Chief Operating Officer - Legal in London

The Client

We are working with a growing, purpose-led leisure and hospitality organisation to appoint a Chief Operating Officer as it strengthens its executive team for the next phase of development. The business operates over 10 established venues, combining leisure, hospitality, food and beverage, events and community-focused activity. It is financially stable, continues to invest across the estate and has a significant opportunity to develop the commercial performance and consistency of its hospitality offer. The ambition is clear: to retain the values and individuality that have underpinned the organisation’s growth while introducing greater commercial rigour across the group.

The Role

The Chief Operating Officer will join the Executive Team and take responsibility for a broad operational remit across the estate. The role will be London-based, with regular time spent across the venue portfolio. Food and beverage will be a major focus, with responsibility for developing the proposition across quality, pricing, margin, labour, procurement and supply chain. You will work closely with General Managers and site-based leadership teams, creating the right framework for performance without over-centralising individual venues. The wider remit will include supplier management, utilities, facilities and elements of the capital investment programme, alongside direct oversight of a number of sites. This is a role for someone who understands the numbers but remains close to the operation. You will be expected to challenge performance, identify opportunities and help General Managers build stronger businesses. You will also play an important role within the wider Executive Team, working across finance, people and commercial to bring structure, accountability and consistency to a growing organisation.

The Candidate

We are looking for a senior hospitality operator with strong multi-site food and beverage credentials. You are likely to have developed within a substantial contract catering, venues, sport, leisure, events or hospitality organisation and currently operate at Operations Director, Regional Director, Divisional Director or equivalent level. The exact sector matters less than the environment. You will understand consumer-facing businesses where hospitality, experience and commercial performance are closely linked. That could include sport and entertainment venues, visitor attractions, heritage, major events, leisure destinations, premium contract catering or other complex multi-site hospitality businesses.

• Significant multi-site F&B leadership experience.
• Strong commercial understanding of margin, labour, pricing and profitability.
• Experience leading through General Managers or senior site teams.
• A sound understanding of procurement, supply chain and supplier negotiations.
• A track record of improving standards and performance across multiple locations.
• Exposure to facilities, utilities and capital investment.
• The ability to combine strategic thinking with operational credibility.
• Strong people leadership and the confidence to challenge experienced operators.
• The judgement to balance group-wide discipline with the needs of individual venues.

This is an opportunity for someone who has built strong operating credentials within a larger organisation and is ready to step into a broader executive role with genuine influence across the business.