Operations Optimisation Leader

Places for People; Ipswich; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension with matched contributions up

Bonus scheme up to 15%

Car Allowance

Healthcare cashback plan

Wellbeing support & EAP

Places Gym membership

Life Assurance

Job summary

Places Leisure, part of Places for People, seeks a Head of Operational Optimisation to lead data-driven resource planning and cost management across sites. You will improve labour forecasting, scheduling and cost models, working with Finance and central teams to protect the customer experience and drive efficiency.

You will travel 2–3 days per week to sites, collaborate with senior stakeholders, and develop robust plans that support growth and investment decisions, while promoting an inclusive,

Qualifications

• Significant experience in labour planning and workforce management.
• Experience forecasting operational demand and translating it into practical labour plans and costs.
• Ability to analyse labour and P&L drivers and translate findings into action plans.
• Advanced skills in Excel and Power BI to build models and reports.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of data-led resource planning to optimise labour and costs across multiple sites.
• Identify efficiencies, reduce avoidable spend and create cost models to support investment decisions.
• Collaborate with operational leaders to ensure staffing aligns with customer experience goals.
• Travel to Leisure sites 2–3 days per week to understand on-site operations.

Skills

labour planning

workforce management

operational performance

commercial finance

cost transformation

operational efficiency

forecasting

data-driven

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Power BI

Job description

Places Leisure, part of Places for People, seeks a Head of Operational Optimisation to lead data-driven resource planning and cost management across sites. You will improve labour forecasting, scheduling and cost models, working with Finance and central teams to protect the customer experience and drive efficiency.

You will travel 2–3 days per week to sites, collaborate with senior stakeholders, and develop robust plans that support growth and investment decisions, while promoting an inclusive,