Live Operations Manager

Based in London and Manchester for live show period.

Company Overview: Founded in 2007 by Mike and Alison Battle, Lapland began with a simple but powerful purpose: to honour the wonder of childhood at Christmas. Frustrated by the poor quality of festive experiences available for their own four boys, the Battles set out to elevate this moment of childhood and reimagine the Father Christmas myth through original storytelling, meticulous set design, and emotionally resonant live theatre. Their ground-breaking immersive show opened in 2007 and immediately captured the attention and hearts of parents nationwide. Powered by their purpose, the couple partnered with Hollywood set designers and West End performance professionals to produce an experience of unprecedented quality and detail. With an NPS of 72 (outperforming industry icons in the entertainment space), Lapland’s customer loyalty is second to none and has now welcomed nearly 2 million ‘believers,’ with tickets selling out on release for what the press now terms ‘the Glastonbury of Christmas’. Today, the Lapland Group is a fast-growing purpose driven entertainment business spanning the three pillars of Live, Product and Studios.

Location: Covent Garden Office (4 days per week, 1 day optional from home)

Reports to: Director of Live

Direct Reports: Commercial Delivery Manager, People Operations Manager, Show Operations Manager, Wardrobe Manager & Event Control

Role Overview: The Manchester Live Operations Manager is the accountable operational lead for the Manchester territory of Lapland’s Live show. Once the site has been built and handed into operations, this role owns the end-to-end delivery of the show, ensuring every guest journey, performance moment, operational process and commercial outcome is executed safely, smoothly and to the highest standard. This role leads a multi-disciplinary on-site leadership team and is responsible for translating Lapland’s creative vision into consistent operational reality. You will oversee guest-facing operations, performance operations, people operations, commercial delivery, wardrobe, and event control, ensuring teams are aligned, resourced, trained, and performing throughout the season. This is a fixed-term role for 12 months, aligned to the annual Live show cycle and operational delivery timeline.

Key Responsibilities:

• Site-wide operational leadership: Own the operational running of the Manchester Live show from end-to-end once the site is built, ensuring readiness, stability, and excellence throughout the season. Act as the senior on-site operational decision-maker, maintaining clear oversight of all departments and dependencies. Drive consistent delivery of Lapland’s guest experience standards across every zone, moment, and touchpoint. Lead daily operational rhythms (briefings, debriefs, incident reviews, performance reporting) to maintain pace, clarity and accountability.
• Leadership & line management: Lead and develop a high-performing on-site leadership team, including (but not limited to): Commercial Delivery Manager (Retail, Food & Beverage, Photography), People Operations lead (recruitment, on-site people operations, procedures), Show Operations Manager (area managers and show-day delivery), Wardrobe Manager, Event Control team. Ensure clear role clarity, strong cross-functional collaboration, and a “one team” culture across departments. Set expectations, coach leaders, and intervene early where performance, conduct, or delivery standards slip.
• Show operations & guest journey delivery: Oversee the operational delivery of the full show experience, including: Guest Relations, Woodland Check-in / arrivals, Performance department (principal performers and performance operations), Ice rink operations, Act 4 operation (meeting Father Christmas). Ensure operational plans support the creative intent while remaining safe, efficient and scalable. Monitor guest flow, capacity, queueing, timings, and service recovery to protect experience quality and NPS.
• Commercial performance (through direct reports): Ensure commercial areas (Retail, F&B, Photography) are operationally excellent, well-staffed, and aligned to guest journey and show timings. Partner with Commercial Delivery to deliver revenue targets without compromising guest experience or safety. Maintain oversight of stock, service standards, and operational discipline across commercial zones.
• People operations & workforce delivery (through direct reports): Ensure recruitment and on-site people operations are delivered effectively for the Manchester territory, including seasonal ramp-up and peak delivery. Ensure robust on-site people processes are in place (attendance, rota adherence, welfare, conduct, escalation pathways). Promote a positive, inclusive, high-standards culture aligned to Lapland values.
• Safety, compliance & incident management: Maintain strong operational control and oversight of safety across all zones, including crowd management and incident response. Ensure event control is effective, with clear escalation, decision-making and documentation. Lead response to operational incidents, guest issues, and performance disruptions—calmly, quickly and with good judgement. Ensure all teams follow agreed SOPs and that procedures are continuously improved based on learning. Track and report on operational KPIs (guest experience, throughput, staffing, incidents, commercial performance in partnership with Commercial). Identify risks early and implement mitigation plans to protect delivery. Drive continuous improvement across systems, SOPs, training, and cross-team ways of working.

Role Requirements:

• Significant operational leadership experience in complex, high-footfall environments (live events, immersive experiences, attractions, theatre, festivals, hospitality, or similar).
• Proven experience leading multiple operational departments through layers of management (managing managers).
• Strong show-day / live delivery mindset: calm under pressure, decisive, and highly organised.
• Demonstrable experience balancing guest experience, safety, people leadership, and commercial outcomes.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to align teams quickly.
• Strong operational judgement, incident management capability, and comfort owning site-wide decisions.
• Availability to work a seasonal/peak operational schedule, including weekends and long days as required.
• Experience in immersive theatre, performance-led operations, or environments where creative and operational delivery must be tightly integrated.
• Familiarity with event control structures and operational command models.
• Experience scaling seasonal workforces and delivering large recruitment ramps.

Life at LaplandUK:

At LaplandUK, we believe in the magic of collaboration, a steadfast commitment to excellence, and a team that’s always willing to roll up their sleeves and get involved. Working with us means being part of a dynamic environment where collaboration brings out the best in everyone, diverse talents converge, and innovation thrives. Our commitment to excellence ensures that every team member is dedicated to achieving the highest standards, contributing to a workplace culture that values continuous improvement and outstanding results. We’re not just looking for employees; we want people who are excited to get involved, embrace challenges, and bring a hands-on approach to their work, creating a workplace full of positivity and collective success. Overall, working at LaplandUK offers a chance to be part of something truly special, where the wonder of childhood is celebrated by a team dedicated to making memories for over 40,000 families each year.

Salary: £57,000 per annum

Flexible hybrid working (4 days in London, 1 day at home)

Dog friendly office

22 days annual leave, with one additional day added per year until it reaches 30