Job Description

Job Summary

The Senior Operations Manager leads the day-to-day operation of TGP International's food and beverage venues across a multi-site, multi-location portfolio, covering venues that TGP owns and operates and venues that TGP operates or manages on behalf of clients. Every site is run to the same operating principles, standards and disciplines regardless of ownership.

The role works through the venue management teams. Site teams prepare the schedules, orders, forecasts, reports and plans; the Senior Operations Manager reviews, challenges and approves them, and is accountable for the result. Alongside this, the role is expected to grow revenue: to find, trial and roll out new income streams and improve trading performance across the portfolio.

The role reports to the Operations Director, who owns portfolio strategy, commercial terms, client agreements and the overall P&L. The Senior Operations Manager delivers against the agreed plan, escalates commercial, contractual and client matters, and works within delegated authority. Regular travel between venue and project locations is required, with regional and international travel as needed.

Duties/Responsibilities:

1. Revenue Generation and Commercial Creativity
2. Deliver the revenue targets for the assigned sites, covering sales, covers, average spend and revenue mix.
3. Generate and bring forward commercial ideas: new formats, menus, dayparts, offers, events, partnerships and activations that create measurable incremental revenue.
4. Identify new income streams beyond core trade, such as events and private hire, catering, delivery and off-premise and retail, and build the case for them.
5. Review and challenge site proposals on menu engineering and pricing, and recommend changes to the Operations Director for approval.
6. Run a test-and-learn approach: pilot ideas at one site, measure them against a baseline, and roll out what works once approved.
7. Improve capacity utilisation and yield across trading periods, targeting the weak dayparts and days as well as the strong ones.
8. Track competitor activity and market trends, and translate them into practical commercial action.
9. Operations Management
10. Lead the day-to-day operation of every site in the portfolio, holding General Managers and Ops Managers accountable for performance, standards and compliance at their venue. The same operating principles apply to owned and client sites alike.
11. Ensure each site operates to its approved budget, labour model, menu and pricing structure and marketing plan, and that the trading calendar is followed.
12. Review and approve the operating plans, labour schedules, ordering and stock counts prepared by the venue teams, and challenge anything that does not stand up.
13. Run the performance rhythm across the portfolio: weekly trading review by site, monthly business review, and input to the quarterly portfolio review.
14. Identify underperforming sites early, agree a written recovery plan with named owners and deadlines, and follow it through to closure.
15. Verify consistent execution of recipes, portioning, cooking and service standards through scheduled and unannounced site checks.
16. Oversee goods receiving, storage and stock control at every site, including expiry, spoilage and wastage controls.
17. Deploy people and equipment across locations, and escalate resource conflicts that cannot be resolved at site level.
18. Financial Control
19. Deliver the agreed budget and P&L targets for the assigned sites, and know actual performance against budget for sales and costs at all times.
20. Review the site budgets and forecasts prepared by venue teams, challenge the assumptions, and submit them to the Operations Director and Finance.
21. Control food, beverage and labour cost against agreed targets, including stock, wastage, recipe costing and yield.
22. Review labour schedules against forecast business levels to confirm that positions are covered and labour cost objectives are met.
23. Ensure cash and other receipts are handled and reconciled in line with company procedure at every site.
24. Approve operating expenditure within delegated authority, and refer anything above that threshold to the Operations Director with a recommendation.
25. Act on variances promptly and report the corrective action taken.
26. Review and Reporting
27. Review F&B operator and pod performance on a weekly and monthly basis.
28. Review the monthly P&L, audit and performance packs prepared by each site, and present the consolidated position to the Operations Director.
29. Commission monthly mystery shopper audits, quality audits and service period reports, and act on the findings.
30. Agree a monthly action plan with each site covering corrective actions, revenue initiatives and areas of improvement, and track it to completion.
31. Hold weekly operational meetings with site teams and stakeholders, and ensure decisions and actions are recorded.
32. Client and Site Stakeholder Support
33. Act as the day-to-day operational point of contact for venue owners, clients, landlords, partners and third-party F&B operators.
34. Understand the operational obligations set out in the agreement governing each site, including reporting requirements, standards and approval thresholds, and work within them.
35. Review and sign off the client operational reporting prepared by the venue teams before it is issued, to the required standard and timetable.
36. Escalate to the Operations Director, promptly and in writing, any client decision, approval or funding delay that puts the operating plan, a revenue target or a contractual obligation at risk.
37. Identify additional services and scope changes on site, and refer them to the Operations Director for pricing and approval before any work is delivered.
38. Monitor the performance of third-party F&B operators against their agreements and report shortfalls.
39. F&B Ops Consultancy Support
40. Support the delivery of F&B consultancy projects in line with the client scope of work, project plan and timeline.
41. Provide operational input to feasibility work, including CAPEX and OPEX assumptions, and flag anything that is not operationally deliverable.
42. Review and contribute to the project outputs prepared by the team, which typically include gap analysis against brand standards and sequence of service, site visit and interview findings, mystery dining results, KPI assessment, SWOT and initial operational and revenue recommendations.
43. Support a structured handover between the consultancy team and the operating team wherever a project transitions into TGP management.
44. Standards, Brand and Guest Experience
45. Ensure the TGP Operations Manual, policies and procedures are applied consistently at every site, and that manuals, checklists and audit records are kept current.
46. Do not change any policy, standard or specification of operation without prior approval from the Operations Director. Where a change is approved, take full responsibility for its implementation and outcome.
47. Propose improvements and commercial innovations through the agreed approval route, so that new ideas are trialled without compromising brand or safety standards.
48. Ensure guests receive responsive, friendly and courteous service to the standards set for all indoor and outdoor areas, and that food and beverage quality meets the SOP standards.
49. Oversee the guest feedback framework covering review platforms, social media and complaint resolution, and ensure responses are timely and consistent.
50. Use the guest database commercially to drive repeat visits, loyalty and direct bookings, and achieve the guest feedback score targets set annually for each site.
51. Review KPIs, guest feedback and market trends on a rolling basis, recommend changes to the brand and cuisine mix, and keep a live pipeline of brands for future sites.
52. Maintain crowd management and circulation standards across all pods and food hall areas.
53. Health & Safety, Compliance and Maintenance
54. Ensure the H&S manual and SOPs are followed by all F&B operators across every site.
55. Review the monthly H&S audit reports produced with the Hygiene Manager, coordinate third-party audits, and close out the findings.
56. Ensure every site holds and maintains the licences, registrations and approvals required to trade, and that internal audits are completed ahead of external inspection.
57. Ensure compliance with food safety requirements, local labour law, workforce nationalisation requirements and working hours obligations at site level.
58. Maintain the F&B operational risk register on behalf of the Operations Director, and ensure incidents are reported, investigated and closed out with lessons applied across all sites.
59. Ensure deep cleaning schedules and preventive maintenance programmes are completed to the calendar, and that equipment is repaired within an acceptable budget.
60. Protect asset condition and value across the portfolio, particularly kitchen equipment, and report deterioration promptly.
61. People Leadership
62. Lead, coach and develop the venue management teams, and set clear objectives and performance expectations.
63. Monitor and evaluate performance, provide guidance and support, and address underperformance promptly.
64. Support the recruitment, selection, onboarding, training and development of team members with People and Culture.
65. Provide workforce and resourcing input for the portfolio, including nationalisation commitments and the mobilisation of new sites.
66. Create an environment in which the teams bring commercial ideas forward, and recognise those that deliver results.
67. Openings and Site Presence
68. Provide operational and commercial input to concept, design, kitchen and back of house planning before decisions are finalised.
69. Review and sign off operational readiness for new openings and for sites transferring into TGP management, covering recruitment, training, licensing, systems, supply chain, opening stock and the soft opening plan.
70. Take handover from the project team at the agreed readiness gate, with a documented snag and risk position.
71. Lead post-opening stabilisation, drive the venue to its trading targets, and complete a lessons learned review that informs the next opening.
72. Travel regularly between venue and project locations, maintain a published site visit schedule, and report against a consistent site visit format.
73. Exercise portfolio oversight in person on site, and not through reporting alone.

Requirements

Required Skills/Knowledge/Abilities:

1. Commercial creativity: a track record of generating ideas that turned into revenue.
2. Strong revenue and margin instincts, including menu engineering, pricing, promotions and yield management.
3. Ability to read, interrogate and challenge financial reports, including P&L, cost control and labour reports.
4. Strong leadership ability, with the capacity to motivate and develop teams across multiple locations.
5. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with colleagues, employees, clients and external stakeholders.
6. Sound business acumen, problem solving and decision making under pressure.
7. Understanding of client agreements and operating obligations, and the judgement to know what must be escalated.
8. Multi-site planning, prioritisation and time management.
9. Knowledge of food and beverage products, brand cuisine and service standards, and restaurant marketing and promotions.
10. EPOS and hospitality systems, together with productivity and financial software.
11. Recruitment, training, coaching, development and disciplinary ability, and working knowledge of labour law in the markets of operation.
12. Attention to detail, high standards, and the ability to work under pressure and travel frequently.

Qualifications and Education Requirements

1. A Bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification in hospitality management, culinary arts, business or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
2. Fluent written and spoken English. A second language relevant to the market of operation is an advantage.
3. Eligible to work in the market of appointment and able to travel regularly to venue and project locations.

Work Experience

1. A minimum of 7 years in the food services industry, including at least 3 years in a multi-site role such as Area Manager, Cluster Manager, Operations Manager or Senior Operations Manager.
2. Experience overseeing several venues at once and delivering budgeted sales, cost and profit targets through site management teams.
3. Evidence of delivering revenue growth: like-for-like sales improvement, spend per head growth, or new income streams trialled and rolled out.
4. Experience working with third-party owners, landlords or clients alongside directly operated venues.
5. Experience of new openings and mobilisation, from pre-opening through to post-opening stabilisation.
6. Experience in a multi-unit food service company, food hall, or high-end casual dining environment is preferred.

Candidates at Managing Director, Chief Operating Officer or Chief Commercial Officer level are unlikely to be a fit for this role, which is a multi-site management position reporting to the Operations Director.