Group Operations Director

Hiddenwell - Head Office; Moreton-in-Marsh; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Hiddenwell is seeking a Group Operations Director to steer a growing portfolio of luxury spa and hotel destinations. You will lead with brand, people and hospitality excellence, translating concepts into remarkable guest experiences across multiple sites.

Reporting to the COO, you’ll drive pre-opening planning, recruit, build leadership capability and embed culture, ensuring every opening feels part of the brand from day one.

Qualifications

• Experience leading luxury hotel, resort or spa openings across multiple sites.
• Proven multi-site operational leadership in premium hospitality.
• Ability to translate brand proposition into guest experience.
• Strong people-focused leadership with teams development.
• Solid commercial and financial acumen including P&L ownership.
• Experience with Private Equity-backed growth is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Provide operational leadership across the Hiddenwell estate.
• Lead pre-opening planning, recruitment, culture, service standards and launch.
• Develop leaders and build succession pipelines across the group.
• Ensure brand promise translates into everyday guest journey.
• Maintain high governance, compliance, health & safety.

Skills

Multi-site leadership

Openings & mobilisations

Luxury hospitality

Brand translation

People leadership

Commercial acumen

P&L ownership

Stakeholder management

Strategy to delivery

Job description

Hiddenwellis growing — andwe’relooking for an exceptionalGroup Operations Directorto help bring that growth to life.

We are a collection of beautiful spa and hotel destinations created around one simple idea: giving people the space to switch off, reconnect and feel good.

As we continue to evolve our existing destinations and bring newHiddenwellproperties to life,we’relooking for an accomplished hospitality leader with the energy,experienceand ambition to help us build something special.

This is far more than a traditional multi-site operations role.

We’relooking for someone who has ideally opened hotels, resorts, spas or complex hospitality destinations, understands what it takes to translate a brand from concept into a brilliant operational reality, and knows that the most memorable guest experiences begin with exceptional people.

You’lllead withbrand,peopleandoverall hospitalityexperience, while bringing the commercial discipline and operationalexpertiseneeded to deliver outstanding performance across a growing portfolio.

The opportunity

Reporting to our Chief Operating Officer,you’llprovide operational leadership across theHiddenwellestate, working closely with our Property Managing Directors and centralservice functions.

A major part of your remit will be ouroverallgrowthof the brandandongoingopenings journey.

From pre-opening planning and operational readiness to recruitment, culture, servicestandardsand launch,you’llhelp ensure every newHiddenwelldestination opens brilliantly and feels unmistakably part of our brand from day one.

You’llbe equally passionate about the destinations already within our collection — supporting our leaders to continually raise standards, develop their teams and create experiences that keep our guests coming back.

Opening. Building. Leading.

We’reparticularly interested in leaders who candemonstratesignificantnew-opening and mobilisation experiencewithin luxury hospitality, resorts, spa,wellnessor a similarly experience-led environment.

You’llunderstand how to take a property through the entire opening journey — building operational plans,establishingstandards, supporting recruitment and onboarding, creating leadership capability, embedding culture, testing the guestjourneyand ensuring every detail is ready before the doors open.

You’llknow that a successful openingisn’tsimply about being operationally ready.

It’sabout creating belief and excitement within a team,establishingthe culture before the first guest arrives and ensuring the brand canbefeltthroughout the experience.

Lead theHiddenwellexperience

Our destinations are places where people come to relax, celebrate,reconnectand simply feel good.

That feeling is created through thousands of small moments — a genuine welcome, thoughtful service, beautiful surroundings, brilliant food, exceptional spaexperiencesand people who care about what they do.

As Group Operations Director,you’llbe a guardian of that experience.

You’llwork across the business to ensure our brand promise translates into the everyday guest journey, while allowing each destination toretainthe individuality and character that makes it special.

You’llchampionhigh standardswithout creating unnecessary complexity and encourage teams to bring personality,warmthand flair to the way they look after our guests.

People first. Performance always.

We believe exceptional hospitality starts with exceptional people.

You’llbuild trusted relationships with our Property Managing Directors, creating clarity, accountability and confidence while giving talented leaders the space and support to perform at their best.

You’llhelp us attract,developandretainbrilliant hospitality leaders and create strong succession pipelines across the group.

We want someone who is visible,approachableand comfortable spending time in our destinations — talking to teams, experiencing the operation as our guests do and understanding what is really happening on the ground.

You’llcreate a culture where people feel empowered to make decisions, continuously improve and take genuine ownership of the guest experience.

Commercially strong. Operationally brilliant.

Alongside brand and people leadership,you’llbring significant commercial capability.

You’lltake ownership of operational performance across the portfolio, working with our Managing Directors to drive sustainable revenue,profitabilityand operational efficiency without compromising the quality of the experience.

You’lluse insight and data to understand performance across areas including occupancy, RevPAR, spa utilisation, treatment revenue, guest spend, payroll and productivity.

You’llidentifyopportunities, challenge constructively and turn insight into action.

You’llalso ensure our destinationsoperatesafely,responsiblyand consistently,maintaininghigh standardsof governance, compliance, health &safetyand risk management.

Whatyou’llbring

You’llalreadyhaveoperatedat a senior level withinluxury hotels, resorts, spa,wellnessor another premium experience-led hospitality business, ideally across multiple properties.

Most importantly,you’llbring:

• A strongtrack recordof successful hotel, resort or hospitality openings and mobilisations
• Significant multi-site operational leadership experience
• A genuine understanding of luxury and experience-led hospitality
• The ability to translate a brand proposition into an exceptional operational and guest experience
• A highly people-focused leadership style with evidence of building outstanding leadership teams
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, including ownership of significant P&Ls
• Experience driving performance while protecting brand and service standards
• Excellent stakeholder management and the confidence tooperatewith boards,investorsand senior leadership teams
• Experience within a Private Equity-backed or similarly fast-paced growth environment would beadvantageous
• The ability to move comfortably between strategy and hands-on operational delivery
• Energy,curiosityand the desire to continuously make things better

What matters to us

AtHiddenwell, we care aboutexceptional hospitality, individuality, passion and positivity, teamwork, integrity, operationalexcellenceand continuous improvement.

We want our guests to feel genuinely welcomed and cared for — like a friend of the family — and we want our people to feel equally valued.

That meanswe’relooking for a Group Operations Director who leads with humanity as well ashigh standards.

Someone who listens.

Someone who develops people rather than simply directs them.

Someone who understands that brilliant commercial performance and brilliant guest experiences should strengthen one another.

And someone who gets genuine energy from building teams, opening destinations and creating experiences people remember.

WhyHiddenwell? Why now?

This is an opportunity to joinHiddenwellat an incredibly exciting point in our story.

Our brand is evolving. Our portfolio is growing. New destinations are coming to life.

For the right person, this is a rare opportunity to influence not just how a group of exceptional hospitality businessesoperate, buthow theHiddenwellbrand is experienced as we grow.

You’llhave the opportunity to shape openings, develop leaders, influencecultureand create operational foundations that will support the next stage of our journey.