Theatre Manager

ATG Entertainment; Sunderland; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

ATG Entertainment is seeking a Theatre Manager in Sunderland on a fixed-term contract ending September 2027. You will lead theatre operations, collaborate with the Theatre Director and Heads of Departments to deliver the business plan and targets, while ensuring safety, efficiency, and excellent audience experience.

You will oversee budgets, drive revenue opportunities, manage the team, and maintain excellent stakeholder relations with internal departments, the Sunderland Empire Theatre Trust

Qualifications

• Management experience; team leadership or similar.
• Proven ability to meet targets within agreed timescales.
• Strong commercial understanding and budgeting.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Able to prioritise a varied workload.
• Experience with budgeting and cost control.
• Good IT literacy and ability to learn new software.
• Desirable: Personal licence holder; health and safety qualifications; interest in live entertainment.

Responsibilities

• Set the strategic direction with the Theatre Director and deputise as required.
• Commit to attainment and exceeding targets, and inspire others to follow.
• Oversee the venue operation, maximise commercial opportunities while controlling costs.
• Assist with annual budgets and monitor monthly statements against variances.
• Support venue administration including payroll, purchase orders and settlements.
• Collaborate with ATG Entertainment departments to ensure resourcing and knowledge.
• Lead the team to maintain a positive culture, conduct appraisals and drive engagement.
• Identify opportunities for new revenue such as sponsorship, filming and local events.
• Manage access requirements including scheduling accessible performances.
• Liaise with Sunderland Empire Theatre Trust and prepare reports.
• Promote health and wellbeing and drive Better Health at Work accreditation.
• Report KPIs to Theatre leadership and ATG Entertainment.
• Ensure compliance with policies including stock, risk, HR, IT and customer experience.
• Act as Duty Manager for performances and events.
• Oversee housekeeping and external supplier relationships.
• Encourage development through external training and internal learning.

Skills

Management experience

Budgeting

Communication

Team leadership

IT literacy

Flexible prioritisation

Personal licence (desirable)

Job description

Theatre Manager - Fixed term contract - provisional end date September 2027

An imperative part of the Senior Management Team, the role reports directly to the Theatre Director. You will work closely with the venues Heads of Departments including Marketing, Ticketing, Customer Experience, Creative Learning and Technical to deliver the Theatre’s Business Plan and associated targets and objectives.

The Theatre Manager will be responsible for the overall operation of the building, making sure that the experience for all is impeccable; including but not limited to audience members, production staff, internal employees, and external stakeholders. The role is also accountable for risk management within the venue, ensuring an efficient and safe operation.

We are looking for a driven individual who works collaboratively to achieve high standards and targets. This individual should have the drive to exceed expectations and fully embrace the vast opportunities on the horizon within this iconic venue.

Key Responsibilities

• Work closely with the Theatre Director to set the strategic direction of the business and deputise when necessary.
• Commit to attainment and exceeding of targets, encouraging others to follow suit.
• Oversee the venue operation, maximising commercial opportunities while ensuring tight control of costs.
• Assist with setting annual budgets and review monthly statements, reporting against variances and accurately reforecasting.
• Support the venue administration, undertaking tasks which may include payroll compilation, purchase order production and settlement compilation.
• Work collaboratively with central ATG Entertainment departments to ensure the Theatre has resource and knowledge to grow.
• Support the Theatre Director to create a positive working culture and engage and motivate the Team. This includes line management, conducting appraisals, setting incentives and internal communications.
• Actively seek opportunities to bring new revenue into the Theatre including sponsorship, filming and other local events, ensuring effective use of the venue and its resources.
• Take responsibility for the venue’s access requirements, including the planning, booking and scheduling of accessible and access performances.
• Support the Theatre Director in liaising with and reporting to the Sunderland Empire Theatre Trust, including the collation and preparation of Trust reports and associated information.
• Support the venue’s work to promote and improve health and wellbeing in the workplace, including taking responsibility for working towards and maintaining Better Health at Work accreditation.
• Accurately report and monitor the Theatre’s performance against its Key Performance Indicators internally to the Theatre and within wider ATG Entertainment.
• Understand and comply with Venue and ATG Entertainment Company policies which include stock management, risk management, human resources, information technology and customer experience.
• Be aware of local licensing stipulations and security requirements, making recommendations to the Theatre Director.
• Act as Duty Manager for an agreed number of performances and events.
• Undertake housekeeping checks and manage external supplier relations including cleaning and waste management.
• Constantly seek to develop yourself and others through external training and internal learning and development.

Your skills, qualities, and experience.

If you can demonstrate many of the essential criteria, we encourage you to apply, and welcome transferable skills from other industries or backgrounds. We can give experience of any desirable criteria but may also use them to decide between candidates for this role.

Essential

• Management experience; Team Leader, Project Manager, Head of Department or similar.
• Evidence of managing performance, developing, and supporting a team to achieve its goals.
• An excellent understanding of commercial objectives and proven ability to meet ambitious targets within agreed timescales.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to be flexible and prioritise a varied workload with the ability to work on your own and as part of a Team.
• Experience of working within the constraints of a budget and overseeing cost control.
• Good IT literacy with the ability to learn new software and systems.

Desirable

• Experience in a retail or hospitality setting.
• Personal licence holder*.
• Health and Safety qualifications and/or experience.
• An interest in live entertainment.

*The Theatre Manager is required to be a Personal License holder or undertake the training and assessment to gain a license on starting the role, which ATG Entertainment will arrange. The application process for a license includes a Disclosure and Barring Service check.

About Us - Our values

ATG Entertainment’s values set the tone for how we work, how we treat one another, and the culture we continue to build across the UK and the wider organisation.

• THRIVE doing what we love (with passion and dynamism)
• CONNECT through every act (with collaboration and kindness)
• DARE to do different (with curiosity and courage)
• PERFORM at our best (with customer focus and ownership)

Our Corporate Social Responsibility pillars

Everyone at ATG Entertainment is expected to play their part in achieving our goals and upholding our Corporate Social Responsibility priorities:

• Inclusion: Committing to creating and upholding a positive, inclusive culture that nurtures potential and supports well-being.
• Sustainability: Playing your part in reducing our environmental impact and finding more sustainable ways of working.
• Next Generations: Encouraging the next generation in live entertainment by contributing to our outreach and training programmes, including mentoring students and trainees, and supporting our Creative Learning and Community Partnerships work.

Our culture

You’ll help us uphold a positive culture around meeting our obligations, by having a positive attitude to health and safety, legal and insurance requirements and take care to understand our policies and procedures.

We are all expected to participate actively in the life of the company, and opportunities will arise for you to collaborate with others across the business. Everyone at ATG Entertainment is expected to be flexible and adapt as the needs of the business change, taking on new or different responsibilities as the need arises.

Our Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access Mission Statement - A Stage for Everyone

Our stages are a platform for compelling stories - stories that are for all, by all, and of all. We shine our spotlight on our differences and believe that understanding and celebrating these differences makes us better global citizens. We strive to make our venues beacons of these ideals in our communities. Onstage and off, we hold ourselves accountable for nurturing an inclusive culture, one in which everyone can bring their authentic selves. At ATG entertainment, we provide a stage for everyone.

We recognise that we do not have all the answers; but we strive to listen, to learn and to change in order to ensure ATG Entertainment becomes a truly inclusive organisation. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from individuals from the widest possible range of backgrounds and particularly welcome applications from those currently underrepresented in our workforce.

We are a Disability Confident Committed Employer, which means that we are taking action to ensure that people with disabilities and long-term health conditions feel supported, engaged and able to fulfil their potential in the workplace. We will offer an interview or recruitment event to disabled candidates who tell us they wish to participate in the scheme and who demonstrate in their application that they best meet the essential criteria for the role. Where we receive more applications than we are reasonably able to interview for any given role, we will retain applications for the next available interview opportunity wherever possible.

If you’d like to discuss accessibility prior to applying, please email [e-mail] for a confidential discussion.