ICE RINK MANAGER
About Skate Leicester Square
Skate Leicester Square is Underbelly’s festive ice rink in the heart of London’s West End. Set within Leicester Square Gardens, the event combines a central London ice rink with festive food and drink, creating a busy seasonal destination for visitors throughout the Christmas period.
Underbelly is looking for an experienced and confident Ice Rink Manager to take overall responsibility for the safe, efficient and welcoming day-to-day operation of the ice rink.
This is a hands-on operational role, leading the rink team and ensuring consistently high standards of safety, customer service and presentation throughout the event.
Role Overview
The Ice Rink Manager is responsible for the overall operation of the ice rink, including management of the rink team, customer safety, ice quality, skate hire operation and day-to-day coordination with the wider event management team.
The successful candidate will be calm under pressure, highly organised and comfortable leading a busy public-facing operation.
Key Responsibilities
- Take overall responsibility for the safe and efficient day-to-day operation of the ice rink.
- Lead, manage and motivate the Ice Rink Duty Managers and Ice Rink Marshals.
- Ensure the rink is appropriately staffed throughout opening hours and manage staff breaks, rotations and deployment.
- Ensure all rink staff receive appropriate inductions, training and briefings.
- Maintain high standards of customer service and ensure visitors receive a friendly and professional welcome.
- Oversee the safe admission and management of customers onto and off the ice.
- Ensure rink capacities, session timings and operational procedures are followed.
- Monitor the condition and quality of the ice throughout the day and coordinate ice maintenance and resurfacing as required.
- Oversee the skate hire operation, including the safe storage, issue and return of skates.
- Ensure skates and other rink equipment are maintained in a safe and serviceable condition.
- Carry out and record required daily safety and operational checks.
- Ensure any defects, hazards or maintenance issues are identified, reported and addressed promptly.
- Respond appropriately to incidents, accidents and customer welfare issues, working with the event medical and management teams where required.
- Ensure accidents, incidents and near misses are accurately recorded and escalated in line with Underbelly procedures.
- Support emergency and evacuation procedures as required.
- Work closely with the Event Management, Box Office, Security, Medical, Technical and Front of House teams.
- Deal professionally with customer queries and complaints, escalating more serious matters where appropriate.
- Maintain high standards of cleanliness and presentation across the rink, skate hire and associated operational areas.
- Ensure staff comply with Underbelly policies, procedures and Code of Conduct.
- Assist the wider event management team with other reasonable operational duties where required.
Person Specification
Essential
- Previous experience in an operational, supervisory or management role within an ice rink, leisure, visitor attraction, event or similar public-facing environment.
- Experience managing and motivating a team.
- Strong awareness of health and safety within a busy public environment.
- Excellent communication and customer service skills.
- Ability to remain calm and make sensible decisions under pressure.
- Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
- Comfortable working outdoors and in cold conditions.
- Able to work evenings, weekends and throughout the busy Christmas and New Year period as required.
Desirable
- Previous experience working on a temporary or seasonal ice rink.
- Previous experience of skate hire or ice rink operations.
- Experience with incident reporting and risk assessments.
- Experience working at large-scale events or visitor attractions.
Equal Opportunities
Underbelly is committed to reducing its environmental impacts in its everyday operations. We are also committed to maintaining the open-access policy of Underbelly. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from all sectors of the community.
It is the policy of Underbelly to ensure that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, race, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, or is disadvantaged by conditions or requirements that cannot be shown to be justifiable.
We expect employees to support these commitments and to assist in their realisation.