Senior Commercial Operations Manager

ASVA; Glasgow; Hybrid; GBP 52,000 - 72,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30 days holiday

LGPS pension

Employee Assistance Programme

Cycle-to-work scheme

Flexible working

Job summary

Glasgow Life is seeking a Senior Commercial Operations Manager to join our Retail team and drive sustainable growth across retail, catering and venue hire. The role reports to the Head of Commercial and Business Growth and sits within an established, mission-driven charity based in Glasgow.

This hybrid position requires leadership of cross-functional initiatives and a focus on customer-centric commercial delivery to improve lives through culture and sport in our city.

Responsibilities

• Forming strategic commercial direction for the critical business units of retail, catering, and venue hire, where customer centricity is a pivotal priority.
• Leading best in class operational standards, objectives, and measurement.
• Bringing an attitude that seeks to constantly improve how the organisation operates commercially.
• Inspiring, leading, and coaching colleagues to deliver shared objectives.
• Aligning commercial priorities with cross functional teams within finance, supply chain, marketing, procurement, driving cross-functional initiatives to achieve shared goals.

Job description

Location: Hybrid. You will spend part of your week at home, and part of your week in one of our offices including our head office based in Merchant City which has access to great public transport and discounted parking nearby.

We believe everyone deserves a great Glasgow life and that starts with the people who work here.
Glasgow Life is a charity like no other. Our vision is to improve the lives of everyone in our city. To help us achieve that, we are looking for a Senior Commercial Manager to join our Retail team.
Our teams focus on making a real difference through culture and sport in Glasgow. If you’re excited by the idea of being part of that, this could be the job for you.

What you need to know

Hours: 35 per week.
Contract type: Fixed Term 3 years until January 2030
Location: Hybrid. You will spend part of your week at home, and part of your week in one of our offices including our head office based in Merchant City which has access to great public transport and discounted parking nearby.

What you’ll do

As a Senior Commercial Operations Manager, you’ll be a part of an established team, reporting to the Head of Commercial and Business Growth. You’ll play an essential role in driving sustainable growth in our retail, catering, and venue hire functions. Your work will make a visible and lasting difference. This could be:

• Forming strategic commercial direction for the critical business units of retail, catering, and venue hire, where customer centricity is a pivotal priority,
• Leading best in class operational standards, objectives, and measurement.
• Bringing an attitude that seeks to constantly improve how the organisation operates commercially.
• Inspiring, leading, and coaching colleagues to deliver shared objectives.
• Aligning commercial priorities with cross functional teams within finance, supply chain, marketing, procurement, driving cross-functional initiatives to achieve shared goals.

Who you are

We’re looking for:

• An astute commercial leader who can both define growth strategy and own the actions linked to operational excellence.
• Experience in leading dynamic and customer orientated teams from sectors such as retail, hospitality, or sales.

Download the Person Specification in the Job Attachments section on MyJobScotland. Use this to shape your application and show how your experience aligns with the job. When selecting candidates for interviews, managers will look for candidates who meet all the ‘essential’ criteria listed in the Person Specification. If there are many candidates, they may also consider desirable skills. So, include those if they apply to you. If you still have questions about the role, please contact us at [e-mail] to arrange an informal chat.

What we offer

At Glasgow Life, our work changes lives. As a charity, we bring communities together and support wellbeing through sport, culture, heritage, and learning. Learn more about Glasgow Life in our 10 Facts video in the Further Information section on MyJobScotland. We support you to live a great life. Inside and outside of work. Some of our benefits include:

Holiday

When you join, you’ll get 30 days’ holiday. Plus 6.5 public holidays if you’re full-time. This increases to 35 days after 5 years of service.

Fancy a bit more time off? You can buy extra holiday too!

Pension

Join the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) – a Defined Benefit scheme that provides you with a secure pension for later life.

Support

Sometimes we all need support and a listening ear. Our free and confidential Employee Assistance Programme can support your mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing.

Discounts

As a colleague, you can enjoy discounts on the things you love, from Glasgow Club memberships to our museum shops and our online store. We are also part of the cycle-to-work scheme, helping you stay active.

Flexibility and development

We are proud of our flexible and inclusive work policies, which help you balance work and life. We also offer support for learning, development and career progression.

Please note that Glasgow Life is an Arm’s Length External Organisation to Glasgow City Council. We are currently completing a Job Evaluation exercise and introducing a new pay and grading structure. This may impact current salaries quoted in job adverts. To learn more, visit – https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/jobevaluation.

Who We Are

Our Corporate Services teams keep Glasgow Life running at its best. From Business & Strategy, Finance, HR, Infrastructure, Commercial, Marketing, they deliver the behind-the-scenes work that powers everything we do. Whether it’s shaping strategy with sharp insights, crafting compelling messages, supporting our people, managing over 100 venues, or generating vital income—this team makes it happen.

Diversity and Fair Work at Glasgow Life

We’re working to build a team that reflects the rich diversity of Glasgow’s communities — where everyone feels valued, respected, and able to be their full, authentic selves at work.
We’re proud to be a Disability Confident and Carer Positive employer, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds. Learn more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here: https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/the-small-print/an-inclusive-employer
We’re also committed to Fair Work First principles, including effective voice, opportunity, security, fulfilment and respect for all our staff. Learn more about our approach to Fair Work First here: https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/about-us/fair-work-first

We’re working hard to address underrepresentation in our workforce. We especially welcome applications from people with disabilities and from ethnic minority communities.

Important Dates

The closing date for this job is 11.59pm on 25th October. Interviews are provisionally scheduled for week commencing 2nd November.

We’re excited to hear from you. Let’s shape a great Glasgow life — together.