Find Head of Department and Senior Fitness Roles Across the UK
Head of department roles sit at the intersection of operational leadership and strategic influence. Whether you're a Head of Fitness, Head of Aquatics, Head of Group Exercise, or Fitness Manager overseeing a department across multiple sites, these are the roles that build the foundations for a move into general management or regional leadership.
Love Fitness Jobs lists head of department and senior fitness roles from the UK's leading operators — including budget gym chains, premium health clubs, leisure trusts, and multi-site operators.
Types of Head of Department Roles We List
Head of Fitness / Fitness Manager — Responsibility for the fitness team, PT revenue, class timetable, and member experience. Often a bridge between floor management and club management. Salaries typically range from £26,000–£42,000 depending on operator type and team size.
Head of Aquatics — Senior leadership for swimming programmes, teaching teams, lifeguarding operations, and pool compliance. A specialist and increasingly well-paid role, particularly in large leisure centres and premium clubs with pools.
Head of Group Exercise — Timetable ownership, instructor management, format development, and group exercise revenue accountability. Typically found at larger multi-studio operators.
Fitness Operations Manager — Often a multi-site role, coordinating fitness operations across several clubs. A stepping stone toward regional management. Salaries typically from £36,000–£52,000.
What Do Head of Department Jobs Pay?
Salaries range from £28,000 for smaller single-site roles to £55,000+ for complex multi-facility positions. Budget operators pay less; premium clubs and multi-site roles pay significantly more. Bonus and benefits packages are common at this level.
Career Progression From Head of Department
Head of department is one of the most natural stepping stones to club general manager and beyond. The key accelerant: ensuring you have genuine P&L exposure and a track record of commercial impact — not just operational management. CIMSPA Senior Practitioner status is increasingly required by major operators for progression above this level.
A Note for Employers Hiring at This Level
Head of department roles — particularly Head of Fitness, Head of Aquatics, and multi-site Fitness Operations Manager positions — attract a relatively small pool of genuinely qualified candidates. Many of the best people at this level are not actively job hunting and won't be browsing job boards. If you need to reach passive candidates or want a managed search rather than an open advert, Love Recruitment's fitness and leisure team work at this level regularly and maintain relationships with senior professionals across the UK market.
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Browse Current Roles
Scroll up to see all live head of department and senior fitness vacancies. Set up a job alert to be first to hear about new roles in your specialism. If you're a candidate seeking a more senior or confidential search — or a role that isn't publicly advertised — the Love Recruitment team place many positions at this level that never appear on the open market. It's worth registering with them alongside your LFJ profile.