About us
Loungers is a substantial and growing operator in the UK hospitality sector, operating c300 sites in England and Wales across three distinct but complementary brands, Lounges, Cosy Club, and Brightside. Founded in 2002 by three friends who wanted to create a neighbourhood café-bar that they would want to go to, the Group is now the only growing all-day operator of scale in the UK and has consistently outperformed the wider UK hospitality sector over the past three years. Despite being the fastest growing café/restaurant group in the Country, Loungers has retained its entrepreneurial spirit and quirky ‘Loungey’ local community atmosphere.
The role in a nutshell
To proactively support the Head of Development and lead the management of the Loungers new site Development Delivery process, ensuring all Lounges are delivered in line with current brand and legislative standards, on time and to budget.Loungers open a new site approximately every ten days (35 per year) with more in the pipeline across future years. The role manages more than fifty projects concurrently, so experience of fast-paced, high volume, pipeline delivery is essential.We work across a diverse range of properties including High Streets, Retail Parks and listed buildings such as Banks and churches. Experience across all these property types would be advantageous.
The role is nationwide, field based and will include frequent travel, some overnight stays, and likely weekly visits to our Bristol HQ.
Getting into the detail
- Visit sites and assessing their viability. Liaising closely with the Loungers Acquisition team, Loungers Design Team and landlords. Prepare viability sketch schemes and budget cost plans.
- Work with Loungers Acquisition team to ensure new site locations are efficiently designed and specified within AFL documentation ensuring clarity between tenant and landlord obligations. Negotiate and agree landlords shell specifications that deliver best value to Loungers.
- Liaise with landlords, acquisition and estates managers ensuring any relevant consents to trade are in place.
- Manage the development of Lounge designs, timelines, and budgets across all stakeholders to allow Lounge Exec Board approvals to be secured.
- Work with the Loungers Design Manager and internal Design team to ensure new sites are delivered in line with brand standards, on time and to agreed budget.
- Work with the Loungers Design Manager cross functionally ensuring new sites meet Lounge operational requirements and all relevant stakeholder approvals are secured.
- Develop, design, procure and manage enabling packages of work ensuring works are completed to high standards, on time, to cost and safely ensuring all relevant consents are secured.
- Ensure all projects are delivered in a collaborative manner, ensuring up to date design and technical information is available to all internal and external stakeholders.
- Hand over projects to Loungers Build team on time, with coordinated designs, clarity of budget, relevant consents secured, and long lead items ordered and coordinated with Build programmes.
- Support the team to drive efficiencies & challenge existing process and procurement to gain continued development of process.
- Strive to find cost efficiencies across the whole Development and Build cycle.
What you’ll bring
- Solid background and experience of client-side programme delivery in a fast-paced high-volume Hospitality, Leisure or Retail business.
- An understanding of Project Management delivery principles and a proficient understanding of Construction technology, processes, procedures.
- A deep understanding of legislative and statutory approvals within leisure, retail and hospitality construction projects.
- Strong commercial awareness with a strong cost focus, and an understanding of construction contracts.
- Clear and concise communication skills.
- Good IT skills. The ability to use AutoCAD would be advantageous.
- A proactive can-do attitude that wants to help grow the Lounge business.
- An inquisitive individual who can challenge the status quo in the right way.
- A team player, someone who is prepared to get stuck in.
- Will be flexible to work and travel where required.
What’s in it for you?
- Competitive salary
- Discretionary bonus scheme
- Pension contribution
- 24/7 mental health support
- 50% off food at all Lounges, Cosy Clubs and Brightsides
- Fun office in the centre of Bristol
- A culture that appreciates ideas and celebrates individuality
- Founder-led business – we might have 300+ sites, but we still maintain an entrepreneurial spirit through everything we do
- Amazing events including LoungeFest – our annual company festival – Christmas parties and more
- We want to work with nice people so if you want to work hard, have fun and be part of the Loungers ride, we’d love to have you.
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