Purpose of the Role

The Head of Operations is a senior centre leadership role accountable for the entire operational environment of the destination. The postholder provides strategic direction and day-to-day leadership across soft services, security, duty management, operational governance, public safety partnerships, centre presentation, event enablement and stakeholder coordination—ensuring a safe, clean, resilient and welcoming destination for customers, retailers and colleagues.

This role sits on the centre leadership team, shapes the Operational Strategy & Business Plan, and is responsible for translating centre wide priorities into measurable outcomes. It leads leaders (Soft Services Manager and Duty Managers) and exerts dotted line influence over the onsite Policing function to raise standards and reduce harm.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Operational Leadership

• Own the centre wide Operational Strategy & Plan, aligning people, processes and partners to the Centre Business Plan and client priorities.

• Translate strategy into clear KPIs, governance rhythms and performance dashboards for all operational functions.

• Chair or co‑chair key operational forums (daily huddles, weekly ops reviews, monthly governance) and ensure actions drive visible improvements.

People Leadership & High‑Performance Culture

• Lead and develop Soft Services Manager and Duty Managers, building leadership capability, succession, and a coaching culture.

• Set clear standards for presentation, safety, service and incident leadership; recognise high performance and address gaps decisively.

• Ensure all teams and partners embody a “One Team” ethos with strong cross functional collaboration (Facilities, Marketing & Events, Retail, Finance, HR).

Safety & Security Strategy (Police, BTP & Professional Stakeholders)

• Lead the strategic partnership with Police, BTP, CT Policing, local authority and community safety teams to raise safety standards and reduce crime/ASB.

• Coordinate joint tasking, intelligence sharing, high visibility patrols, targeted operations and vulnerability safeguarding.

• Sponsor SCaN/ACT readiness, multi‑agency table‑top and live exercises, and incident playbooks; embed learning into Duty Manager and security training.

• Provide dotted line direction to onsite Policing, ensuring alignment to centre priorities, peak trading plans and hotspot reduction.

Operational Excellence & Centre Presentation

• Ensure the destination is consistently immaculate: malls, back of house, car parks, external realms and landscaping.

• Oversee duty management coverage and preparedness so the centre remains resilient across all trading hours.

• Conduct scheduled leadership walkthroughs with action logs and visible follow through; remove blockers quickly.

Incident Readiness, Response & Recovery

• Own the operational incident governance model; ensure Duty Managers are trained, confident and competent to lead.

• Act as senior operational lead during major incidents, coordinating partners, escalation, comms and recovery.

• Ensure all incidents/near misses are recorded, investigated to root cause, and closed out with preventative actions.

Governance, Risk & Compliance (Centre Wide)

• Ensure monthly operational/compliance/H\&S reporting is complete, accurate and on time; maintain audit ready standards.

• Oversee centre wide operational risk registers, insurance risk control actions and policy adherence.

• Partner with Head of Facilities to align soft/hard services interfaces (permits, RAMS in public areas, cleaning around technical works, back of house safety).

Service Partners & Contract Performance

• Lead performance management of soft services contracts (security, cleaning, waste, pest, landscaping) with robust KPIs/SLAs and value for money reviews.

• Drive continuous improvement and innovation (smart scheduling, sensor tech, improved patrol/tasking, materials/equipment upgrades, ESG gains).

Events, Activations & Peak Trading

• Partner with Marketing/Brand & CX to enable safe, high impact events and promotions; own the operational plan, risk assessments and stewarding.

• Lead peak trading and adverse weather plans (footfall routing, queue and carpark flow, Duty Manager rosters, communications).

Stakeholder Engagement & Tenant Interface

• Serve as the senior operational contact for tenants; resolve issues, share standards and co‑develop solutions for recurring challenges.

• Maintain effective relationships with local authority, Fire & Rescue, transport providers and community organisations.

Financial Leadership

• Co-own soft services elements of the service charge budget with Finance and the Centre Director; forecast, track and course correct to deliver target outcomes.

• Identify efficiencies without compromising standards or safety; build business cases for investments that elevate service and reduce risk.

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

Essential

· Senior, multidisciplinary operations leadership in a complex, public facing environment (e.g., major retail destination, transport hub, large venue).

· Proven success leading managers of managers (e.g., Soft Services Manager, Duty Managers) and directing service partners.

· Strong track record partnering with Police/BTP/CT Policing and public agencies on crime reduction, vulnerability safeguarding and incident readiness.

· Excellent judgement under pressure; confident incident leader and effective communicator.

· Robust understanding of operational H\&S, governance, insurance risk control and service charge budgeting.

Desirable

· Shopping centre / mixed use destination experience; SIA (non-front line) desirable.

· Familiarity with SCaN/ACT and evolving Protect Duty (Martyn’s Law) principles.

· Experience introducing operational technology (tasking apps, IoT sensors, patrol verification, digital dashboards).

Working Hours - 40 hrs per week (5 out of 7 to include duty management)

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Please see our Benefits Booklet for more information.