ROLE Summary
Safety is paramount in everything we do. This role is part of the Training & Compliance team, which is an integral part of our Technical Services department. As a member of the Training & Compliance team, you will play a major role in the success of our resort and have one of the most important responsibilities throughout the park. You must always provide and guarantee a fun and safe environment for our guests with a focus on safety, ensuring that our equipment, rides, and buildings are inspected, maintained, and repaired to the highest levels possible.
The Technical Services Training & Compliance Manager is responsible for developing, implementing, and monitoring policies, procedures, and standards related to rides maintenance and facilities compliance. This role ensures that all competency programs align with Merlin’s requirements and maintains a strong focus on safety standards and risk control. The manager collaborates with external inspectors and auditors to coordinate inspections, document findings, and oversee the resolution of compliance issues.
Additionally, the manager leads the creation of work procedures that meet Merlin, local regulatory, and manufacturer standards. They oversee ride modifications and new ride installations, ensuring all changes are properly verified and documented for third-party inspection. The role also includes conducting thorough investigations into near misses, unusual ride performance, and other incidents to ensure continuous improvement and operational safety.
Main Responsibilities:
- Keep Safety as #1 priority
- Operational
- Review and approve all changes, adjustments, improvements or other requests of existing ride structures and verify compliance with all applicable standards, including ride manufacturer requirements.
- Partner with manufacturers on an ongoing basis to ensure that safety policies, procedures, and manuals are updated and accurate, requesting updates and clarification as needed.
- Provide direction, guidance, coaching and development to line management to own and successfully manage their own ride related or facilities related programs / improvements.
- Partner with resort teams, and Merlin project teams, to deliver completed ride improvement projects, as they relate to ride structures, ensuring all required documentation, site work and operational programs have been established according to local, Merlin and manufacturer standards.
- Monitor and report on progress regarding the implementation of Group initiatives, including updated policies or other requirements.
- Develop and maintain specific ride and facilities management plans/programs for significant risk topics to ensure, as far as is possible, compliance with all relevant legislative requirements and industry best practice.
- Assess the information available for a ride related incident or near miss investigation and provide a summary of findings accurately representing all operating departments, inspections completed and ride performance.
- Maintain responsibility to work with other resort departments to ensure that Rides maintenance and Facilities standards, policies and other requirements are being clearly communicated, followed, and understood.
- Responsible for the drafting, implementation and review of ride-related and facilities management standards, processes and procedures.
- Conduct audits of preventative and reactive maintenance activities to ensure compliance with internal standards, ride manufacturers OEM’s and any third party recommendations/requirements in respect of ride hardware.
- Ensures alignment to relevant ride related safety legislation and standards (e.g. Merlin, EN, ISO, ASTM, and other relevant standards).
- Evaluate the effectiveness of training material, content, delivery, and assessment as it relates to ride and attraction inspection and operation.
- Develops and oversees the implementation of operational policies, procedures, and training program development for the department, including health and safety
- Cascades vital business information through leadership team to frontline employees, ensuring that each party receives the appropriate information to be successful and engaged in their assigned work
- Other duties as assigned.
- Financial
- In collaboration with senior leadership, participate in creation of the budget and cost and revenue projections.
- Monitors profit and loss (P&L) of their assigned department
- Aware of upstream and downstream effects of department spending, both within their assigned area and across the resort as a whole
- People
- Collaborates with the Director and appropriate business partners (e.g. Health & Safety and Operational departments) to establish a cohesive and consistent operational standard that can support growth and succession.
- Evaluates, trains, and coaches a professional, efficient, and effective team through appropriate discipline and recognition, empowering their subordinates.
- Lead a team of 3-6 training & compliance professionals.
- Creativity & Communication
- Maintain a supportive partnership with Rides Maintenance and Facilities management to collectively identify areas of improvement and uphold compliant programs.
- Where appropriate, liaise with enforcement bodies in their follow-up to any ride-related incidents or issues as they relate to incidents, near-misses, compliance, or complaints.
- Identify and liaise with 3rd party training establishments and/or training accreditation bodies where necessary.
- Identify and deliver rides maintenance- and facilities- related training and ensure training programs undertaken reflect the needs of the business.
- Present business cases to senior leadership to collect support for needed improvements, capital investments or other identified needs to improve the safety or compliance of rides and facilities.
- Support the development and the delivery of new projects/attractions (e.g. conception/design/ construction/ handover/operation/project management).
- Partner with the resort Health, Safety & Security Department by collaborating on reporting metrics, near miss and investigation reports, and other training and compliance initiatives within the department.
- Support resort complaint handling and legal cases for LLFR where required.
- Applied Knowledge & Specialist Skills
- Acts as the local reference point for all rides-maintenance and facilities standards.
Health & Safety:
Employees are responsible for the safety of themselves, their colleagues, and guests (where appropriate), in line with the Group Policy (HS001) and the law. They must ensure they follow safe working procedures for all work activities they undertake, and they must not use any tools or equipment for which they have not been trained. Where incidents do occur, they must ensure they are reported to their line manager and must cooperate with any investigation as appropriate.
Required Skills and Qualifications:
- Working knowledge of relevant occupational ride- and facilities related standards and regulations such as ASTM, OSHA, NFPA.
- Experience with implementing programs and evaluating compliance.
- Experience in delivering training to adult learners, specifically on a technical topic.
- Proven written and oral communication skills with the ability to articulate rides maintenance- or facilities-related information to a range of people.
- Demonstrated ability to handle multiple projects and quickly adapt and take on new initiatives.
- Ability to analyse and identify root causes and propose effective solutions.
Education:
A Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent education and experience) in business, management, or closely related field or similar is preferred.
Preferred Qualifications:
- 3-5 years of compliance, safety or amusement rides maintenance management experience is preferred.
- Experience working in theme parks, transportation or industrial settings, or amusement rides maintenance experience is desirable.
Physical Demands:
- Ability to sit for sustained periods of time to attend on-site and off-site meetings, perform paperwork activities, travel and drive.
- Intermittent and prolonged standing and walking to move about the resort and interact with employees.
- Finger dexterity sufficient to complete paperwork activities and to use a computer.
- Visual acuity sufficient to read written materials, to complete paperwork activities, and to drive.
- Hearing sufficient to communicate with individuals in person and by telephone.
Work Environment:
- Various inside and outside locations with varying temperatures and floor surfaces
- Exposed to wet and/or humid conditions
Other Job Requirements:
- Performs other duties as assigned
- Attendance is a mandatory function of this job
- Must be willing to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends to support Resort operations.
- Must have a valid driver’s license, safe driving record and be willing to utilize own vehicle for business purposes.