Senior Analyst and Concept Developer

Location: London

Hours: Full Time - Monday:Friday

Contract Type: Permanent, Salaried

The Senior Analyst & Concept Developer is a commercially focused F&B strategist responsible for designing and delivering innovative dining experiences across Merlin’s attractions, hotels, and resorts globally.

This role combines market insight, trend awareness, operational expertise, and F&B knowledge to develop concepts that are feasible, commercially viable, and fully integrated with Merlin’s wider business, including retail, marketing, brand, and digital channels.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the creation of Merlin-wide F&B concepts, including the design of core dining experiences across attractions, hotels, and resorts. Deliverables include:
• Design outputs: concept sketches, branding guidelines, seating layouts, interior fit-out direction, and signage.
• Operational outputs: menu frameworks, service style definitions, SOPs, and operational manuals.
• Commercial outputs: pricing strategy, revenue and cost modelling, and ROIC evaluation.
• Collaborate with Brand and Marketing (MMM) teams to align concepts with wider campaigns, digital experiences, and brand positioning, ensuring a cohesive guest journey.
• Conduct comprehensive market research and benchmarking, including:
  • Direct and indirect competition analysis.
  • Guest behaviour insights, segment preferences, and consumption trends.

• Evaluate concepts from a revenue, margin, and operational efficiency perspective, ensuring alignment with Merlin’s ROIC objectives.
• Provide CAPEX and OPEX guidance to optimize investment decisions and maximize returns across attractions, hotels, and resorts.
• Partner with procurement, operations, marketing, digital, and retail teams to ensure full integration of F&B concepts into Merlin’s commercial ecosystem.

• Extensive global experience in F&B concept development, hospitality strategy, or experiential dining.
• Proven ability to translate market insights, guest behaviour, and operational analysis into commercially viable F&B concepts.
• Strong understanding of P&L management, margin improvement, and ROIC-focused decision making.
• Experience in leading and influencing cross-functional teams and senior stakeholders, including MD-level presentations.
• Commercially minded with a strong focus on maximizing revenue, operational efficiency, and guest satisfaction.

• 40% discount off LEGO® sets and products on the online LEGO Store!

• Merlin Magic Pass: 20 free tickets for you, your family and friends to enjoy all of our Merlin Attractions across the world!
• 25% discount in Merlin retail shops and restaurants (a brilliant extra treat when you’re using your Magic Pass to visit!)
• Staff discount codes for Merlin Annual Passes to gift to loved ones!

• Private pension scheme
• Life assurance scheme
• Employee assistance programme
• Access to Perks at Work which 30,000+ national & local employee discounts
• Ongoing training & development
  
  About Merlin

A job with Merlin isn’t like a job anywhere else. With attractions around the world, from rollercoasters to wax figures, we don’t trade in suits, handshakes or briefcases. We trade in fun. In smiles, shrieks and spine-tingles. In Memories. In magic. But there are no tricks behind our magic. Instead, there are people like you. Passionate, dedicated people who are committed to making sure our worldwide attractions and guests’ experiences are the best they can be.