Head of Operational Support

Hand Picked Hotels; Sevenoaks; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Performance bonus

Pension & life assurance

33 days holiday

Wellbeing support

Career development

Colleague discounts

Discount platform

Inclusive culture

Job summary

Hand Picked Hotels is seeking a Senior Operational Leader to join the interim 12-month team in London, focusing on turning strategy into practical, scalable solutions across 21 hotels. The role collaborates with Heads of Operations, General Managers and central functions to embed governance, frameworks and processes that drive consistent, high-performing hotel operations.

You will lead SOP development, operating model optimisation, quality assurance and governance while driving strategic

Qualifications

• Significant experience in multi-site hospitality operations or operational excellence leadership in premium or luxury environments.
• Proven ability to develop SOPs, governance frameworks and business processes across locations.
• Strong project management capability and ability to lead cross-functional initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Own and continuously improve SOPs across all operational functions, aligned to brand standards and policy.
• Optimise operating model to simplify processes and scale productivity and service delivery.
• Lead service excellence, audits, governance and guest experience to ensure consistent standards.
• Drive company-wide operational projects from design through implementation with cross-functional teams.
• Use operational and financial data to identify opportunities and provide leaders with actionable insights.
• Act as the central link between hotel operations and support functions to enable continuous improvement.

Skills

Multi-site leadership

Operational excellence

Project management

Data-driven decisions

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management

Tools

Quality assurance frameworks

Job description

Hand Picked Hotels

Hand Picked Hotels was founded in 2001 by owner and Chairman, Julia Hands MBE, and today still remains a family-owned group which has 21 unique luxury country houses and coastal retreats, each hand picked for their individuality. Architecturally distinctive and quintessentially British, every hotel boasts an extraordinary location from Scotland to the Channel Islands, offering breathtaking views from vast countryside to expansive beaches, to lush woodlands.

Dedicated to creating unique and enchanting stays, curated personalised service runs through the heart of every hotel. Whilst each hotel is individual, each property fulfils the company values of family, individuality, community and care, with a team commitment to aiming higher and delight their guests with magical experiences that offer a true escape from the every day.

Hand Picked Hotels are committed to protecting the environment for a sustainable future, and all of our hotels have received the ‘Green Tourism’ accreditation. A Recognition of our progress in reducing energy use and waste, supporting biodiversity, and sourcing responsibly from local and ethical partners.

At Hand Picked Hotels, exceptional guest experiences are underpinned by strong operational standards, clear ways of working and the right support for our hotel teams. As we continue to evolve our operating model, we are looking for a senior operational leader who can turn strategy into practical, scalable solutions across our collection of 21 hotels.

We are looking for an experienced Head of Operational Support to join us on an interim 12-month basis and play a pivotal role in strengthening how our hotels operate, perform and continuously improve. This role will be based from our Corporate office in London with travel as required.

This is a broad, influential role working closely with Heads of Operations, General Managers and central support functions to develop and embed the frameworks, systems, governance and processes that enable consistent, efficient and high-performing hotel operations.

You will lead the development of Standard Operating Procedures, operating model optimisation, quality assurance and operational governance, while also driving strategic projects, productivity improvement and business insight across the portfolio.

This is an opportunity for someone who combines deep hotel operations experience with strong project and change leadership - someone who enjoys simplifying complexity, improving standards and giving operational teams the tools they need to deliver outstanding guest experiences and sustainable commercial performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and continuously improve SOPs across all operational functions, aligned to brand standards, company policy and best practice.
• Optimise the operating model, simplifying processes and creating scalable ways of working that improve efficiency, productivity and service delivery.
• Lead service excellence, quality assurance, audits and operational governance to drive consistent standards, compliance and guest experience.
• Lead company-wide operational projects and strategic initiatives from design through to implementation, coordinating cross-functional teams and measuring impact.
• Use operational and financial data, KPIs and benchmarking to identify opportunities and provide hotel leaders with practical insight and recommendations.
• Act as the central link between hotel operations and support functions, championing continuous improvement, accountability and operational excellence.

About You

• Significant experience in multi-site hospitality, hotel operations or operational excellence leadership within a premium or luxury environment.
• A proven track record of developing SOPs, operational standards, governance frameworks and business processes across multiple locations.
• Demonstrable success in operational improvement, quality assurance, transformation and change programmes, with strong project management capability.
• A strong understanding of hotel operations across rooms, food & beverage, guest services, spa and leisure, together with operating model and productivity experience.
• Commercial and analytical strength, using operational and financial data to shape decisions, improve performance and translate insight into action.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication and influencing skills, with a practical continuous-improvement mindset and the resilience to drive new ways of working.

Our Benefits

• Competitive salary package plus performance bonus (discussed at interview).
• Generous company pension & life assurance.
• 33 days holiday (including bank holidays) and enhanced sick pay.
• Access to wellbeing support through our Employee Assistance Programme.
• Ongoing career development with in-house and external training, including apprenticeships and industry-recognised courses.
• Colleague discounts on hotel stays, food & drink, and annual loyalty rewards.
• Access to retail and wellness discounts via our online benefits platform.
• A welcoming, inclusive culture where long-term friendships and diversity are celebrated.