Automation & Operations Manager

The RoleThis isn't a role where you'll sit behind a desk and design processes based on how you think the business works.You'll get close to the operation and understand how it actually works.You'll spend time with our retail, warehouse, customer support and operations teams to understand what's slowing them down, where manual work can be reduced and where better systems can make a difference.From there, you'll turn those problems into practical solutions, whether that's improving a workflow, automating a repetitive task, building a better internal tool or introducing AI where it creates real value.You'll also lead the operations team responsible for running these workflows day-to-day, making sure the systems we build actually work on the ground.You'll take ownership of:Operations Team Leadership: Lead, coach and develop the team responsible for running key operational workflows while continuously looking for better ways of working.Process Improvement: Identify bottlenecks and repetitive manual work, redesign workflows and put practical improvements in place.Automation & AI: Use automation, AI and other tools to reduce manual work, improve accuracy and help teams work more efficiently.Internal Operations Systems: Work with Technology and Product to design, roll out and continuously improve the tools and systems used across our stores and warehouses.Customer Operations: Improve the workflows, logic and integrations behind our customer support systems to help customers get better and faster support.Operational Standards: Build clear SOPs and processes to make sure workflows are followed consistently as the business grows.Data & Reporting: Build dashboards and reporting that give teams and leadership better visibility into operational performance and where improvements are needed.Who We're Looking ForWe're looking for someone who sees a manual, repetitive process and immediately starts thinking about how it could work better.You don't need to be an engineer, but you should be comfortable with technology and excited about using new tools to solve real operational problems.But above all, we're looking for someone who brings:Problem Solving: Can understand how a process works today, identify what's getting in the way and find practical ways to improve it.Hands-on Leadership: Is willing to spend time with frontline teams and understand problems first-hand instead of managing from a distance.People Leadership: Has experience leading, coaching and developing teams.Systems Thinking: Can connect people, processes and technology and understand how changes in one area affect another.Technology Mindset: Is curious about automation, AI and new tools and can identify where they create real business value.Data-Driven Thinking: Uses data to understand problems, measure improvements and make better decisions.Communication: Can work comfortably with frontline teams, managers and technical teams and translate between operational and technical needs.Adaptability: Is comfortable learning new tools, testing new approaches and working in a fast-moving environment.Experience designing operational workflows, automation or internal systems would be a strong advantage.Experience with tools such as n8n, Make or similar workflow platforms, as well as modern AI tools, would be useful but isn't a requirement.Why 3cat?Build better ways of working. You'll have the opportunity to change how teams across 3cat operate, not just manage existing processes.Put AI into practice. You'll work on real use cases where automation and AI can make our teams faster, more accurate and more effective.Work across the business. You'll solve problems across retail, warehouses, customer support, operations and technology.Build for scale. The systems and workflows you put in place will help support our growth across more stores and new markets.Make an impact. Every improvement you make can help our teams work smarter, serve customers better and make secondhand tech a mainstream choice.If you enjoy solving operational problems, improving how teams work and using technology to make things simpler and better, we'd love to meet you.Come build the next chapter of 3cat with us.