Operations Manager – Woking, Surrey

A senior leadership opportunity within a busy, quality-focused hotel

Location: Woking, Surrey

Salary: Up to £40,000

Contract: Permanent, full-time

Hours: Shift-based, including early starts and late finishes around events

Overview

An established and well-regarded hotel is seeking an experienced Operations Manager to take a leading role in the day-to-day running of the business. This is a genuine opportunity for a driven hospitality professional to make their mark, with clear scope for career advancement.

Reporting to the General Manager, you will help set the standard across every department, championing service excellence and a commercial mindset in equal measure. If you thrive in a busy, structured environment and lead from the front, this role will offer both challenge and reward.

The Role

As Operations Manager, you will implement standard operating procedures across all hotel departments, drive effective performance management, and contribute to the strategic business plan while maximising revenue opportunities. You will oversee hotel operations in the absence of the General Manager, prioritising the guest experience by analysing feedback and putting clear action plans in place. Working closely with department heads, you will lead recruitment, foster team development, and promote a culture of service excellence. The role includes potential delegation of General Manager responsibilities and meaningful involvement in enhancing the daily guest experience.

Key Responsibilities

• Implement and embed standard operating procedures across all hotel departments.
• Drive effective performance management and contribute to the strategic business plan.
• Maximise revenue opportunities across the operation.
• Oversee hotel operations in the absence of the General Manager.
• Analyse guest feedback and implement action plans to elevate the customer experience.
• Collaborate with department heads to lead recruitment and team development.
• Plan, run and manage events, including the shift patterns these require.
• Promote a consistent culture of service excellence and brand standards.

Key Requirements

• A successful track record of managing at Head of Department level within a hotel or hospitality venue; experience within a major global brand is preferred.
• Experience as a Senior Manager within the hospitality industry or a similar environment is essential.
• Strong leadership skills, with a proven ability to motivate and manage a hotel team and to create and implement strategies that drive success.
• Extensive experience of working within a structured team environment, with effective influencing skills.
• Highly commercially driven — thinking like a customer but always acting like an owner.
• Experience of improving team performance through coaching and feedback, setting development goals, and recognising good performance.
• Highly motivated, enthusiastic and a genuine team player.

Above all, you will be passionate about delivering an exceptional guest experience and living the brand standards every day.

What’s On Offer

• A competitive salary of up to £40,000.
• A significant opportunity for career advancement, including potential delegation of General Manager responsibilities.
• A varied, hands-on role at the heart of a busy hotel operation.
• The chance to shape the daily guest experience within a supportive senior team.

Please note this role includes an element of shift work alongside running and managing events, which may mean early starts and late finishes (not on the same day). The earliest start is likely to be around 7am and the latest finish could be in the early hours, around midnight to 2am; other hours worked would be standard office hours.

If this sounds like the right next step for you, we would love to hear from you.

CVs in English (Word or PDF format only)

Important Notes:

1. Applicants must be eligible to live and work in the UK.
2. We regret that, due to the volume of applications, only successful candidates will be contacted.
3. DDH Recruitment Ltd is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.
4. All applications are treated in the strictest confidence.

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