General Manager

Sunderland Greyhound Stadium; Sittingbourne; On-site; GBP 47,000 - 57,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

2 Annual Members' passes

Hotel discounts

Annual leave 22–28 days

Pension & group life assurance

Healthshield 24/7 GP & EAP

Training & development

Other benefits

Job summary

Arena Racing Company is seeking a capable General Manager to oversee the seamless delivery of racing and non-racing events, ensuring safety, efficiency and welfare of all greyhounds. You will direct maintenance and cleaning teams to uphold high site standards and drive revenue growth.

Reporting to the Regional General Manager, you will own on-site activity, meet targets, explain variances, and align performance with business goals.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years in a comparable leadership role.
• Background in racing, sports, leisure, or hospitality preferred.
• Strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Ensure full Health & Safety compliance and regulatory requirements.
• Lead recruitment, training, and development of on-site staff.
• Manage stock, site maintenance, and customer experience to the highest standards.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

People management

Interpersonal skills

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.

About the role

As the General Manager, you will oversee the seamless delivery of all racing and non-racing events, ensuring every aspect runs efficiently, safely, and with the welfare of all greyhounds as a top priority. Your leadership will be key in maintaining a high-quality environment, directing both the maintenance and cleaning teams to uphold exceptional site standards.

You will be the driving force behind the smooth operation of race meetings and other events, taking ownership of all Health & Safety and Hospitality matters to guarantee a safe, compliant, and welcoming experience for all attendees.

Reporting directly to the Regional General Manager, you'll take full accountability for all on-site activity and support key business functions. Your role will involve meeting or exceeding targets, identifying and explaining any variances, and ensuring performance aligns with business goals.

Success in this position means delivering sustainable growth-through increased revenue, enhanced service standards, operational efficiencies, and by unlocking commercial opportunities across both racing and non-racing activity.

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Ensuring full compliance with Health & Safety protocols and regulatory requirements from Government bodies, Local Authorities, the Gambling Commission, and the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB).
• Leading recruitment, training, and development of all on-site staff.
• Managing stock control, site maintenance, and customer experience to the highest standards.

Your leadership will help position the venue as a benchmark for operational excellence, customer satisfaction, and integrity within the industry.

Salary from £52,000 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!

About you

The General Manager we are looking for has :

Experience & Skills

• Minimum 3 years in a comparable leadership role.
• Background in racing, sports, leisure, or hospitality preferred.
• Strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills.

Personal Attributes

• Methodical and solution-focused.
• Approachable, with strong communication skills.
• Effective time management and ability to thrive under pressure.
• Customer-centric mindset and service excellence orientation.
• Highly organised, systematic, and process-driven.

Join us on the journey

We're on a thrilling journey and we'd love you to be part of it. Join a winning team, build your career, and help shape an exceptional workplace.

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.