Studio Manager (Head coach) - Luxury Women's Portrait Studio

Most “manager” jobs are about filling rotas and putting out fires. This one is about coaching a small, elite team to deliver life‑changing experiences for women, every single day – and turning one London flagship studio into a machine we can copy to other cities and countries. We’re Body & Soul Studios, an all‑female intimate portrait studio in Hackney. Over the past 6 years, we’ve helped 1,600+ women transform how they see themselves through powerful, luxury portrait experiences and artwork they keep for life. This is not retail. Not a hotel lobby. Not a nail bar. This is deep, emotional work at a very high standard. Year 1 (current scale): £48,000–£52,000 base, OTE around £60,000–£65,000. As this London flagship grows into a multi‑room, high‑throughput studio with strong profitability over the next few years, and you consistently hit your operational targets, this role steps into a £55,000–£60,000 base with OTE up to roughly £70,000–£80,000, based on performance. This is a full‑time, in‑studio role in Hackney (5 days/week), with regular weekend work and early starts/late finishes on busy days. You must be: Able to reliably commute and commit for 2+ years Comfortable in an all‑female, intimate portrait / boudoir environment Happy with weekends as a normal part of your pattern The Job (what you actually do) You own everything from “she’s booked” to “her artwork is delivered” inside the building. HQ handles branding, pricing, marketing, and ads. You run the machine: people, sessions, and production. If it happens inside these four walls, it’s your responsibility to make it world‑class at scale. Roughly: 50% coaching & leading on the floor 30% running the day (timings, flow, escalations) 20% admin, reporting, and improvement work You’ll: Lead an 8–10 person team (photographers, HMUAs, Guest Experience, production coordinator, ops / retouch). Run daily huddles and weekly 1:1s so everyone knows the standard and how they’re doing. Give clear, direct feedback when people slip on timing, attitude, or quality – even if they’re talented. Protect the guest experience: calm the nerves, set the tone, handle wobbles, and keep the day on time. Keep the studio running like a luxury hotel: immaculate space, smooth handovers, no chaos. Oversee the production pipeline (retouching, album design, delivery) so artwork goes out on time even as volume increases. Track a simple dashboard and fix bottlenecks before they become fires. Your scorecard: % of sessions starting on time Shoots completed vs shoots booked On‑time artwork delivery % Client issues / refunds / complaints Team reliability (no‑shows, lateness, rota stability) “How little the founders are dragged into studio problems” If those are trending the right way, you’re winning. As we grow and increase throughput, that’s what moves you towards the £70k–£80k OTE band. You might be a fit if… You’ve managed 5–15 people in a busy, high‑emotion environment (spa, clinic, salon, fitness studio, fine dining, etc). You enjoy coaching: huddles, 1:1s, feedback, developing people over time. You’re comfortable with hard conversations and holding standards with people you like. You can read a room and adjust how you show up with different personalities. You think in checklists and rhythms, not “hero mode” firefighting. You like making decisions from a simple dashboard, not just vibes. The idea of taking a strong studio, doubling its throughput cleanly, and turning it into a multi‑million‑pound flagship you run like your own business, then helping us copy‑paste that model to other cities (including the US), excites you. You’re not a fit if: Your favourite part of past roles was building rotas and spreadsheets rather than being on the floor with the team. You avoid confrontation or need everyone to like you all the time. “Good enough” feels acceptable to you. You want £70k–£80k immediately, rather than building towards it over 12–24 months based on results. What you get Year 1: £48,000–£52,000 base salary Performance bonus around £8,000–£12,000/year at target (paid quarterly) based on clear KPIs (on‑time sessions, on‑time artwork, complaints / escalations) – OTE ~£60,000–£65,000 As the studio grows and you consistently hit agreed targets, this role steps into a £55,000–£60,000 base with OTE up to roughly £70,000–£80,000 Regular weekend work with weekdays off High autonomy once you’re up to speed: it’s your floor to run If you read all that and feel excited... Then this is your chance to build a world‑class, female led movement, and directly impact thousands of lives. Apply now and fill out the short form (5 mins max)