Start Date: 31st August 2026
32.75 Hours per Week (3 week rota including weekdays, evenings & weekends)
Background
Wave Active is an award-winning charity and social enterprise, supporting our local communities with facilities, activities, and services to inspire active lifestyles.
Our purpose is to “Inspire Active Lifestyles” and vision, “To be at the heart of the improvement of health and wellbeing in the Community”.
We are passionate about providing services and opportunities that support individuals to gain, regain or maintain health, fitness and wellbeing improvements. Managing a number of leisure facilities and Newhaven Fort, across the Lewes District and Eastbourne Borough of East Sussex we provide health and fitness services for both members and non-members of all ages to participate in, whether that be through sport, group exercise, gym, swim, play or health services.
While we offer a range of facilities and activities across our multifunctional spaces, our team is key to creating an approachable environment enabling individuals to prioritise their wellbeing and their health journey.
Formed in 2006 Wave Active continues to ensure all surplus revenues generated from activities are reinvested back into the community in the form of facility developments and refurbishments, new programmes of activity and to support those with health conditions to make health improvements.
The Post in Context
The Wave Team has considerable experience in the management of all aspects of community leisure, such as managing leisure centres (wet and dry), operating dual use sites (for example, schools and colleges), running sport and physical activity programmes (both indoor and outdoor).
This role is central to providing a friendly, safe and efficient service to all of our customers at the leisure centre. As such it is vital that the post holder is an inspirational role model at all times, leading and motivating their teams as they strive to deliver excellence in all areas of operating a busy centre.
Summary of Main Duties
As Duty Manager you will lead and inspire a team of staff in delivering the highest possible standards of customer care and service delivery at all stages of a customer’s experience with Wave so that Wave becomes the leisure destination of choice for the communities in which it works.
There are seven key areas of the Duty Managers Role;
- Staffing and Staff Management.
- Health and Safety.
- Finance.
- Programming.
- Performance.
- Marketing and Sales.
- Cleanliness and Maintenance.
Staffing and Staff Management
- To act as role model for the site team at all times.
- To inspire your team to strive for excellence at all times.
- To manage your team and ensure that they are following established policies and procedures at all times.
- Report all management issues that may arise in relation to sickness, discipline, grievance, equality, maternity etc to the Senior Operations Manager.
- Work with the Senior Operations Manager to develop and maintain good staff relationships and communications within the Centre.
- To assist in the recruitment, training & development of staff and lead on the induction of new staff in operational roles.
- To provide ongoing training, coaching and leadership to ensure customer service standards are exceeded and staff are working to their maximum potential.
- To undertake regular reviews and 1-2-1’s with staff.
- Manage and monitor rotas on a daily basis to ensure that staffing is in place to deliver a safe and effective service.
Health and Safety
- Ensure sites adherence to spirit, principles, structure and practical application of the Health and Safety policy.
- Report all Accidents and Incidence through adherence to corporate systems and processes.
- To lead fire drills to ensure that centre employees and coaches are familiar with procedures and ensure fire drill records are completed.
- Ensure that First Aid equipment is available and usable.
- In the Senior Operations Managers absence to be responsible for overall health and safety requirements of the centre, equipment, premises, and users during centre opening hours.
Finance
- To ensure that financial regulations, including the collecting of cash, are adhered to. Report any discrepancies to the Senior Operations Manager and/or Head of Finance immediately.
- Ensure that booking procedures as set out in general and financial instructions are followed.
- Reconcile daily sales and monies received.
- Check goods received against orders placed and ensure any discrepancies are reported to both the Senior Operations Manager and the supplier.
Performance
- To supervise the operational needs of the Centre as instructed, ensuring maximum community use of the facility through a varied programme.
- Ensure the Centre operates to the documented quality management system.
- To undertake any tasks required from cleaning, reception and administration to managerial and promotional activities.
- To open and close the facilities in accordance with the publicised hours and to be directly responsible for the security of buildings and their contents.
- To work with the Senior Operations Manager to help implement initiatives to improve service provision and generate revenue.
- To strive for excellence in performance by supporting the Senior Operations Manager in both achieving QUEST, or other external quality awards as directed, and using them as an ongoing tool for continuous improvement.
Marketing and Sales
- Support the central marketing team and to deliver operational elements of the marketing strategy of sites.
- Deliver a consistent approach to the Wave brand with all local marketing activities.
- Support the central marketing team with the development of the sales and retention process for site activities, including sales.
- Support the Marketing and Sales Team to promote designated facilities as requested.
Cleanliness and Maintenance
- Lead site teams on a daily basis to achieve the highest standards of presentation, with regards to facilities, staff and service.
- Complete stock checks of materials and order replenishment when required; control their use and security.
- Maintain the highest standards of cleanliness throughout facilities as directed.
- Conduct regular patrols of the facilities, ensuring maximum cleanliness and security.
- Ensure accurate reporting of maintenance issues through the adherence to corporate systems and processes.
- Ensure accurate monitoring of maintenance standards through patrolling sites and reporting through the defined communication channels.
General
- Alarm call out cover if required.
- To close the Centre in the event of risk to users or if service cannot be maintained.
- Authority to bar or eject members of the public who pose a threat to safety, security or proper use of the facilities.
- Authority to summon Police to assist with any disorder or trouble that may arise.
- Outside normal working hours, to call in specialist repairers from the Trust’s emergency repair contractor list and authorise emergency repairs essential to maintain the operation of the facilities.
- Undertake any other duties as requested commensurate with the role, including project work, internal job rotation and absence cover.
Person Specification
Disposition (Essential)
- Customer focused
- Driven and Enthusiastic
- Passion for providing exceptional service
- Can do attitude
- Pro-active
- Team Player
Experience (Essential)
- Staff supervision, leading teams to deliver high results, meet targets and respond to changing priorities.
Experience (Desirable)
- Previous experience of work in a customer focussed service delivery environment.
- Cash handling/reconciliation and experience of following financial systems.
- Able to calculate figures for a wide range of applications
Qualifications (Desirable)
- Current First Aid Certificate
- Coaching qualification in one or more sports
Skills (Essential)
- Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to adapt communications and approach to suit different circumstances.
- Good organisational skills.
- Leadership and coaching experience.
- Excellent time management.
Skills (Desirable)
- Experience of recruiting, training and developing staff.
- Familiarity with Microsoft Office applications.
Other (Essential)
- To be flexible to the changing demands of the business.
- To be able to follow Wave Active Limited Policies and Procedures.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: £23,753.52 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Employee discount
- Free parking
- Gym membership
- On-site parking
- Sick pay
Work Location: In person
