General Manager- Dual Site- Jockey Club Experiences

General Manager - Nottingham & Market Rasen Race Courses | Full-Time / Permanent

Up to £50000 + Company car/Car allowance, excellent benefits, including healthcare, wellbeing support, 27 days' annual leave plus bank holidays, life assurance, meals on duty, and more.

We are Jockey Club Experiences

Jockey Club Experiences was formed in 2026 (following a rebrand of Jockey Club Catering, founded in 2009) and continues to provide outstanding catering, hospitality and customer service at all of The Jockey Club’s racecourses nationwide and has a portfolio of 15 racecourses delivering catering to over 333 race days a year.

Jockey Club Experiences delivers exceptional race day experiences through great people; and amazing customer service and providing ‘Legendary Experiences’ to all our customers at our event days.

General Manager - The Role

The core function of this role is to lead a team in delivering the race-day and non-race-day experiences for the Jockey Club customers. There is a fixed team of ~5, supported on event days by up to 20 chefs, 30 managers and up to 300 front line operational team members.

The main priorities for this role will be:

• Stabilising and improving operational delivery across two sites.
• Setting clear expectations and maintain high standards.
• Building capability within management and core teams.
• Driving consistency and accountability.
• Navigating a complex client environment that is undergoing organisational change.
• Building trust and credibility with senior stakeholders.
• Delivering sustainable commercial and operational improvements.

Operational Excellence & Standards

• Lead the delivery of exceptional operational standards across Nottingham and Market Rasen Racecourses, creating a culture where consistency, quality, safety and guest experience are non-negotiable.
• Provide visible leadership across all areasof the operation, ensuring robust planning, execution and post-event review processes are in place to drive continuous improvement and operational excellence.
• Establish, measure and maintain clear operational standards across hospitality, retail, conference and events, ensuring all teams operate in line with company policies, client expectations and best practice.
• Drive a culture of accountability through the effective use of operational performance metrics, audits, guest feedback and financial performance indicators, identifying opportunities for improvement and ensuring corrective actions are delivered.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, inspire and develop a multi-site management team, creating a high-performance culture focused on accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Invest heavily in the development of venue leadership capability, ensuring managers are equipped to make decisions, solve problems, lead their teams effectively and deliver consistent business results.
• Provide coaching, mentoring and succession planning across the management structure, creating a sustainable pipeline of talent and future leaders.
• Build team engagement through visible leadership, clear communication and consistent recognition of high performance.

Client & Stakeholder Relationships

• Act as the senior operational representative for Jockey Club Experiences across both racecourses, developing trusted and credible relationships with key client and internal stakeholders.
• Work collaboratively with client leadership teams during a period of organisational evolution and change, providing stability, operational expertise and constructive challenge where required.
• Demonstrate strong stakeholder management skills, balancing client priorities, operational requirements and commercial objectives to achieve successful outcomes for all parties.
• Represent the business with professionalism and credibility, fostering long-term partnerships built on trust, transparency and consistent delivery.

Change & Continuous Improvement

• Lead operational improvement initiatives that enhance guest experience, efficiency, commercial performance and team effectiveness.
• Embrace and lead organisational change positively, supporting both venue and client teams through periods of transition while maintaining operational performance and team engagement.
• Identify opportunities to improve ways of working, simplify processes and implement best practices across both venues.
• Drive a culture where innovation, feedback and continuous improvement are encouraged and translated into measurable operational outcomes.

Commercial & Strategic Leadership

• Maintain full accountability for venue performance across people, customer, operational and financial measures.
• Ensure resources are effectively deployed to maximise service delivery, employee engagement and commercial return.
• Work closely with central support functions and the wider senior leadership team to develop and execute business plans that deliver sustainable growth and operational excellence.
• Contribute to the longer-term strategic development of both racecourses, supporting investment plans, facility improvements and future business opportunities.

Values-Led Leader

• Leads with integrity, professionalism and accountability.
• Creates an environment where people are clear on expectations, take ownership of outcomes and strive for continuous improvement.

What we’re looking for

• Proven Operational Leader
• Significant experience leading complex, multi-faceted operations within hospitality, leisure, events, venues or service-led environments.
• Track record of improving operational standards, driving accountability and delivering measurable business improvement.
• Exceptional People Leader
• Experienced in developing leadership teams and creating high-performance cultures.
• Evidence of successfully coaching, mentoring and developing managers to achieve increased capability and performance.
• Strong Change Leader
• Comfortable leading teams and stakeholders through periods of organisational change.
• Demonstrates resilience, adaptability and the ability to maintain engagement and performance during uncertainty.
• Outstanding Stakeholder Manager
• Experienced in building trusted relationships with senior clients and key stakeholders.
• Able to influence, challenge and collaborate effectively whilst maintaining credibility and strong working partnerships.
• Commercially Astute
• Strong commercial awareness with experience managing budgets, forecasting performance and making data-driven operational decisions.

What you’ll get in return

• Competitive salary with bonus and full company benefits
• 27 days' annual leave plus bank holidays, your birthday off, and a holiday purchase scheme
• Healthcare & wellbeing: Aviva Digicare, Medicash (dental, optical, therapy treatments)
• Mental health support: 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
• Family benefits: Enhanced maternity, paternity, and adoption leave. 2 days additional leave after returning from maternity leave, day off for your baby's first birthday, enhanced family leave
• Perks & discounts: Shopping, entertainment, and travel discounts, 20% off Nuffield Health and 10% off PureGym memberships
• Financial wellbeing: Pension scheme, Life Assurance, preferred rates on salary finance products
• Development opportunities: Professional subscriptions, ongoing training and structured career pathways
• Meals on duty included

Why Join Us?

Jockey Club Experiences is part of Compass Group, the world's largest catering company, and a vibrant leader in hospitality.

We believe in celebrating individuality and building inclusive teams where everyone feels they belong. Our diverse team fuels creativity, innovation, and excellence.

We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and welcome candidates from all backgrounds to join us in creating a supportive, empowering workplace where everyone can thrive.

As part of Compass you'll help to feed people, fuel progress and forge connections in around 6,000 venues. Join us to grow your career with the industry leader, and get competitive pay, great perks and unrivalled opportunities for learning and development, at one of the UK's biggest businesses.

Job Reference: com/1908/ / /SU #Levy UK

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!

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