Premium Lounge Manager - The o2

Global Sports Jobs Limited; Greater London; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Healthcare coverage

23 days annual leave

Birthday off

Pension scheme

Meals on duty

Training and career progression

Employee assistance programme

Job summary

Global Sports Jobs Limited is seeking a hands-on Lounge Manager to lead a premium hospitality lounge during busy events in London. You will oversee guest experiences, food and bar service, and the front-of-house team, ensuring service excellence and strong commercial results.

You will collaborate with culinary, beverage, logistics and support teams, deliver robust H&S standards, manage costs, and drive upselling and client satisfaction across the venue.

Qualifications

• Strong leadership and coaching of front-of-house teams.
• Excellent communication with guests, clients and staff.
• Customer-focused with high hospitality standards.
• Collaborative team player across venues.
• Adaptable in fast-changing event environments.
• IT skills and numeracy for reporting.
• English language proficiency; London market knowledge.
• Minimum 2 years of management experience.
• Commercial awareness to improve profitability.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day operation of the premium lounge.
• Deliver exceptional customer service on the floor.
• Recruit, train and coach front-of-house staff.
• Maintain health and safety standards, including alcohol service.
• Manage labour, costs and stock; monitor budgets.
• Drive sales and upselling to meet targets.
• Coordinate with culinary, beverage and logistics teams.
• Engage with clients and stakeholders to fulfil requirements.
• Identify improvements from guest feedback and reviews.
• Ensure SOPs and procedures are followed.

Skills

Team leadership

Excellent communication

Customer focus

Collaborative

Adaptable

IT skills

Numeracy

English

Stakeholder engagement

Hospitality

Job description

About the Role

The role leads the day-to-day operation and overall performance of a premium hospitality lounge, managing the guest experience, food and bar service, and financial and operational results. The manager provides strong, visible leadership in a busy event environment, ensuring high hospitality standards, excellent customer service, engaged staff and strong commercial results. They lead and support the front-of-house team and work closely with culinary, beverage, logistics and support colleagues to deliver events from start to finish.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day operation of the premium lounge, taking overall responsibility for smooth running, service, staffing and guest experience.
• Deliver exceptional customer service by being visible on the floor, understanding guest needs and resolving issues professionally while maintaining high hospitality standards.
• Recruit, train, coach and motivate the front-of-house team, creating a positive culture of teamwork, accountability and service excellence.
• Maintain health and safety standards, including responsible alcohol service, safety checks, incident reporting and compliance requirements.
• Manage financial performance by controlling labour and operating costs, monitoring budgets, managing stock and tills, and working towards revenue and profit targets.
• Drive sales and upselling, identifying sales opportunities, increasing spend per transaction and motivating the team to achieve sales targets and promotions.
• Act as a key point of contact for clients and work closely with internal and external stakeholders to understand and deliver their requirements.
• Coordinate event delivery with culinary, beverage, logistics and support teams to ensure the lounge is fully prepared and events run smoothly from start to finish.
• Identify improvements to the lounge experience using guest feedback, event reviews, menu development and competitor awareness.
• Ensure company standards, SOPs, stock procedures and service expectations are consistently followed while encouraging innovation and best practice.

Required Experience & Qualifications

• Strong team leadership, able to motivate, coach and develop people while recognising and celebrating their achievements.
• Approachable and personable, building positive relationships based on trust, respect and integrity with a friendly and supportive management style.
• Excellent communication, able to communicate clearly and confidently with team members, customers, clients and stakeholders at all levels.
• Collaborative team player who works well with other venues and teams, shares best practice and contributes positively across the wider business.
• Customer and client focused, building strong client relationships, listening to customer needs and consistently aiming to deliver excellent experiences.
• Adaptable and innovative, comfortable working in a fast-changing environment, embracing new ideas and helping teams adapt to change.
• Strong leadership and decision-making, taking ownership, addressing problems, making confident decisions and remaining focused during challenging situations.
• Commercially focused, understanding profitability, facing challenges realistically and looking for opportunities to improve business performance.
• At least 2 years' management experience leading teams.
• Strong IT skills, good numeracy and English, London market experience, and the ability to engage effectively with a wide range of stakeholders.

Preferred Skills

• Management experience ideally gained within a demanding hospitality environment with complex front-of-house operations.

Benefits & Perks

• Competitive salary with bonus and full company benefits.
• 23 days' annual leave plus bank holidays, birthday off, and a holiday purchase scheme.
• Healthcare and wellbeing cover including Aviva Digicare and Medicash for dental, optical and therapy treatments.
• 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme for mental health support.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave, two days' additional leave after returning from maternity leave, a day off for a baby's first birthday, and enhanced family leave.
• Shopping, entertainment and travel discounts, 20% off Nuffield Health and 10% off PureGym memberships.
• Pension scheme, life assurance and preferred rates on salary finance products.
• Professional subscriptions, ongoing training and structured career pathways.
• Meals on duty included.