Director of Planning & Business Support 

Location: THORPE PARK Resort, KT16 8PN

Hours: 40 hours per week Mon - Sun 

Contract: Permanent - Salaried

The Director of Planning and Business Support will lead the operational resource planning and business support functions at Thorpe Park, ensuring seamless alignment between workforce strategies, operational efficiency, and commercial delivery.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and execute staffing plans to align resources with operational needs, budget, and guest demand.
• Forecast staffing requirements in collaboration with leadership, accounting for guest volumes, special events, and peak times.
• Ensure smooth day-to-day operations by coordinating shift patterns, breaks, and team coverage.
• Oversee inventory control, logistics, supply chain management and efficient allocation of resources to avoid operational disruptions.
• Foster good communication between global commercial functions and local teams, ensuring alignment of strategies and initiatives.
• Manage relationships with on-site partners, suppliers, and contractors to ensure seamless collaboration and delivery of commercial objectives.
• Lead and mentor a multi-functional team of planning, operational, and commercial specialists to achieve high performance.
• Manage and address employee relations issues, providing guidance and support in resolving conflicts, ensuring compliance with company policies, and promoting a positive work environment.
• Coordinate recruitment, training, and development initiatives to ensure teams are skilled, motivated, and aligned with the attraction’s values.
• Track operational performance against key metrics such as guest satisfaction, cost efficiency, and staff productivity.
• Identify inefficiencies, bottlenecks, or underperformance using data analysis, and lead initiatives to address these.
• Oversee compliance of policies and procedures set forth within the Merlin Entertainments Group Health, Safety and Security Policy.
• Understand risk assessments and ensure reporting of any new risks as appropriate.
• In cases of incidents or accidents ensure appropriate reporting is done in a timely and accurate manner.

The ideal candidate for the Director of Planning and Business Support role will have extensive experience in operational planning, commercial operations, and business support within a fast-paced, guest-focused environment, such as the leisure, hospitality, or theme park industry.

• Proven track record of leading multidisciplinary teams
• Managing large-scale staffing and logistics operations
• Driving improvement through data-driven decision-making
• Strong experience in collaborating with cross-functional teams
• Managing complex stakeholder relationships
• Implementing strategic initiatives
• Expertise in compliance, health and safety standards, and the ability to balance operational efficiency with delivering exceptional guest experiences
• Focus on performance improvement, and adaptability to change

• ‘Enjoy the Ride’ Merlin Annual Passes - 6 in total per year, 1 for you, plus 5 to gift to loved ones!
• Merlin Magic Pass - 20 free tickets for you, your family and friends to enjoy all our Merlin Attractions across the world rising to 40 after a year’s service
• 28 days holiday (including bank holidays)
• Company bonus
• Private pension scheme
• 40% discount online off LEGO
• 25% discount in our on-site retail shops and restaurants
• Ongoing training and development opportunities
• Plus, many more…

This role is a full-time role, averaging 40 hours per week. Due to the nature of the business this will include weekends, bank holidays and some late evenings as required.

If you have any questions or if you require any assistance, because of a disability or medical condition, please contact us by