Duty Manager (Health and Fitness) - Internal UECS

*** Internal Applicants Only ***

Department - Essex Sport

We’re a university where curiosity prevails and were exploring new ways of thinking and pushing boundaries, isn’t just encouraged, it’s expected.  

Set in Wivenhoe Park, 200 acres of award-winning parkland, the University of Essex Colchester campus contains an extensive offer of sports facilities providing opportunities for students, staff and the wider community to participate in sport and physical activity.

Facilities include the Essex Sport Arena, a 1,600-seat spectator venue, opened in 2018 and host to events such as professional netball and basketball matches, as well as a huge variety of community activities and events.  The Essex Sport Gym has around 6,000 student, staff and public members and boasts industry leading equipment and online customer engagement platforms.  Outdoors one of the largest tennis domes of its type in the country, and synthetic and natural turf pitches accommodate a wide range of sports.  Our staff are committed to, and passionate about improving people’s lives through sport and physical activity.

Duties of the Role

As Duty Manager (Health and Fitness), you will be responsible for the day-to-day operation of Essex Sport facilities, with a particular focus on the gym and activity studios. You will lead and support the team on shift, maintain high standards of customer service and ensure facilities are safe, clean and well maintained. You will respond to operational issues and customer enquiries, oversee events and activities, and ensure health and safety procedures and operational standards are consistently followed.

You will also support the development of the health and fitness offer by maintaining high standards of gym equipment, supporting staff training and monitoring customer engagement. Working closely with the Operations Manager and wider Essex Sport team, you will help identify service improvements, support University events and contribute to providing a positive experience for students, staff and the wder community. 

Skills and qualifications required

We are looking for an experienced and confident individual with strong leadership, communication and customer service skills. You will have experience working at Duty Manager level, or equivalent, within a sport and leisure environment, with the ability to lead, motivate and develop a team. You will be organised, able to manage competing priorities and confident taking responsibility for operational decisions. Building positive relationships with students, staff, customers and key stakeholders will also be an important part of the role.

You will have a relevant sport and recreation qualification, or equivalent experience, alongside a good standard of literacy and numeracy and a strong understanding of health and safety requirements. Experience of managing sports facilities, using leisure management systems and supervising and training staff is essential. A recognised management qualification, First Aid at Work and a CIMSPA-recognised gym or personal training qualification would be advantageous.

At the University of Essex, internationalism and diversity is central to who we are and what we do. We are committed to being a cosmopolitan, internationally oriented university that is welcoming to staff and students from all countries, faiths and backgrounds, where you can find the world in one place.

To support this commitment we have our Global Forum, a staff-led network that promotes and celebrates the rich cultural diversity among Essex staff, and our Colchester campus based Faith Centre, which hosts regular services, meetings and events organised by our chaplains and faith representatives.

Please see the attached job pack, which contains a full job description and person specification which outlines the full duties, skills, qualifications and experience needed for this role plus more information relating to the post. We recommend you read this information carefully before making an application.  Applications should be made on-line, but if you would like advice or help in making an application, or need information in a different format, please email resourcing@essex.ac.uk 

*More information: Working at the University