General Manager - Old Royal Naval College

What you'll be doing:

• Take overall responsibility for the successful day-to-day management of a large, multi-faceted hospitality and events operation.

• Lead, motivate and develop a diverse team across Sales & Events, Operations, Retail and Kitchen departments.

• Work closely with the client and key stakeholders to build strong relationships and ensure the highest standards of service and delivery.

• Drive the commercial performance of the venue, taking ownership of financial results, budgets, cost control and revenue opportunities.

• Lead the delivery of high-profile weddings, corporate dinners, award ceremonies and large-scale bespoke events.

• Bring fresh ideas and innovative thinking to develop the venue's event offering and create memorable guest experiences.

• Ensure all events and productions comply with heritage requirements, site restrictions and relevant approval processes, working closely with the client and heritage stakeholders.

• Oversee event planning and operational delivery, ensuring all necessary permissions and approvals are secured well in advance.

• Maintain exceptional standards across food, service, retail and overall guest experience.

• Identify opportunities to grow the business, strengthen the venue's market position and maximise its commercial potential.

• Lead by example, creating a positive, accountable and collaborative culture across all departments.

• An experienced General Manager or senior hospitality and events leader with a strong background in large-scale, prestigious event venues.

• Proven experience delivering complex events, including luxury weddings, high-profile corporate functions, award ceremonies and large-scale productions.

• A commercially astute leader with strong financial knowledge and experience managing budgets, profitability and business performance.

• Experienced in leading large, multi-disciplinary teams across several operational departments.

• Confident managing senior client relationships and working collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders.

• Creative and innovative, with the ability to develop exciting event concepts and take them from idea through to successful delivery.

• Strong operational knowledge, with an understanding of the planning, logistics and attention to detail required for large-scale events.

• Able to balance creativity with compliance, following procedures and securing the necessary permissions when working within a heritage environment.

• An inspiring and hands-on leader who can bring people together, drive standards and deliver results.

• Flexible and comfortable working around the demands of a busy events calendar, including evenings and weekends.

• We are particularly interested in candidates from prestigious event venues, heritage attractions, museums and large-scale visitor destinations.

• Personal Development and Training opportunities 

• Life assurance scheme 

• Pension scheme 

• Holiday allowance 

• Access to Healthcare Support App which includes Annual health check, Digital GP, Mental Health Consultations, Nutritional Consultations, Second Medical Opinion

• Eye care 

• A great wellbeing strategy – including access to our Employee Assistance Programme, salary finance 

• Family friendly support 

• Regular social events and communication with our leaders 

• A holiday purchase scheme 

• Volunteering days 

• Professional subscriptions 

• Recognition schemes and people awards 

• Long service awards 

• Access to some great high street discount vouchers

Job Reference: com/1011/47688001/52845290/SU #Company of Cooks

Compass Group UK&I is committed to fostering an environment where every individual can truly be themselves at work and has equal opportunities to advance in their careers. We strive to build a culture that respects and celebrates the unique talents, beliefs, backgrounds, and abilities of all our team members. We want our colleagues to feel valued, empowered to reach their full potential, and to thrive - because diversity is our strength!