Show People Manager

LaplandUK; Macclesfield; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Accommodation provided during liveShow

Hybrid working until October

Holiday pay 12.07%

Free daily on-site meal

Staff parking & shuttle service

Job summary

LaplandUK is seeking a Show People Manager to lead people administration for the show workforce, from scheduling to payroll and invoices. The role covers cast, stage management, front of house, and back of house teams, ensuring smooth operations and staff wellbeing.

You will manage rotas, payroll inputs, and supplier invoices, while coordinating with the People Operations Manager. Hybrid work is available until October, then site-based work among UK venues.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in people management or HR-adjacent roles.
• Strong scheduling/rota planning experience in multi-team environments.
• Payroll administration experience with input collection and deadlines.
• High attention to detail and handling confidential information.
• Clear, calm communication across teams.

Responsibilities

• Act as first point of contact for show teams on people matters.
• Support line management across show departments including performance and absence management.
• Ensure fair, consistent people practices and maintain records per GDPR.
• Build and communicate rotas for cast and crew.
• Forecast staffing needs with directors and managers and close gaps early.
• Maintain scheduling tools with an audit trail of changes.

Skills

Scheduling/rota planning

Payroll administration

People management

Attention to detail

Communication

Job description

Founded in 2007 by Mike and Alison Battle, Lapland began with a simple but powerful purpose: to honour the wonder of childhood at Christmas. Frustrated by the poor quality of festive experiences available for their own four boys, the Battles set out to elevate this moment of childhood and reimagine the Father Christmas myth through original storytelling, meticulous set design, and emotionally resonant live theatre.

Their ground-breaking immersive show opened in 2007 and immediately captured the attention and hearts of parents nationwide. Powered by their purpose, the couple partnered with Hollywood set designers and West End performance professionals to produce an experience of unprecedented quality and detail. With an NPS of 72 (outperforming industry icons in the entertainment space), Lapland’s customer loyalty is second to none and has now welcomed nearly 2 million ‘believers,’ with tickets selling out on release for what the press now terms ‘the Glastonbury of Christmas’.

Today, the Lapland Group is a fast-growing purpose driven entertainment business spanning the three pillars of Live, Product and Studios.

In 2024, Lapland’s eCommerce revenues grew tenfold, driven by the launch of magical at-home products like personalised Letters from Lapland…. (Advent calendar and soon, a Christmas Eve Experience?). These products extend the Lapland world into the home, deepening belief and connection beyond the physical experience. At the same time, our original story universe continues to scale through media. In 2023, Lapland launched its first podcast, Elfcast, which achieved No. 1 in the UK Family Charts and ranked in the global top 10 over Christmas. With plans to expand into audio and content year-round, our IP and characters are reaching audiences in new and emotionally resonant ways.

With immersive Live experiences, high-growth eCommerce, and a rapidly expanding original content, Lapland is on a mission to become the definitive global Christmas brand anchored in belief, storytelling, and the enduring magic of childhood.

Location: Ascot (Swinley Forest) or Manchester (Capesthorne Hall)

Reports to: People Operations Manager (Manchester)

Role Overview:

The Show People Manager is the central administrative and people-management lead for the show workforce. This role is non-operational and focuses on building and maintaining schedules, coordinating payroll inputs, processing invoices, and delivering consistent day-to-day people management across cast, stage management, front of house, and back of house teams, becoming a central point for cast welfare.

You’ll ensure the show runs smoothly from a people and administration perspective, ensuring schedules are accurate, communication and is clear, administration is being actioned and managers and teams are supported with clear processes.

Key Responsibilities:

• Act as the first point of contact for show teams on people matters, escalating appropriately to the people operations manager when required.
• Support line management across the show departments, including performance management, absence management, wellbeing check-ins, and conduct matters.
• Ensure consistent application of policies and fair, respectful people practices.
• Maintain accurate people records and documentation in line with UK GDPR and internal standards.
• Build, maintain, and communicate rotas/schedules for cast, stage managers, front of house, and back of house.
• Coordinate availability, absences, and last-minute changes while protecting show quality and team wellbeing.
• Work closely with the resident director, lead stage manager and people operations manager to forecast staffing needs and resolve gaps early.
• Keep scheduling tools and trackers up to date with a clear audit trail of changes.

Payroll administration

• Own the payroll input process for the show workforce, ensuring timesheets/attendance data are accurate and submitted on time.
• Liaise with Finance/Payroll providers to resolve queries quickly and prevent errors.
• Support managers and team members with payroll questions (hours, rates, deductions), escalating complex issues as needed.

Invoices & purchasing administration

• Process invoices and purchase requests related to show people and workforce needs, ensuring correct coding/approvals.
• Track spend against agreed budgets (where applicable) and flag anomalies early.
• Maintain organised records of invoices, approvals, and supplier communications.

Communication & coordination

• Produce clear weekly updates for the People Operations Manager on staffing, rota risks, and payroll/invoice status.
• Ensure key information is shared in a timely, consistent way (start times, changes, call sheets, policy reminders).
• Support onboarding administration for new starters (right to work checks coordination, starter paperwork tracking, induction scheduling)

Role Requirements:

• Proven experience in a people management or HR-adjacent role with strong administrative ownership.
• Strong scheduling/rota planning experience across multi-team environments.
• Payroll administration experience (collecting inputs, deadlines, resolving discrepancies).
• High attention to detail and confidence managing sensitive, confidential information.
• Clear, calm communication style and ability to handle competing priorities.

Personal attributes:

• Organised, proactive, and process-driven.
• Fair, consistent, and confident handling people issues.
• Comfortable making decisions, escalating appropriately, and holding boundaries.
• Collaborative and service-minded: supports teams while maintaining standards.

Pay Rate:

£20.50 per hour, accommodation provided during the live show period if required

• Flexible hybrid working until October, when the cast move to site this role becomes site based
• Holiday paid at 12.07% at the end of contract
• Free daily on-site meal once based on-site for the live show
• Staff car parking & shuttle bus service

Life at LaplandUK:

At LaplandUK, we believe in the magic of collaboration, a steadfast commitment to excellence, and a team that's always willing to roll up their sleeves and get involved. Working with us means being part of a dynamic environment where collaboration brings out the best in everyone, diverse talents converge, and innovation thrives. Our commitment to excellence ensures that every team member is dedicated to achieving the highest standards, contributing to a workplace culture that values continuous improvement and outstanding results.

We're not just looking for employees; we want people who are excited to get involved, embrace challenges, and bring a hands-on approach to their work, creating a workplace full of positivity and collective success. Overall, working at LaplandUK offers a chance to be part of something truly special, where the wonder of childhood is celebrated by a team dedicated to making memories for over 40,000 families each year.

Passion for the Mission.

We are in service to belief. We understand the importance of what we do and its legacy.

One Company

We only succeed together. We are a positive and caring group of people who embrace developing Lapland and ourselves.

Driven to Deliver Excellence

Belief is in the detail. Powered by our purpose we challenge and innovate to exceed expectations in everything we do.

Applicants must be authorised to work in the United Kingdom without the need for visa sponsorship.

Lapland reserve the right to withdraw this advert at any time. Due to the high number of applications being received, we may not be able to respond to every applicant.

Lapland is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace that seeks to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We therefore encourage applications from all genders, races, religions, ages and sexual orientations, as well as parents, veterans, people living with disabilities, and any other groups that could bring diverse perspectives to our business.