Operations Manager
Posted 6 days ago by Arches London Bridge
£22 Per hour
Undetermined
Undetermined
London Area, United Kingdom
Summary: The Operations Manager for Gorillaz: House of Kong will lead the operational delivery of a unique exhibition, focusing on recruitment, training, and maintaining high standards of visitor experience. This role involves both pre-opening preparations and ongoing management, ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations while fostering a positive team culture. The position offers a rare opportunity to influence the success of a new venue from its inception. The ideal candidate will possess strong leadership and operational skills within a cultural or events context.
Key Responsibilities:
- Manage recruitment of Supervisors, Stewards, and Actors, from shortlisting to contract issuance.
- Develop and implement a comprehensive training programme for new staff.
- Set up and oversee administrative systems such as rota management and payroll processes.
- Work with the Arches Management team for cross-functional alignment for launch.
- Oversee health & safety compliance and statutory obligations.
- Contribute to policy development, team culture, and launch timelines.
- Assist with operational planning, including creating procedures and schedules.
- Act as the senior on-site manager, making decisions and resolving issues.
- Provide leadership and support to Duty Managers, Supervisors, stewards, and actors.
- Oversee daily checks, opening/closing procedures, and compliance with regulations.
- Ensure smooth daily running of the venue as a Duty Manager.
- Lead and support front-of-house teams with a strong presence.
- Maintain responsibility for staffing rotas and training.
- Monitor and improve operational workflows and resolve escalated incidents.
- Analyse visitor feedback and staffing needs for improvements.
- Liaise with venue suppliers and service providers for smooth operations.
- Complete shift reports and handovers for communication between management and departments.
- Maintain a calm presence during emergencies and act as lead fire or first aid warden.
- Process and verify payroll data for regular submission.
Key Skills:
- Demonstrable experience in a managerial operations or visitor experience role.
- Strong experience in recruiting, training, and managing diverse teams.
- Confident in managing payroll processes and staff scheduling.
- Excellent knowledge of operational best practices and legal compliance.
- Outstanding communication, leadership, and organisational skills.
- Proven ability to work collaboratively while leading autonomously.
- Comfortable working flexibly, including long hours and weekends.
- Experience in launching or pre-opening a venue is desirable.
- Familiarity with rota and payroll systems is a plus.
- First Aid at Work, Fire Warden, or other operational qualifications are desirable.
Salary (Rate): £22 per hour
City: London
Country: United Kingdom
Working Arrangements: undetermined
IR35 Status: undetermined
Seniority Level: undetermined
Industry: Other
Operations Manager - Gorillaz: House of Kong
About the role
We are seeking an experienced Operations Manager to take the lead in shaping the day-to-day delivery of Gorillaz: House of Kong, an exhibition like no other, ensuring that all aspects of operations, staffing, and visitor experience are prepared to the highest standard ahead of opening—and maintained thereafter with consistency and care. This is a rare opportunity to be part of a pre-opening team, where your skills in recruitment, process development, team building, and operational leadership will directly influence the culture, efficiency, and success of a dynamic new space.
Key Responsibilities
Pre-Opening Phase:
- Manage the recruitment of Supervisors, Stewards and Actors, from the early stages of shortlisting for interviews to the issue of the contracts.
- Develop and implement a comprehensive training programme for new staff, covering customer service, health & safety, emergency procedures, and in venue-specific operations.
- Set up and oversee administrative systems such as rota management, payroll processes and incident reporting.
- Work with the Arches Management team to ensure cross-functional alignment in readiness for launch.
- Oversee health & safety compliance and statutory obligations.
- Contribute to policy development, team culture, and launch timelines.
- Assist with all the operational planning for the venue, including creating procedures, schedules, and establishing systems and standards.
Ongoing Responsibilities:
- Act as the senior on-site manager, making decisions, resolving issues, and escalating as necessary.
- Provide visible leadership and support to the Duty Managers, Supervisors, stewards and actors.
- Oversee daily checks, opening/closing procedures, and compliance with health & safety, fire safety, and licensing requirements.
- Oversee the smooth daily running of the venue as a Duty Manager, ensuring a consistently high standard of service, safety, and team performance.
- Lead and support the Duty Managers and front-of-house teams, with a strong presence on the floor and in planning.
- Maintain responsibility for staffing rotas and training.
- Monitor and improve operational workflows, respond to and resolve escalated incidents, health & safety concerns, and service issues.
- Analyse visitor feedback and staffing needs to deliver improvements.
- Liaise with the venue suppliers, contractors, and service providers to ensure smooth operations.
- Complete shift reports and handovers to ensure smooth communication between management and all the other departments.
- Maintain a calm and authoritative presence during emergencies and act as the lead fire or first aid warden when required (training provided).
- Process and verify payroll data, including timesheet checks, to ensure regular weekly submission.
Person Specification
Essential:
- Demonstrable experience in a managerial operations or visitor experience role, ideally within a cultural, heritage or events setting.
- Strong experience in recruiting, training, and managing large and diverse teams.
- Confident in setting up and managing payroll processes, staff scheduling, and basic HR administration.
- Excellent knowledge of operational best practice, health & safety, and legal compliance in a public-facing venue.
- Outstanding communication, leadership, and organisational skills.
- Proven ability to work collaboratively across departments while leading autonomously.
- Comfortable working flexibly, including long hours, weekends and evenings, as needed.
Desirable:
- Experience in launching or pre-opening a venue, exhibition space, or public building.
- Familiarity with systems such as Find My Shift or equivalent for rota and payroll.
- First Aid at Work, Fire Warden, or other operational qualifications.
Location: The House of Kong Exhibition, Copper Box, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London
Salary: £20/22 per hour
Contract Type: Fixed-Term (until 7 th September)
Hours: part-time 2.5 days a week then full time from 1 st August until 7 th September
How to Apply: Please send your CV and a covering statement explaining your interest and relevant experience based on the job description to giovanna@archeslondonbridge.co.uk Only applications received via email address will be considered. Unfortunately, due to the volume of applications we may receive, we are only able to respond to shortlisted candidates.