Resort Operations and Experience Director

Merlin Entertainments; Greater London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Merlin Entertainments is seeking a Resort Operations and Experience Director to join their Senior Leadership Team at Chessington World of Adventures Resort. This key role involves leading operations to ensure exceptional guest experiences and driving operational excellence. The position demands strong leadership, strategic planning, and financial management skills, along with a passion for creating memorable experiences in a fun and collaborative environment.

Benefits

33 days holiday

Life Assurance 4 x salary

Private Medical Insurance - Family Cover

Car allowance

‘Enjoy the Ride’ Merlin Annual Passes

Company bonus

40% discount online off LEGO

25% discount in on-site retail

Qualifications

• Experience in leading large, multi-functional teams within visitor attractions or hospitality.
• Proven track record of improving operational efficiency and performance.
• Strong understanding of financial management and P&L responsibility.

Responsibilities

• Oversee seamless operation of Chessington World of Adventures Resort.
• Lead delivery of park and accommodation operations.
• Manage incident response and safety protocols.

Skills

Leadership

Operational Excellence

Guest Experience

Strategic Planning

Financial Management

Analytical Skills

Job description

Resort Operations and Experience Director

Join to apply for the Resort Operations and Experience Director role at Merlin Entertainments

Resort Operations and Experience Director

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Join to apply for the Resort Operations and Experience Director role at Merlin Entertainments

Location : Chessington World of Adventures Resort, Leatherhead Road, Surrey, KT9 2NE

Here at Chessington World of Adventures Resort we are recruiting for an Operations & Experience Director to join our Senior Leadership Team. Offering a year-round, unique combination of rides, entertainment, and animal experiences alongside two onsite hotels, Chessington has developed into a resort destination and with significant investment planned over the next 3 years we have strong ambitions to be the UK’s greatest place for young families to create lifelong memories.

With 12,000 guests daily, we rely on our 1,000 strong team of passionate people to bring joy, create connections, and make memories. We pride ourselves on creating a fun place to work and inspiring our young workforce to pursue careers in leisure and hospitality.

The role

The position of Operations & Experience Director is responsible for overseeing and ensuring the seamless operation of the resort, maintaining the highest standards across all areas to ensure a safe and enjoyable guest experience.

As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, you will lead the delivery of the park and accommodation operations, security & incident management, and entertainment offering. Your role will focus on coaching, developing, and mentoring operational managers to deliver exceptional service, and driving engagement across the resort. You will lead operational excellence through using insights from operational metrics, guest feedback, and KPIs to drive continuous improvements.

You’ll play a key role in incident management, ensuring rapid and effective responses to any emergencies or safety concerns. Additionally, you will plan and deliver annual budgets for all operations and contribute to investment projects and ensure their delivery on time and within budget.

You can expect to work regular weekend days, and bank holidays due to the nature of our business and our busy times. Here at Chessington, we believe in leading from the front and being present onsite with your teams and colleagues, and our guests.

Qualifications & Experience

• Experience in leading large, multi-functional teams within visitor attractions, hospitality, or entertainment sectors, particularly in managing high-footfall environments.
• Deep understanding of driving guest experience and building employee engagement and satisfaction through targeted coaching and development activity.
• Previous experience of contributing to strategic planning, such as attraction master planning aligning operational improvement with long-term business objectives.
• Ability to provide insight into and execute long-term business strategies that drive growth and profitability.
• Strong understanding of financial management, budgeting, and P&L responsibility.
• Proven track record of improving operational efficiency and driving performance across diverse teams.
• Results focussed: sets clear goals, prioritises tasks, regularly evaluates progress, and course corrects in pursuit to achieve desired outcomes.
• Highly collaborative, sharing knowledge, coaching and supporting a wider community of peers across the organisation.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to make data-driven decisions.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to influence and engage stakeholders at all levels.
  
  

Benefits

Alongside a fun, collaborative and friendly environment, we offer a fabulous package and amazing prospects. Benefits include:

• A competitive annual salary
• 33 days holiday (including bank holidays)
• Life Assurance 4 x salary
• Private Medical Insurance - Family Cover
• Private pension scheme
• Car allowance
• ‘Enjoy the Ride’ Merlin Annual Passes - 6 in total per year, 1 for you, plus 5 to gift to loved ones!
• Merlin Magic Pass - 20 free tickets for you, your family and friends to enjoy all of our Merlin Attractions across the world rising to 40 after a year’s service
• Company bonus
• 40% discount online off LEGO
• 25% discount in our on-site retail shops and restaurants
• Plus, many more…
  
  

A full job description is available on request. Pleas email [e-mail]

Pay Range

Competitive

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Director

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Management and Manufacturing

• Industries

  Entertainment Providers

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