Head of Leisure in Hampshire, Havant

Horizon Leisure Trust is a registered charity and community leisure trust with a genuine social purpose, operating major leisure centres in Havant, Waterlooville, and Guildford, alongside a dedicated Wellbeing Hub in Havant. We exist to make a real difference to the health and wellbeing of the communities we serve, and everything we do is shaped by that mission. As part of our ongoing growth and development, we are seeking an exceptional leisure professional to join our Senior Leadership Team as Head of Leisure. This role will be central to delivering Horizon’s five-year strategic plan.

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive, the postholder will lead the operational delivery of our services, ensuring that all centres and community assets consistently deliver exceptional standards of service, safety, and performance. Through visible leadership, the role will build and develop high performing teams, fostering an inclusive, accountable, and customer focused culture that empowers colleagues to perform at their best. The postholder will champion innovation and continuous improvement, supporting Horizon’s ambitions for commercial growth, community impact, and operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the operational strategy and delivery across all Horizon sites, ensuring consistent high standards and a proactive, solutions-focused culture.
• Lead on health and safety across all sites, ensuring robust governance, empowering the Health and Safety Manager, and cultivating a proactive culture of safety and compliance.
• Drive income generation and commercial performance across core areas including Health & Fitness, Learn to Swim, Soft Play, Events, and Hospitality.
• Hold full profit and loss responsibility, ensuring financial targets are met and resources are optimised.
• Manage organisational change effectively, embedding continuous improvement and operational resilience.
• Provide strong leadership and development for operational and commercial teams, promoting ownership and high performance.
• Collaborate with the Marketing team to shape and execute commercial campaigns that drive engagement and growth.
• Support the Chief Executive in building and maintaining strategic relationships with external stakeholders, local authorities, and community partners.
• Lead and support major capital and business development projects aligned with Horizon’s long-term objectives.

We are seeking a senior leisure professional who brings:

• A minimum of five years’ experience in a senior operational or commercial leadership role within the leisure, health and fitness, or contract management sectors.
• Proven success in managing multi-site operations and delivering high-quality customer experiences.
• Strong commercial acumen with a track record of income generation and budgetary control.
• Demonstrated ability to lead change, challenge existing processes, and embed a culture of continuous improvement.
• A modern, people-focused leadership style with excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Experience in capital project delivery and strategic business case development.

In addition to a competitive basic salary of £70,000, there is the potential to earn a 5K annual performance bonus. Benefits include 26 days annual leave plus bank holidays (increasing with service), a matched pension contribution of 5%, BUPA Medical and Dental, Smart Health Online GP Access, Death in Service x3, Free Membership x 2 and access to Reward Gateway’s discount platform. A relocation package can be considered for the right candidate.

To apply please forward your CV to David Peacock, Recruitment Director at our retained recruitment partners – Leisure People dp@leisurepeople.com. For an informal discussion David can be contacted on 07974 313421. Closing date Sunday 19th July 2026.