Operations Manager

• 4855
• Twycross Zoo
• Atherstone, Warwickshire
• Permanent, Full Time
• Salary in the region of £30,000 to £32,000 + attractive benefits

Operations Manager

East Midland Zoological Society has been running Twycross Zoo for almost 60 years in the heart of England in Atherstone. We are an award-winning conservation and science-led zoo, and are a registered charity, welcoming over half a million people every year.

To meet seasonal requirements, the Operations Team fluctuates between 30 (winter team) and 60 colleagues, and every single team member means a lot to us.

The Role – Operations Manager

Reporting to our Head of Operations, as Operations Manager you will manage the day-to-day operations across the whole of the Zoo site including guest services, car parks, memberships, soft play, and waste management. You’ll manage a team of Team Leaders, Deputy Team Leaders, Senior Rangers, Visitor Experience Assistants and Cleansing Rangers. You will achieve this by:

• Recruiting, managing, and motivating the Operations Team
• Setting an example to team members, and being a ‘champion of customer care’
• Performing pre-opening checks for the site daily
• Handling customer complaints, proactively finding solutions
• Liaising continuously with the Head of Operations to ensure all budgets, health and safety requirements, and audits are being met through targeting, tracking, and training the team
• Completing monthly 1-2-1s with Team Leaders
• Managing the monthly payroll and staff rotas for the Operations Department
• Undertaking regular Duty Zoo Manager shifts when required, on a rota basis

The Package

• Salary in the region of £30,000 to £32,000 with the level dependent on experience
• Permanent contract, working an average of 43 hours 5 days out of 7 per week, 8:30am to 6pm in the summer months, and 9am to 5:30pm in the winter months
• 31 days annual leave
• Staff membership card giving you free entry to the Zoo on your days off
• Complimentary Twycross Zoo ticket allowance for friends and family
• Free access to other BIAZA zoos and aquariums
• 25% discount in the Twycross Zoo gift shop
• 10% discount in Twycross Zoo food and beverage outlets
• Free onsite parking
• Star of the month award scheme
• Access to work counselling services

Our Requirements - Operations Manager

• Experience managing an operational customer facing team of at least 30 colleagues, ideally gained within the leisure, tourist attraction or hospitality industry
• Excellent people management skills with an enthusiastic, solutions-focused and methodical approach, with the ability to motivate a team to ‘get the job done’
• Superb business acumen, with understanding of budget processes and KPIs
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Excel and Outlook
• Excellent customer care and communication skills, both written and verbal
• A flexible approach towards tasks and hours
• A keen interest in the zoo’s work and purpose

Although not essential, a valid First Aid certificate would be highly advantageous. If you do not already have this, you will be required to undertake training to become part of the zoo’s on call first aid rota.

More About Twycross Zoo

We house 500 animals which include the largest chimpanzee family in the UK and the biggest primate collection in the world. We are the only zoo in Europe to house all 4 great apes – Gorilla, Orangutan, Bonobo and Chimpanzee, and we care for some of the most endangered and precious lives to the highest welfare standards, including Sumatran Tigers, Amur Leopards and Snow Leopards.

We are at the forefront of conservation, education and research, and have a strong commitment to our award-winning education programme, aiming to increase the level of awareness, knowledge and understanding of visitors about our animals and their plight in the wild.

All applications for this Operations Manager role are to be submitted online.