Group Venue Director

TOUCHING HEARTS CREATING MEMORIES

Stage Entertainment is a leading global theater production company producing musicals across Europe, with 16 theaters in the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, France, and Italy, plus offices in the UK. We bring some of the world’s best-known musicals to the stage, developed by international partners and their creative teams, including Disney's The Lion King, MJ the Musical, and Moulin Rouge! The Musical.

We also create our own original productions, such as Anastasia and TINA – The Tina Turner Musical, sharing them worldwide through tours and licensing. We also have our own in-house ticketing system, ensuring a seamless customer experience. 

With around 2,000 employees, we are committed to exceptional shows and a welcoming experience for all. If you want to be part of a creative, dynamic team that brings the magic of theater to life worldwide, we’d love to hear from you!

Here is where your challenge starts:

Stage Entertainment stands for unforgettable theater experiences. Our theaters and the unique journeys we create for our visitors are at the heart of our strategy. As a market leader in both quality and revenue, we are committed to ensuring every visitor enjoys a world-class experience.

As Group Venue Director, you will be a strategic leader driving operational excellence and commercial success across our theaters. In this role, you will maximize theater performance while elevating the customer experience to Stage Entertainment standards by applying strong business and financial insights to guide budgets, financial statements, and strategic planning across the theaters. You will oversee Front of House operations, events, sponsorships, , and facilities, translating the company’s international strategy into actionable plans for each location.

Reporting directly to the COO, you will work closely with country Venue management, which holds a dotted-line reporting relationship to this position.

Primary responsibilities

Strategy & policy

• Oversees housing, theater profitability, Front of House, Sponsorships, Events, facilities, and procurement, developing a clear vision in close collaboration with both holding and local teams and ensuring successful implementation across all areas.
• Develops policies and realistic plans for concepts, operations, and theater profitability in line with the five-year plan, providing well-founded, data-driven insights to support short- and long-term decision-making.
• Plays a key role in Stage Entertainment strategic business theme of theaters
• Drives Front of House turnover growth, ensuring activities increase in line with budget and the five-year plan.
• Drives entrepreneurial approach for events exploitation in the Venues
• Drives Sponsorship growth for sponsorship deals in the Venues (eg for naming rights of our Venues, led screens related but also bar exploitation sponsorship deals)
• Achieves optimization targets related to revenue generation and cost control, including procurement efficiency and economies of scale.
• Leads the venue teams of the operating companies to optimize the operations of the international venue strategy embedding entrepreneurial thinking

Short term policy

• Translates approved plans into actionable local projects with clear goals, milestones, budgets, timelines, and resource allocation.
• Sets measurable targets to optimize theater profitability, Sponsorships, and Events.
• Monitors theater performance across operating companies and reports results to the COO.
• Develops transparent reporting on revenue and cost components in collaboration with headquarter staff.
• Flags deviations from targets promptly and ensures timely corrective actions.
• Drives the growth of the event business in line with budget and the five-year plan.

Tactical / operational

• Maintains a clear overview of theater profitability, processes, and performance, providing actionable improvement opportunities for each location.
• Establishes service standards for theater profitability and operations, ensuring local teams comply and deliver consistently.
• Identifies emerging trends and initiatives, supporting local teams in prioritization and implementation with an entrepreneurial mindset.
• Integrates ESG and sustainability considerations into theater operations and capital projects, ensuring alignment with corporate standards.

Reporting and analysis

• Defines which data must be provided periodically by local operating companies to monitor Front of House performance effectively.
• Ensures accurate, complete, and timely data delivery in line with established guidelines.
• Collects and analyzes key performance indicators and other relevant information.
• Flags deviations promptly and recommends corrective actions.

Stakeholder and Partnership

• Maintains and expands relationships with internal and external stakeholders to drive commercial partnerships, sponsorships, and Front of House profitability.
• Leverages internal and external networks to enhance strategic business growth and commercial opportunities.
• Acts as an ambassador for Stage Entertainment and its premium theater experiences.
• Facilitates international alignment and the sharing of best practices across theaters.

Qualifications and experience

The successful candidate is a globally minded, commercially driven leader with a proven track record in enhancing the performance and customer experience of theaters across diverse international locations. They combine strategic thinking with operational excellence, coach multicultural teams, and leverage networks to drive business growth.

Key qualifications

• Proven experience in optimizing multiple locations and delivering outstanding customer experiences.
• Strong financial acumen and analytical skills.
• Demonstrated operational excellence and ability to manage complex leisure/hospitality operations.
• Proven experience to translate concepts into business operations and execution, backed by a robust business plan, including concept related costs versus expected revenue and EBIT
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills.
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university; Master’s preferred.
• Fluency in English; additional languages a plus.
• Willingness to travel across Europe.
• Experience leading multicultural teams and translating strategy into local execution.
• Track record in developing strategic commercial networks and partnerships.

Competences

• Strategic and operational skills, with analytical and fact-based decision making
• Pragmatic, results-oriented, and accountable
• Influential and persuasive leadership, confident in challenging ideas and open to feedback
• Commercial acumen and entrepreneurial mindset
• Proactive and self-motivated, a true self-starter
• Excellent communication and strong interpersonal skills, able to engage stakeholders at all levels and across cultures
• Open-minded, adaptable, and globally oriented

Passion connects us: Step into the next STAGE of your career

Take the stage and let's arrange a meeting to discuss the exciting opportunities that await you here!

Stage Entertainment encourages candidates to apply for this vacancy, even though they don’t fit all qualifications. However, candidates must demonstrate a history of innate curiosity and rapid learning and articulate how skills and experiences are transferable to our company.

Stage Entertainment ensures we are always recruiting a diverse mix of colleagues who are representative of the diverse audiences we attract. In doing so, we have access to a broad range of ideas, perspectives and insights that allow us to touch hearts and create memories. Please find more information about our DE&I initiatives: DEI | Stage Entertainment (stage-entertainment.com)