DIRECTOR OF PLANNING & BUSINESS SUPPORT

Location (Country-County-City) UK-Surrey-Chertsey
Job Locations UK-Surrey-Chertsey
ID
2025-9294
Employment Type
Full-Time
Offer/Contract Type
No End Date
Location Name
Thorpe Park Resort

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

The ideal candidate for the Director of Planning and Business Support role will have extensive experience in operational planning, commercial operations, and business support within a fast-paced, guest-focused environment, such as the leisure, hospitality, or theme park industry.

• Proven track record of leading multidisciplinary teams
• Managing large-scale staffing and logistics operations
• Driving improvement through data-driven decision-making
• Strong experience in collaborating with cross-functional teams
• Managing complex stakeholder relationships
• Implementing strategic initiatives
• Expertise in compliance, health and safety standards, and the ability to balance operational efficiency with delivering exceptional guest experiences
• Focus on performance improvement, and adaptability to change

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop and execute staffing plans to align resources with operational needs, budget, and guest demand.
• Forecast staffing requirements in collaboration with leadership, accounting for guest volumes, special events, and peak times.
• Ensure smooth day-to-day operations by coordinating shift patterns, breaks, and team coverage.
• Oversee inventory control, logistics, supply chain management and efficient allocation of resources to avoid operational disruptions.
• Foster good communication between global commercial functions and local teams, ensuring alignment of strategies and initiatives.
• Manage relationships with on-site partners, suppliers, and contractors to ensure seamless collaboration and delivery of commercial objectives.
• Lead and mentor a multi-functional team of planning, operational, and commercial specialists to achieve high performance.
• Manage and address employee relations issues, providing guidance and support in resolving conflicts, ensuring compliance with company policies, and promoting a positive work environment.
• Coordinate recruitment, training, and development initiatives to ensure teams are skilled, motivated, and aligned with the attraction’s values.
• Track operational performance against key metrics such as guest satisfaction, cost efficiency, and staff productivity.
• Identify inefficiencies, bottlenecks, or underperformance using data analysis, and lead initiatives to address these.
• Oversee compliance of policies and procedures set forth within the Merlin Entertainments Group Health, Safety and Security Policy.
• Understand risk assessments and ensure reporting of any new risks as appropriate.
• In cases of incidents or accidents ensure appropriate reporting is done in a timely and accurate manner.

The ideal candidate for the Director of Planning and Business Support role will have extensive experience in operational planning, commercial operations, and business support within a fast-paced, guest-focused environment, such as the leisure, hospitality, or theme park industry.

• Proven track record of leading multidisciplinary teams
• Managing large-scale staffing and logistics operations
• Driving improvement through data-driven decision-making
• Strong experience in collaborating with cross-functional teams
• Managing complex stakeholder relationships
• Implementing strategic initiatives
• Expertise in compliance, health and safety standards, and the ability to balance operational efficiency with delivering exceptional guest experiences
• Focus on performance improvement, and adaptability to chang