Assistant Commercial Manager
Location: Sandcastle Waterpark, Blackpool Salary: £32,000
About the Role
We’re looking for a driven, commercially focused Assistant Commercial Manager to join the team at Sandcastle Waterpark.
This is a hands-on leadership role with a strong focus on Admissions, Guest Services, Group Bookings and commercial performance, alongside supporting the wider commercial operation across Food & Beverage, Retail and third-party partners.
Working closely with the Commercial Manager, you’ll help maximise both primary and secondary revenue, ensuring we make the most of every commercial opportunity throughout the guest journey – from the point a guest chooses their ticket, through to their experience within the Waterpark.
A key part of the role will be leading our busy Admissions and Guest Services teams, developing ticket packages and upsell opportunities, managing group bookings, and using performance data to continually improve conversion, yield and revenue.
You'll need to be comfortable leading from the front in a busy visitor attraction environment, balancing outstanding guest service with a strong commercial mindset.
What You’ll Be Doing
Admissions, Ticketing & Primary Sales
- Lead and support the day-to-day operation of our busy Admissions team, ensuring an efficient and welcoming guest arrival experience.
- Drive primary ticket sales performance, identifying opportunities to increase revenue, conversion and yield.
- Develop and expand ticket packages, upgrades and add-ons to increase value for both the guest and the business.
- Identify and implement effective upselling opportunities throughout the booking and admissions journey.
- Monitor ticket performance, sales trends, booking patterns and guest behaviour to identify commercial opportunities.
- Support the development and implementation of pricing, promotions and ticketing strategies.
- Work confidently with ticketing and admissions systems; experience with Accesso or similar ticketing platforms would be a strong advantage.
- Work alongside Marketing and other departments to ensure ticket products, promotions and packages are commercially effective and operationally deliverable.
Group Bookings & Guest Services
- Support and develop the Group Bookings operation, ensuring enquiries are converted into confirmed bookings wherever possible.
- Manage the guest journey for groups from initial enquiry through to arrival and post-visit follow-up.
- Identify opportunities to grow group business, packages and additional revenue.
- Lead and develop the Guest Services team, ensuring consistently high standards of service.
- Support the management of guest enquiries, feedback and complaints, resolving issues confidently and professionally.
- Ensure Guest Services remains commercially aware, identifying appropriate opportunities for upgrades, additional products and future visits.
- Build strong relationships with group organisers, schools, organisations and other key customers.
Commercial Operations
- Support the daily commercial operation across Admissions, Guest Services, Food & Beverage, Retail and third-party partners.
- Maximise revenue across both primary and secondary spend.
- Drive performance through effective pricing, promotions, packages, upselling and product development.
- Monitor key commercial metrics including revenue, yield, spend per head, conversion and secondary spend.
- Use data and insight to identify trends, opportunities and areas for improvement.
- Support cost control across labour, cost of sales and operational expenditure.
- Work with third-party partners to maximise commercial opportunities and guest experience.
Operational Leadership
- Take ownership of daily commercial performance and service delivery.
- Lead from the front during busy periods, supporting teams where needed.
- Act as Incident Manager when required.
- Ensure all commercial areas are guest-focused, fully operational and presented to a high standard.
- Resolve operational challenges quickly and effectively.
- Make confident decisions in a fast-paced visitor attraction environment.
Team Leadership & Development
- Lead, coach and develop the Admissions and Guest Services teams while supporting leadership across the wider Commercial department.
- Support recruitment, onboarding, training and retention.
- Set clear expectations and hold teams accountable for performance.
- Deliver training focused on guest service, sales, upselling and commercial awareness.
- Use performance information to coach individuals and teams.
- Build a positive, inclusive and high-performing culture where teams understand how they contribute to the overall commercial success of the Waterpark.
Performance & Commercial Development
- Monitor and drive KPIs including primary sales, revenue, conversion, yield, secondary spend, margins and guest satisfaction.
- Analyse sales and booking data to identify opportunities and changing guest behaviours.
- Develop new ticket packages, promotions and commercial initiatives.
- Review the effectiveness of existing ticket products and recommend improvements.
- Support the delivery of financial targets and wider business objectives.
- Take ownership of shift and daily commercial results and communicate performance to the wider management team.
Health, Safety & Compliance
- Ensure compliance with all relevant Health & Safety and Food Safety standards.
- Support audits, risk assessments and safe systems of work.
- Maintain high standards of hygiene, safety and operational compliance.
- Ensure teams are appropriately trained and operating to required standards.
Incident Management
- Participate in the Incident Manager (IM) rota.
- Lead or support responses to incidents when on duty.
- Make confident decisions to protect guests, colleagues and the operation.
- Ensure incidents are appropriately recorded, reviewed and learned from.
Communication & Collaboration
- Act as a key link between the Commercial Manager, senior leadership and frontline teams.
- Work closely with Marketing, Operations and other departments to maximise commercial opportunities.
- Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders, external partners and group organisers.
- Communicate commercial performance, opportunities and challenges clearly to the wider management team.
What We’re Looking For
Experience
Ideally, you’ll have experience in several of the following areas:
- Supervisory or management experience within a visitor attraction, leisure, tourism, hospitality or other high-volume customer-facing environment.
- Experience leading a busy Admissions, Front of House or Guest Services operation.
- Experience managing and developing a Guest Services team.
- Experience handling group bookings, group sales or reservations.
- Experience using ticketing, booking or admissions systems.
- Experience driving sales, upselling, conversion or revenue performance.
- Experience developing ticket packages, promotions, upgrades or add-on products.
- Experience using commercial data and KPIs to improve performance.
Experience with Accesso ticketing systems would be a significant advantage.
Skills
- Strong leadership and people-management skills.
- A genuinely commercial mindset with the ability to spot revenue opportunities.
- Passion for delivering an excellent guest experience.
- Confident managing busy, high-volume admissions and guest-facing operations.
- Strong sales and upselling awareness.
- Ability to analyse data and turn insight into action.
- Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
- Organised, proactive and solutions-focused.
- Comfortable making decisions and taking ownership.
- Able to balance guest experience, operational requirements and commercial performance.
Qualifications
- IOSH Managing Safely – or willingness to work towards.
- Level 3 Food Safety – or willingness to work towards.
Why Join Us?
Sandcastle Waterpark is a fast-paced, high-volume visitor attraction where no two days are the same.
This role offers the opportunity to make a genuine impact on how we sell, package and deliver our guest experience. You'll have the scope to develop new ticket products, improve the admissions journey, grow group business and find new ways to maximise commercial performance.
If you're passionate about people, guest experience and driving sales, and you enjoy turning ideas into measurable results, we'd love to hear from you.
