Active

Virgin Family benefits

20% off food & drink at Kauai

Salary Finance access

Health Heroes counselling (6 sessions)

Dexters rental support

ePoints discounts

Job summary

Virgin Active is seeking a General Manager to lead the Club Leadership Team and drive outstanding member experiences across our clubs in the UK. The role focuses on delivering exceptional service, guiding a vibrant team, and achieving commercial targets with a strong emphasis on safety and brand excellence.

You will be the face of the club, inspiring your team, fostering a culture of wellbeing, and delivering Virgin Active’s evolving social wellness vision every day.

Qualifications

• Previous GM/Club Manager/Senior Operations Manager experience in hospitality, fitness or leisure.
• Strong leadership to build and develop high-performing teams.
• Experience in budgets, KPIs and P&L management.
• Passion for health, fitness and customer experience.
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong problem-solving in a fast-paced, people-focused environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a high-performing club team to deliver an exceptional member experience.
• Own the club's commercial performance, driving membership growth and revenue targets.
• Champion Virgin Active’s social wellness vision and ensure brand standards are met.
• Manage budgets, P&L, and operational KPIs to run the club efficiently.
• Oversee health & safety and compliance to keep a safe environment.
• Foster wellbeing, teamwork, and continuous improvement across the club.
• Build relationships with members to understand needs and exceed expectations.
• Collaborate with support teams to implement new initiatives and reimagine the club experience.

Skills

Leadership

Commercial acumen

Budget management

P&L management

Health & safety

Communication

Problem solving

Job description

As we evolve into Social Wellness Clubs, we are creating spaces and experiences that support every aspect of our members’ physical, mental, nutritional and social wellbeing. By bringing together expert guidance, genuine community, personalised experiences and innovative technology, we make wellness feel accessible, welcoming and easy to navigate. Virgin Active is committed to recruiting the finest people who share our passion for creating exceptional experiences and delivering world-class service every day. We are looking for a General Manager to join our Club Leadership Team.

Role Type: Full time

Number of Hours: 40

In this role, you will play a part in being responsible for leading the overall operations and performance of the club, driving member satisfaction, achieving commercial success, and ensuring the highest standards of safety, service, and brand excellence. You will be the face of the club – inspiring your team, creating a vibrant culture, and delivering an exceptional Virgin Active experience every single day.

The Role

• Lead, inspire, and develop a high-performing club team to deliver an exceptional member experience.
• Take full ownership of the club’s commercial performance, driving membership growth, retention, and revenue targets.
• Champion Virgin Active’s new social wellness vision and ensure all brand standards are consistently achieved.
• Manage budgets, P&L, and operational KPIs, ensuring the club runs efficiently and profitably.
• Oversee health & safety and compliance standards, ensuring a safe environment for members and team members.
• Foster a culture of wellbeing, teamwork, and continuous improvement across the club.
• Build strong relationships with members, understanding their needs and ensuring their experience exceeds expectations.
• Work collaboratively with support teams to deliver new initiatives and bring our reimagined club experience to life.

Who We’re Looking For

• Previous experience as a General Manager, Club Manager, or Senior Operations Manager in a hospitality, fitness, or leisure environment.
• Strong leadership skills, with a proven ability to build, motivate, and develop high-performing teams.
• Commercial acumen and experience managing budgets, KPIs, and P&L.
• A passion for health, fitness, and delivering exceptional customer experiences.
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and inspire.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, people-focused environment.

What You’ll Get

• The opportunity to be part of a brand redefining the future of wellnes.
• A premium environment with industry-leading facilities
• Development and progression opportunities aligned to your level
• Access to a vibrant, engaged member community
• The platform to build your career, reputation and impact

The Perks

• 33 days (including bank holidays) annual leave, plus a Celebration Day and we want you to take them.
• Access to Scottish Widows Pension with us matching contributions up to 5%.
• Competitive bonus structure.
• Complimentary Virgin Active membership for you and a buddy. You can also get free membership for your children too, ability to take advantage of our Club V.
• We want you to love Virgin Active like we do, so you get discounts across Virgin active – everything from guest passes to 50% off PT sessions.
• You will join Virgin Family where not only can you communicate with your colleagues across Virgin Group, but also many discounts (including Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Holidays and Virgin Media/O2)
• Maintaining a healthy diet while at work can be hard, so we offer all our team members 20% off food and drink at our KAUAI branches located in clubs.
• Managing finances can be difficult, so we offer access to Salary Finance. They can support you with loans and savings plans, as well as help you become a personal finance expert.
• Mental health is a cornerstone of wellbeing. Our Health Heroes employer assistance programme is there when you need a helping hand with 6 free counselling sessions.
• We know finding a new home to rent can be stressful. We partner with Dexters who offer complimentary corporate letting services meaning no tenant charges.
• Access to ePoints, offering loads of online discounts to retailers.