Job Overview
Grand Sapphire is one of the UK's leading luxury wedding and events venues, delivering exceptional weddings, corporate events, private celebrations and cultural occasions. We offer a complete event experience, including luxury banqueting, hotel accommodation, bespoke catering, event management, décor and venue styling.
We are seeking an experienced and dynamic Director of Operations to lead the day-to-day operations of our hotel, banqueting and events business. This is a senior leadership role requiring an individual with extensive experience within the wedding, events and hospitality industry, who is passionate about delivering exceptional guest experiences while driving operational excellence.
The successful candidate will be responsible for overseeing all operational departments, ensuring the seamless planning and execution of events from enquiry through to delivery, whilst maintaining the highest standards of service, quality, profitability and customer satisfaction.
This role requires an inspirational leader who thrives in a fast-paced environment, takes ownership of operational performance, develops high-performing teams and continually improves processes across the business.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide strategic and operational leadership across hotel operations, banqueting, weddings, events, catering, décor and event management departments.
- Ensure the flawless execution of weddings, corporate functions and private events, consistently delivering exceptional guest experiences.
- Lead, inspire and develop departmental managers and operational teams, creating a culture of accountability, professionalism and continuous improvement.
- Oversee all event operations from planning through to execution, ensuring every event is delivered to the highest standards.
- Work closely with the Sales, Events and Wedding Planning teams to ensure smooth handovers and exceptional client satisfaction.
- Drive operational excellence across all guest touchpoints, identifying opportunities to improve efficiency, service delivery and profitability.
- Develop and implement standard operating procedures (SOPs) to maintain consistency across all departments.
- Manage operational budgets, labour costs and departmental performance while ensuring financial targets are achieved.
- Monitor key operational KPIs including guest satisfaction, event delivery, revenue performance, staff productivity and quality standards.
- Ensure all hotel, banqueting and catering operations comply with health & safety legislation, food safety regulations and licensing requirements.
- Lead recruitment, training, coaching and performance management across operational departments.
- Resolve operational issues quickly and professionally, taking full ownership of service recovery where required.
- Work collaboratively with senior management to support business growth, operational planning and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Maintain exceptional presentation standards throughout the venue, hotel and event spaces.
- Ensure all departments are fully prepared for each event, with effective communication and coordination between operations, catering, housekeeping, front office, décor and event management teams.
Requirements
- Minimum 5 years' senior management experience within the wedding, events, hotel or hospitality industry.
- Proven experience managing luxury weddings, large-scale banqueting operations and high-volume event venues.
- Strong understanding of hotel operations, food & beverage service, banqueting, event logistics and guest experience management.
- Demonstrable leadership experience managing large multidisciplinary teams within a hospitality environment.
- Excellent organisational and operational planning skills with the ability to manage multiple events simultaneously.
- Commercially minded with experience managing budgets, labour costs and operational performance.
- Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities, remaining calm under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
- Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to build strong relationships across all levels of the business.
- Experience implementing operational processes and driving continuous improvement initiatives.
- Excellent understanding of health & safety, food hygiene, licensing and hospitality compliance.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office and hotel or event management systems.
- Flexible approach to working hours, including evenings, weekends and public holidays, in line with business requirements.
What We're Looking For
The ideal candidate will be a highly motivated hospitality professional who leads by example, takes ownership of operational performance and is passionate about creating unforgettable guest experiences. They will be an outstanding people manager, capable of motivating teams to consistently exceed expectations while ensuring every wedding and event is delivered seamlessly.
If you have a proven track record of leading successful hospitality operations and are ready to make a significant impact within one of the UK's premier wedding and events venues, we would love to hear from you.
Pay: £45,000.00-£50,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Employee discount
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
