Operations Manager

Head of operations WOODLAND ADVENTURE, QUALITY F&B. GROWTH, OUTDOORS. INVESTMENT FOR GROWTH. What's in it for you?

• Up to £80,000 base, with flexibility for the right person, plus a 10–20% bonus
• Potential equity once you're established in the role
• A clear path to Operating or Managing Director as the group grows
• A true blank page: build the menus, systems, team and culture yourself
• Backed by the co-founder of one of the UK's best-loved restaurant brands
• Fully funded, with £2m raised and a respected hospitality investor on board
• Open the first site, then write the playbook for the next two or three
• Significant autonomy, working directly with the founder and board Who are they? A brand-new outdoor destination where great food and drink sit on an equal footing with adventurous woodland play. Children climb and explore safely through the trees, and the grown-ups get a proper day out too: wood-fired pizza, a smoothie and café bar, and fires in the woods. The first site opens in spring 2027, with three more already in the pipeline, each built around its own setting. It's a startup, so expect pace, energy and plenty of testing and learning. What will you get up to?
• Build the F&B operation from scratch: menus, recipe and stock systems, suppliers and tills
• Open the first site, planning alongside the founder and chair from late 2026
• Recruit, train and lead a team of 20–30 at peak, including four or five chefs
• Plan for seasonality: student and holiday hiring, rotas, rainy days and quieter winters
• Own the P&L, pricing, labour and margins, reporting weekly to the board
• Grow the pizza restaurant into a local destination in its own right
• Test new ideas, from weekend barbecues to evening events in the woods
• Make every visit brilliant for families, adults included
• Build the operating model the next sites will roll out from What are we looking for?
• A senior operator (ops manager or ops director) with full accountability for a business
• Ideally from a quality country pub or destination business with big outdoor spaces
• Hands-on experience setting up menus, systems and suppliers, or opening a new site
• A strong track record recruiting and keeping seasonal teams
• Commercially sharp and confident with spreadsheets, P&Ls and pricing
• Entrepreneurial, with a "leave it with me" attitude and happy to change course fast
• On the floor, not behind a desk: warm, upbeat and great with guests of all ages
• Resilient, and ready for the hours an opening demands The best openings don't come with a manual. This one's yours to write. Sound great? Please apply below. Not for you? We will help you with your next move. Get in touch via our website. To shape hospitality leadership through expert and honest conversation.