Reports to: Hotel management
Hours: Full-time, including evenings, weekends
Role Purpose
The Senior Operations Manager is responsible for leading the hotel's Food & Beverage and Accommodation operations while also driving the successful coordination and commercial performance of the hotel's events business. This role combines operational leadership with event planning and sales responsibilities, ensuring exceptional guest experiences, profitable operations and the continued growth of weddings, conferences, private events and corporate business.
The successful candidate will oversee Front Office, Housekeeping, Food & Beverage and Maintenance, whilst working proactively to convert enquiries into confirmed business, coordinate events from enquiry through to delivery, and maximise revenue opportunities across all departments.
This is a hands-on leadership role requiring excellent organisational skills, commercial awareness, strong event management experience and a passion for delivering outstanding hospitality.
Key ResponsibilitiesvOperational Leadership
- Lead the daily operation of the hotel.
- Ensure all departments operate efficiently and deliver consistently high service standards.
- Conduct daily operational briefings and department meetings.
- Act as Duty Manager w
- Resolve guest complaints professionally and efficiently.
- Ensure smooth communication between departments.
Food & Beverage Operations
- Manage the restaurant, bar, breakfast and event service operations.
- Ensure high food and beverage service standards are maintained.
- Work closely with the Head Chef to improve efficiency and guest satisfaction.
- Monitor food and beverage gross profit margins.
- Control stock levels and minimise wastage.
- Oversee stock takes and investigate variances.
- Ensure menus, pricing and service standards are implemented correctly.
- Monitor beverage controls and cash handling procedures.
- Drive improvements in restaurant performance and guest experience.
Events Coordination & Sales
- Manage the hotel's weddings, conferences, meetings and private events from initial enquiry through to completion.
- Respond promptly to event enquiries and prepare quotations and proposals.
- Conduct venue show rounds for prospective clients.
- Convert enquiries into confirmed bookings, achieving agreed conversion targets.
- Liaise with clients to coordinate all event requirements including room layouts, menus, timings and special requests.
- Produce detailed function sheets and communicate event requirements to operational departments.
- Ensure all events are delivered smoothly and exceed guest expectations.
- Build strong relationships with corporate clients, local businesses and event organisers.
- Identify opportunities to increase conference, wedding and private event revenue.
- Upsell accommodation, food & beverage packages and additional services.
- Attend networking events and represent the hotel within the local business community.
- Develop sales initiatives and promotional packages.
- Monitor event revenue, enquiry levels and conversion performance.
- Support marketing activity by providing event content, promotions and seasonal offers.
Accommodation Operations
- Manage Front Office and Housekeeping teams.
- Ensure bedrooms and public areas consistently meet company standards.
- Monitor room turnaround times.
- Improve housekeeping productivity.
- Ensure reception procedures are followed accurately.
- Monitor guest arrival and departure processes.
- Work with the Commercial Manager to ensure room allocations maximise revenue opportunities.
Maintenance & Property
- Oversee planned and reactive maintenance.
- Ensure preventative maintenance schedules are completed.
- Monitor contractor performance.
- Report capital expenditure requirements.
- Ensure hotel presentation remains to a high standard.
Financial Performance
- Manage departmental labour budgets.
- Produce efficient staff rotas.
- Control overtime.
- Monitor payroll costs.
- Manage departmental expenditure.
- Improve operational profitability.
- Analyse weekly operational KPIs.
- Identify cost-saving opportunities without compromising service quality.
Health, Safety & Compliance
- Ensure full compliance with Health & Safety legislation.
- Maintain Food Safety standards.
- Oversee fire safety procedures.
- Ensure all statutory compliance checks are completed.
- Monitor accident reporting.
- Ensure COSHH procedures are followed.
- Maintain licensing compliance.
People Management
- Recruit, train and develop departmental managers and team members.
- Conduct regular performance reviews.
- Manage disciplinary and grievance procedures.
- Coach supervisors and department heads.
- Promote a positive working culture.
- Ensure staffing levels match business demand.
Guest Experience
- Drive exceptional guest satisfaction.
- Monitor guest feedback across all platforms.
- Respond to online reviews where appropriate.
- Implement service improvements.
- Ensure all departments consistently deliver excellent customer service.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
The Operations Manager will be measured against:
Financial
- Departmental payroll %
- Food Gross Profit %
- Beverage Gross Profit %
- Labour productivity
- Cost control performance
- Budget achievement
Accommodation
- Housekeeping productivity
- Bedroom quality scores
- Check-in efficiency
- Check-out efficiency
- Guest room defect resolution time
Food & Beverage
- Food quality scores
- Beverage wastage
- Average transaction value
- Restaurant guest satisfaction
- Stock variance
- Mystery guest results
Guest Experience
- Guest satisfaction scores
- Online review ratings
- Complaint resolution times
- Repeat guest feedback
Operational
- Health & Safety compliance
- Audit performance
- Maintenance completion rates
- Staff turnover
- Training completion
Essential Skills & Experience
- Minimum 3 years' hotel management experience.
- Experience managing both Food & Beverage and Accommodation departments.
- Strong leadership and people management skills.
- Excellent organisational ability.
- Commercial awareness and financial understanding.
- Experience managing labour budgets.
- Knowledge of hotel PMS systems (Opera experience desirable).
- Experience with EPOS systems.
- Strong understanding of Health & Safety legislation.
- Excellent communication skills.
- Ability to work under pressure.
Desirable Experience
- Experience within an independent hotel.
- Experience managing weddings and conference operations.
- Knowledge of hotel revenue principles.
- Personal Licence holder.
- First Aid at Work qualification.
- Fire Marshal qualification.
- Food Safety Level 3.
Personal Attributes
We are looking for someone who is:
- A visible, hands-on leader.
- Calm under pressure.
- Highly organised with excellent attention to detail.
- Commercially minded and proactive.
- Passionate about delivering exceptional guest experiences.
- Able to motivate and develop teams.
- Confident making operational decisions.
- Solutions-focused with a continuous improvement mindset
Pay: £36,000.00-£38,000.00 per year
Benefits:
Experience:
- Hotel management: 4 years (required)
- Events management: 2 years (required)
- opera pms: 1 year (required)
Work Location: In person
