Sports Manager - Kingston Leisure Centre (Kingston upon Thames)

We are Places for People Group, we're a social enterprise that believes it's people that make a community. That's why we build homes and deliver services for everyone in the community to thrive. At Places Leisure we are changing lives by creating active places and healthy people for communities to thrive, and we want to be the UK's leading health and wellbeing enabler.

We aren't your typical company. We apply the same philosophy to our People as we do to our communities, ensuring our team is appreciated and supported. At Places for People, you're more than just a number - you're part of our cause.

More about your role

Join us at Places Leisure's brand-new £50 million flagship leisure centre, right in the heart of Kingston.

This state-of-the-art facility represents an exciting new chapter for Places Leisure, offering a fantastic opportunity to be part of a landmark development from day one. Help us build an exceptional team, shape the culture of this incredible new venue and deliver an outstanding experience for our customers and community.

We are currently recruiting for a Sports Manager to join our team at our brand new Kingston Leisure Centre. As Sports Manager you will be responsible for maximising the commercial and participation growth of both the wet and dry sports programmes – leading the Course Coordinators to achieve monthly sales, financial and performance targets. You will need to ensure the Sports programmes are operated in accordance with the Sport QMS manual and National Governing Body guidance.

You will also be responsible for overseeing the Bookings Coordinator, ensuring maximum facility use, including the main hall, Squash Courts, 3G football pitches and studio / meeting rooms. It will be your role to establish and maintain excellent relationships with our customers and potential customers, ensuring that you communicate, market and promote the sports programs and facilities we have to offer.

As a leisure facility operating seven days a week, the centre requires flexibility to work across a range of days and shifts, including evenings and weekends, to support our customers and the needs of the business. You may also be required to undertake keyholder responsibilities, including opening and closing the facility, ensuring the security of the building and following all relevant opening and closing procedures.

More about you

We are looking for candidates who have previous experience within a similar role

To be successful in this role you will need to be commercially minded and have a real passion for the sector. Strong organisational and communication skills are a must have for this position, and candidates must have high levels of customer service.

Previous experience working with National Governing Bodies would be advantageous, in addition to a relevant Sports Development / Coaching qualification.

Essential criteria

• Previous experience working within a leisure, sport, fitness or related operational environment.
• Experience of leading, motivating and developing teams to deliver high standards of service.
• Experience of managing operational activities, ensuring compliance with relevant procedures, policies and safety standards.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of managing sports, fitness or leisure programmes and activities.
• Experience of working towards operational, financial or customer satisfaction targets.
• Experience of developing partnerships and building relationships with community groups, customers and external stakeholders.

Benefits

We are a large, diverse and ambitious business, which will give you all the challenge you could wish for.

We know that there's always more we can do to make you smile, that's why we offer a comprehensive benefits package with each role, yours will include:

• A bonus scheme for all colleagues at 2%
• Full Health & Fitness membership for you, a nominated adult and up to 4 juniors
• Flexible working (including part time working, shift work and more)
• An opportunity to purchase additional annual leave
• Lots of opportunity to access ongoing personal learning and development
• Access to our Company Pension scheme
• Cashback plan for healthcare costs – up to £500 saving per year
• Discounts of up to 50% on activities, centre shop and cafes
• Extra perks including huge discounts and offers from shops, cinemas and much more.

What's next?

If you meet the criteria and are ready to make the next step in your career then click apply. You will be redirected to our careers site where you can discover more about the role, read a full job description and apply directly to us.

At Places for People, safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. We are committed to creating safe communities for our customers and colleagues by protecting children, young people, and adults at risk from harm, abuse, and neglect.

We follow robust safeguarding policies and procedures, ensuring all employees, volunteers, and contractors uphold the highest standards of safeguarding and accountability. Our recruitment process includes pre-employment checks, including Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks where applicable, to promote a safe and secure working environment.

By joining Places for People, you are expected to contribute to our safeguarding culture, following our policies and reporting concerns to protect those in our communities.