Parties Team Leader in Epsom

If you can keep twelve excited children, two slightly stressed parents, three dietary requirements, a birthday cake and a party timetable all moving in the right direction at once, you might be exactly who we’re looking for.

We’re looking for a brilliant Party Team Leader to take ownership of birthday parties at Hobbledown Epsom. And when we say parties, we mean proper Hobbledown parties. Your job is to make sure everything feels smooth, organised and fun for our guests — even when there’s plenty happening behind the scenes.

The big part of the job? Making it all look easy. A great birthday party doesn’t happen by accident. Before the first guest arrives, someone needs to know how many children are coming, what food they’re having, whether there are allergies, which room is being used, who is hosting and whether somebody has made a very specific request involving balloons, cake or dinosaurs. That someone is you.

You’ll be the link between party bookings, Party Hosts and the management team, making sure everyone has the information they need and every party is ready to go.

So, what will you actually be doing? A mix of planning, organising, leading and getting stuck in when things get busy. You’ll be responsible for:

• Checking upcoming party bookings and making sure details are accurate
• Preparing party sheets and weekly party information
• Making sure dietary requirements, allergies and special requests are clearly communicated
• Keeping party stock topped up and placing orders when needed
• Making sure party rooms, equipment and supplies are ready before guests arrive
• Keeping accurate records of party numbers and attendance
• Flagging anything unusual or potentially tricky before it becomes a problem
• Making sure the management team knows what’s coming up each week

In short, there shouldn’t be many surprises on party day. Apart from the presents. Those are allowed.

You’ll lead the party team. This isn’t just an admin role. You’ll be visible during party service, supporting and leading our Party Hosts and making sure everyone knows what they’re doing. You’ll:

• Brief Party Hosts before service
• Help allocate roles and responsibilities
• Coach and support team members during parties
• Keep parties running to time
• Step in when a host needs support
• Give feedback and help develop less experienced team members
• Support with rota planning where needed
• Flag staffing or performance issues to management

Many of our Party Hosts may be young people who are still building their confidence at work, so we need someone who can be clear, supportive and approachable while still keeping standards high. You’ll know when somebody needs a bit of encouragement — and when they simply need to be told that the party starts in five minutes and the room needs finishing.

Then there are the guests... Birthday parties are important. Parents have paid for an experience, children have been counting down to it and expectations can be high. You’ll help make sure every family feels looked after from the moment they arrive. That means:

• Welcoming party families and helping everything start smoothly
• Making sure rooms are clean, presentable and properly set up
• Keeping an eye on timings throughout the party
• Making sure food and other elements arrive when they should
• Responding quickly if something isn’t quite right
• Handling guest concerns calmly and professionally
• Making sure the team keeps the energy up from the first party to the last

Sometimes the answer is straightforward. Sometimes you’ll need to think on your feet. Either way, the parent shouldn’t have to worry about what’s happening behind the scenes.

We’re looking for someone seriously organised. You don’t need to walk around carrying a clipboard at all times. Although, to be fair, it may help. You’ll be someone who enjoys keeping track of lots of moving parts and notices the small details before they become bigger problems.

We’re looking for someone who:

• Is highly organised and good at managing multiple priorities
• Communicates clearly with guests, team members and managers
• Is confident leading and motivating a team
• Has excellent attention to detail
• Can stay calm when things get busy
• Can make decisions and solve problems quickly
• Takes pride in presentation and high standards
• Is comfortable with admin as well as hands-on operational work
• Is flexible around weekends, school holidays and peak periods

Experience in visitor attractions, leisure, hospitality, events or party operations would be ideal. Experience leading younger or less experienced team members would also be a real advantage.

The important stuff: Parties need to be fun. They also need to be safe. You’ll help make sure the team follows our procedures around:

• Food hygiene
• Allergens and dietary requirements
• Health & safety
• Safeguarding
• Safe setup and clear-down
• Cleaning and presentation
• Equipment and party-area checks

We want plenty of energy and personality, but never at the expense of doing things properly.

About Hobbledown & The Escapade Group: Hobbledown Epsom is part of The Escapade Group, a growing family of visitor attractions built around play, adventure, animals and brilliant family days out. Our attractions include Hobbledown Epsom, Hobbledown Heath, Gripped London, Kidspace Croydon, Kidspace Romford, Watermouth Castle and Farmer Ted’s Adventure Farm. Across the group, we welcome huge numbers of families every year for days out, adventures, events and thousands of birthday celebrations. Different attractions. Different experiences. Plenty of organised chaos. And whether someone is hosting a birthday party, caring for animals, serving lunch, running an attraction or welcoming families through the gates, every member of the team plays a part in creating a brilliant day out.