Information Technology Manager

Company Intro

State of Play Hospitality is a highly innovative creator and operator of technology enabled experiential leisure concepts. For a decade since launching its first concept, Bounce, in London in 2012, the State of Play team has gone on to create, launch and operate several more industry leading experiential brands.

Operating in multiple cities across the UK and US, all of our concepts offer a highly immersive, tech enhanced take on long established, much loved activities. The engaging nature of the gameplay and the quality of the venues combine to create truly playful and memorable social environments. Curating a state of play for our guests is at the very core of our DNA and what our amazing teams deliver every day.

In the UK we currently have 3 Bounce venues and 1 Hijingo venue all in Central London. In January 2024, we introduced Ping Pong X, our tech-enabled self-scoring Ping Pong tables with multiple interactive games, and we now have over a third of all of tables on Ping Pong X.

Hijingo is a futuristic bingo concept, which runs on our proprietary operating system, combining live entertainment with stadium grade lighting, bespoke video, music and audio effects creating unparalleled drama for guests.

Position Purpose:

The IT Manager is responsible for overseeing and managing the operational IT infrastructure and systems within State of Play in the UK. This role focuses on ensuring the efficient, secure, and reliable day-to-day operations of all technology systems. This role is critical in maintaining the continuity of daily operations across all venues, and our support office, ensuring that technology effectively supports the business goals and enhances the guest experience. By maintaining a robust IT infrastructure and staying ahead of technology trends, the IT Manager helps to enhance the guest experience and improve team member productivity.

Benefits

• Team Assistance Programme: A totally confidential expert service to help when you are facing problems, difficulties, or challenges
• Wagestream: Instant access to your wages as you earn them
• Holiday: 31 days holiday per year, pro-rata, including bank holidays
• Life Insurance: Financial security for you and your loved ones
• Weekly office snacks: Enjoy a variety of snacks to keep you fuelled and energised throughout the week.
• Pizza and beer Fridays: Unwind at the end of the week with pizza, beer and good company every Friday.
• Specsavers eye test voucher: Take care of your vision with complimentary eye test vouchers from Specsavers.
• Refer a friend bonus: Earn £500bonus when you successfully refer a friend to join our team
• Annual Company party: Celebrate our successes together with a night to remember
• Team discount: 50% off for staff and 25% off for Friends & Family

Milestones

• After a year's service: Enhanced Maternity & Paternity payment, as part of our family we'll help support your family
• After a year's service: Volunteer day, an annual day paid for you to give back to your local community
• After three years' service: £200 bonus and Holiday increase to 32 days
• After five years' service: £400 bonus and Holiday increase to 33 days
• After ten years' service: 2 weeks paid sabbatical

Responsibilities:

Venue and Support Office IT

The IT manager will support the Venue Teams and Support Office Team with all their IT needs, including:

• Phones
• Internet
• Laptops/PC
• Networking
• CCTV / TV
• Music Systems
• Third party hardware (e.g. POS / Payment Providers /Compliance)

The IT Manager will ensure all IT hardware is running smoothly, efficiently and in a cost-effective manner, including but not limited to the following:

• Third Party Support Liaison
• Review all IT contracts and ensure contractual obligations are met or escalate
• Negotiations on price and service levels with third parties
• Ensure risk mitigation measures are in place with all third-party IT suppliers.
• Supplier selection for all tech hardware and other IT related needs affecting the Group as a whole and the business outside US
• IT Audits
• IT Asset management
• IT Project management
• Annual services and other requirements in place to minimise risk of downtime and operate all technology solutions efficiently

Proprietary Tech systems (Hijingo Operating System and Ping Pong X)

Our Head of Tech Products leads the strategic development and software side of our two tech products.

• The IT Manager will be responsible for:
• Overall responsibility for the tech products functioning smoothly in our UK venues, including ensuring risk mitigation measures such as periodic services and other requirements are in place, and escalation and stakeholder management pertaining to any issues or risks.
• Responsibility for the relationship with our third-party suppliers for all the associated Hijingo system’s hardware (working closely with the Hijingo Creative & Technical Manager to ensure all the AV systems are working as they should)
• Ensure both Hijingo and Ping Pong X have access to a cost effective and efficient support service and act as point of contact for the supplier, liaising with the venues, Head of Tech Products and the Hijingo Creative & Technical Manager where required
• Support the Venue Teams in training or education around the use of the products where required.

Future Installs and upgrades of Tech

• Full understanding of how all elements of the hardware work together and the requirements
• Lead the installation of any new Ping Pong X tables in Bounce, including sourcing the most appropriate hardware and overall project management.
• Support our US venue in the installation of any new Ping Pong X tables.
• Lead the installation of tech products in any new Hijingo venues outside of USA.
• Support our Head of Tech Product to in improvements to Hijingo or Ping Pong X that support business objectives (discovery and implementation).

Requirements & Minimum Qualifications

• Degree in IT or Related Field
• Strong Project Management skills with evidence of previous project management
• Ability to negotiate with suppliers
• 3–5 years of experience in IT roles, including previous exposure to managing IT systems in a hospitality setting or a similar industry
• Network and Server Management
• Cybersecurity Knowledge
• Software Management
• Hardware Maintenance

Necessary Behaviours

• Communication Skills: Ability to liaise with other departments, third-party vendors, and management
• Problem-Solving Skills: A key skill in handling IT issues that may arise with minimal disruption to guests and operations
• Customer Service Orientation: Ensuring that technology enhances guest experience, making a customer-centric approach important

Our Values are

At State of Play we believe everyone can be a leader; whether that's leader of 1, 2, 100 or simply leading yourself forward we have identified the principles that we believe all of our Team should try to demonstrate.

• Listen to the Customer both external customers and internal customers
• Own the Problem, doing your best to solve the problem and seek help from others. Ask yourself what can be done to avoid problems from reoccurring.
• Test and Learn, by elevating, educating, and developing through continued training and learning.
• Create Positive Energy, optimism and a can-do attitude are infectious and motivating. Avoid negativity, focus on solutions, and avoid blame.
• Show Urgency, get things done quickly and accurately.
• Be Consistent and Fair, by showing respect to your co-workers. Bring your best self to work.
• Be both independently minded and a team player, by communicating issues and viewpoints to assist in better productivity and teamwork.
• Be a Big Person, be quick to say thank you and appreciation to fellow co-workers and learn from mistakes.
• Be Respectful of the Companies Resources, respecting each other’s time and money to optimize success for the business and each other.
• Deliver Results, our business is to succeed and deliver positive results to better provide future growth and opportunities for development.

The Company reserves the right in its absolute discretion to add to your duties or amend this job description at any time. In addition to the above duties, you will carry out such other duties as the Company reasonably directs from time to time.

Equal Opportunity Statement: State of Play Hospitality Limited is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. It is our policy to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to their actual or perceived race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, neurodiversity ,marital or civil union status, age, national origin, disability, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition, citizenship, veteran status, genetic information, gender, gender identity or expression, or any other basis prohibited by law.