At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a vibrant swim venue, ensuring safety and exceptional customer experiences.
- Company: Join a family-focused swim centre dedicated to high standards and community engagement.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, birthday off, instant wage access, and ongoing training.
- Why this job: Make a splash in your career while inspiring families and children in the water.
- Qualifications: Experience in leadership roles, strong communication, and a passion for community.
- Other info: Bright, modern facilities with great career progression opportunities.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
Our purpose-built, state-of-the-art venues are designed especially for families, safe, secure, and inspiring environments where children learn, grow, and have fun in the water. We’re proud of our people and our product, and high standards should run through everything we do. From the quality of our teaching to the way we support every swimmer and family as well as safe, clean, warm venues.
The Role
As a General Manager at swim!, you’ll lead your venue and team to deliver an exceptional customer experience every day. You’ll oversee operations, safety, and performance ensuring the centre runs smoothly, looks its best, and meets the highest standards of teaching, maintenance, and service. You’ll also play a key role in growing your local swim! community, connecting with families, schools, and local organisations. With your Assistant Manager and Team Leader by your side, you’ll create a welcoming, efficient, and energetic environment that families love returning to.
What You’ll Do
- Lead the daily operations of your swim! venue, ensuring a safe, clean, and enjoyable environment for all customers.
- Motivate, coach, and support your team including Assistant Manager, Team Leader, Teachers and Operations Assistants to deliver a premium experience every day.
- Maintain the highest operational and safety standards, including responsibility for pool plant operations (training provided if required).
- Manage staff rotas, schedules, and resources in line with the 3-week operating pattern and cost of sale budget.
- Take ownership of local sales and membership growth, conducting follow-up calls with leads and enquiries and supporting parents through their swim! journey.
- Deliver hyperlocal community engagement building relationships with schools, nurseries, and local groups to raise awareness and drive new sign-ups.
- Retain existing customers through high standards, quality lessons and customer service.
- Monitor and analyse performance data and customer feedback to continuously improve service quality.
- Lead on recruitment, onboarding, training, development and retention of new team members.
- Collaborate with colleagues across swim! centres across your region and swim@ venues to share good practice and deliver a great experience for every family.
About You
You’re an energetic, people-first leader who thrives in a fast-paced, customer-focused environment. You’re just as comfortable on the poolside as you are leading your team or chatting with local families. You take pride in high standards, enjoy building relationships, and love seeing your venue and team succeed.
Essential
- Experience leading a team, ideally in a leisure, hospitality, or customer-facing environment.
- Excellent leadership, able to coach, motivate, and inspire others.
- Confident communicator, both in-person and over the phone, with strong customer service skills.
- Passion for delivering premium experiences and building community connections.
- Capacity to work a 3-week rota (including some evenings/weekends).
Desirable
- Experience managing facilities, ideally leisure or pool operations.
- Knowledge of health & safety, safeguarding, or compliance frameworks.
- Pool Plant Operator qualification desirable (training provided if not yet held).
- Sales or business development experience, ideally in a customer-service environment.
- Understanding of performance reporting.
Why Join swim!
- Competitive salary with bonus potential.
- Your birthday off, on us.
- Instant earned wage access, save as you earn and discount vouchers.
- Fully funded training and ongoing professional development.
- Bright, positive working environment in modern, purpose-built facilities.
- Discounts on lessons for family and friends.
- Recognition, rewards, and regular team events.
- Career progression opportunities from venue leadership to regional and central opportunities.
General Manager (Learn to Swim) in Oldham employer: Sporting House
Contact Detail:
Sporting House Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land General Manager (Learn to Swim) in Oldham
✨Tip Number 1
Get to know the company culture before your interview. Check out their social media and website to see how they engage with families and the community. This will help you connect your experience with their values during the chat.
✨Tip Number 2
Practice your leadership stories! Think of specific examples where you've motivated a team or improved customer service. We want to hear how you’ve made a difference in previous roles, especially in fast-paced environments.
✨Tip Number 3
Be ready to discuss how you’d handle challenges at the venue. Whether it’s a safety issue or a customer complaint, show us your problem-solving skills and how you keep high standards under pressure.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to ask questions! Show your interest in the role by asking about team dynamics, community engagement strategies, or how success is measured at swim!. It’s a great way to demonstrate your enthusiasm for the position.
We think you need these skills to ace General Manager (Learn to Swim) in Oldham
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion: Let us see your enthusiasm for the role! Share why you love working in a customer-focused environment and how you connect with families. A genuine passion for teaching and community engagement will make your application stand out.
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experiences that align with our job description. Highlight your leadership experience, customer service skills, and any relevant qualifications. We want to see how you can contribute to our swim! community!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to tell us about your journey, your leadership style, and how you plan to create an exceptional experience for our customers. Keep it engaging and personal – we love a good story!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the easiest way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows you’re keen on joining our swim! family!
How to prepare for a job interview at Sporting House
✨Know Your Venue Inside Out
Before the interview, take some time to research the swim! venue and its operations. Familiarise yourself with their teaching methods, safety standards, and community engagement initiatives. This will show your genuine interest in the role and help you answer questions more confidently.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Prepare examples of how you've successfully led a team in the past. Think about specific situations where you motivated your team, resolved conflicts, or improved customer service. Highlighting these experiences will demonstrate that you're the energetic, people-first leader they’re looking for.
✨Connect with the Community
Since building relationships with local families and organisations is key, come prepared with ideas on how you would engage the community. Whether it’s partnerships with schools or local events, showing that you have a plan will set you apart from other candidates.
✨Ask Thoughtful Questions
At the end of the interview, don’t forget to ask insightful questions. Inquire about the team dynamics, the challenges the venue faces, or how success is measured. This not only shows your enthusiasm but also helps you gauge if the role is the right fit for you.