Magic Elf People Manager

(Fixed Term 5 months, Start date July/August 2026)

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. In 2024, Lapland’s eCommerce revenues grew tenfold, driven by the launch of magical at-home products like personalised Letters from Lapland. These products extend the Lapland world into the home, deepening belief and connection beyond the physical experience. At the same time, our original story universe continues to scale through media. In 2023, Lapland launched its first podcast, Elfcast, which achieved No. 1 in the UK Family Charts and ranked in the global top 10 over Christmas. With plans to expand into audio and content year-round, our IP and characters are reaching audiences in new and emotionally resonant ways. With immersive Live experiences, high-growth eCommerce, and a rapidly expanding original content, Lapland is on a mission to become the definitive global Christmas brand anchored in belief, storytelling, and the enduring magic of childhood.

Reports to: Act 4 People Manager / People Operations Manager (Manchester)

Role Overview

This role manages a team of up to 240 ‘Magic Elves’ who all work in the ‘Father Christmas Land’ (Act 4) operation, which is part of the ‘Lapland’ experience. This is a multi-faceted role, which requires a strong ability to meet the demands of people management, whilst protecting the guest experience and delivering an efficient and effective operation.

Key Responsibilities

• OPERATIONS
• Manage a large team strictly in-line with approved policy, processes, and instruction.
• Ensure a complete and up-to-date working knowledge of procedures, consulting with Head Office on any required review or revision, ensuring a consistent and efficient operation.
• Have a thorough working knowledge of the relevant areas of operation to effectively troubleshoot and problem solve.
• Act as a champion for the ‘Lapland Accessibility and Inclusion’ policies, working with colleagues and direct reports to ensure all are trained and working in accordance with the relevant processes.
• Attend to (and follow up) guest feedback, working closely with the Guest Relations team (and other relevant stakeholders) to proactively address recurring problems within the Magic Elf cohort.
• Work closely with the Performance Manager’s to closely monitor feedback produce including producing hut allocation sheets for Father Christmas’s.

• TEAM MANAGEMENT
• Ensure that the Magic Elf staffing is consistently at the right level.
• Pro-actively address and resolve instances where staffing levels fall below the required matrix for operation.
• Establish, lead, and maintain a professional and positive working culture within the Magic Elf team, always acting as a role model.
• Ensure that team attendance is high, managing absence in a timely and effective manner in accordance with company policy, addressing any reoccurring absence trends.
• Work closely with HR and Resourcing colleagues on any recruitment requirements both before and during the live event.
• Manage poor performance and attendance in a timely and effective manner, in accordance with company policy.
• Recognise and promote good performance and attendance utilising the reward working with Act 4 Performance Manager to deliver any role or HR information to the Act 4 team.
• Attend required training courses as determined by the business.
• Conduct delegate training assessments and validations, having overall accountability that all team members within the operation are trained effectively with the required documentation complete.