People Operations Manager - Racing

Job Description

• Royal Ascot, High Street, Ascot, SL5 7JX
  with travel to off-site events
• Up to £44,000pa + up to 10% performance bonus and excellent benefits
• 40 Hours Mon-Fri with requirements to support Weekend Racedays & Events
• Perks:
  Raceday Tickets

Ready to lead the people operation behind some of the UK’s most prestigious racedays and events?

Ascot Racecourse is looking for a proactive, commercially minded and highly organised People Operations Manager to lead the team responsible for planning and coordinating its large-scale casual workforce.

This is a fantastic opportunity to join Sodexo Live! and play a key role in ensuring the right people are in the right roles at the right time. You’ll oversee labour planning, forecasting, payroll and workforce deployment across Ascot’s core business, including supporting the engagement of approximately 3,500 casual workers during Royal Ascot.

If you enjoy combining people leadership with data, systems and commercial decision-making, this role offers plenty of variety and responsibility. You’ll work closely with operational teams, agency partners and key stakeholders to build a strong pipeline of skilled casual workers, manage labour costs and help deliver outstanding guest experiences at one of the world’s most iconic racecourses.

• Lead workforce planning and staffing delivery across Ascot Racecourse’s core, raceday and hospitality operations.
• Produce accurate labour forecasts and work with operational leaders to ensure staffing plans align with anticipated revenue, service requirements and agreed budgets.
• Lead, coach and develop the People Operations team, ensuring they deliver an efficient, responsive and commercially focused staffing service.
• Oversee payroll administration, timesheet authorisation, wage reporting and labour data, ensuring all information is accurate and submitted on time.
• Build and maintain a strong pipeline of skilled casual workers, supporting effective onboarding, engagement, development, retention and succession planning.
• Develop strong working relationships with operational teams, the client, staffing agencies and key suppliers, ensuring agreed service levels and workforce requirements are achieved.
• Monitor labour performance, staffing KPIs and people-related budgets, identifying potential overspends or operational risks and taking appropriate action.
• Drive continuous improvement across people operations by strengthening processes, using workforce technology effectively and ensuring compliance with employment legislation, company policies and health and safety requirements.

The ideal candidate will have:

• Previous experience in people operations, workforce planning, event staffing or operational management within a fast-paced, service-led environment.
• Experience managing large or complex work forces, ideally including casual, temporary or agency workers.
• Strong financial and commercial awareness, with the ability to produce labour forecasts, monitor wage costs and manage staffing budgets.
• Proven leadership experience, with the ability to coach, motivate and develop a high-performing team.
• Excellent organisational skills, with meticulous attention to detail and the ability to manage competing priorities under pressure.
• Confidence using workforce management, time and attendance or scheduling systems; experience using Humanforce would be advantageous.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel, alongside the ability to interpret workforce data and produce accurate reports.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the confidence to work effectively with operational leaders, clients, agencies and suppliers.
• A good understanding of HR policies, employment legislation,…