General Manager

Key Responsibilities:

• Drive a culture of guest first, and is data driven in understanding guest needs.
• Ensure a robust marketing plan is in place for product and experience across each channel.
• Segment and target customers and identify new potential markets and audiences.
• Manages all policies and procedures in relation to employment as advised by Human Resources and Merlin Operations Manual.
• Drive increases in employee engagement scores. 
• Role model guest-facing behaviors and act as Brand Ambassador internally and externally.
• Safeguard the brand in all PR and marketing activity. 
• Ensuring attraction employee engagement scores meet or exceed company expectations.
• Drive volume strategy and maintain sustained competitive advantage as measured against market share.
• Optimize RPC and yield across each Merlin channel.
• Focus team Profit &Loss (P&L) Management and channel strategy to ensure sustainable growth in attraction RPC. 
• Deliver capital products and projects on time, on budget and to desired ROIC. 
• Deliver EBITDA growth, 5-year plan and cost control plans.
• Set and execute successful productivity strategy.
• Create and sustain external partnerships and networks.
• Roll out Merlin best practice and contribute to delivering the Merlin Group strategic agenda.
• Activate Midway levers to grow greater revenue and identify new revenue opportunities.
• Drive innovation, pre-empt opportunities, mitigate risk and adapt at pace.
• Responsible for Health and Safety excellence including business continuity, risk, and crisis plan.
• Drive Operational Teams to ensure the attraction exceeds guest expectations. 
• Ensure attraction operates at maximum efficiency levels with required staffing needs met.
• Ensure a low-risk environment with robust profit protection measures in place. 
• Cascade all relevant information and drives a culture of openness and safety. 
• Implement all HR and talent management processes and achieve DEI&A, wellbeing, and CSR targets.
• Live and breathe values and leads by example as a regular visible presence.
• Execute Merlin change programs.
• Proven experience in successfully managing all aspects of a complex operational business.
• P&L management responsibility, demonstrating agility and responsiveness to trading. 
• Experience of having developed partnerships with non-profit organizations (NPOs), local businesses and authorities. 
• Proven operational leadership, including delivery of a tactical marketing plan. 
• Experience embedding business analytics and customer insight capabilities to drive decision making. 
• Developing businesses at different stages of growth. 
• Understanding motivators for different markets and the levers to pull to entice people to visit. 
•  Understanding route to purchase for different markets.
• Experience managing leaders of teams outside own area of expertise. 
• Developing a diverse talent pipeline and succession planning.
• Building high performance customer centric teams. 
• Working in matrixed environments.
• The above list is not exclusive or exhaustive and may require undertaking such tasks as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the role.
• Perform other duties as assigned. 

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in business, management, or marketing (desirable).

• Minimum of three years manager-level experience in a high visitor volume business.

• Established history of delivering EBITDA targets for a minimum of two years.

• Experience working with children and families (preferred).

• High energy and determination to drive the business to success and make things happen.

• Robust, confident to challenge, self-aware, and possesses a growth mindset.

• Able to excite, inspire innovation, and bring a fun, outgoing approach to work.

• Operates with a strong sense of purpose, integrity, and the ability to adapt quickly to changing circumstances.

• Stellar individual contributor as well as an effective team player.

• Skilled at influencing, negotiating, and building strong relationships.

• Empathetic approach that fosters deep insight into people and their behaviors.

• Highly commercial and financially astute with an operational mindset.

• Investigative with strong attention to detail while maintaining focus on the bigger picture.

• Strongly committed to delivering service and guest experiences at the highest possible level.

Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis. However, please note we do amend or withdraw our jobs and reserve the right to do so at any time, including prior to any advertised closing date. So, if you're interested in this role we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.