Chief Operating Officer

Chief Operating Officer - £180k base + 20% bonus - London HybridLooking for a Chief Operating Officer at a tech-enabled business moving into its next stage of growth, with real investment behind where it goes next.You'd own the operating model end to end, from service delivery through to the technology and support functions behind it. The brief is to build something that scales without adding headcount in a straight line: clearer ownership, better data, tighter processes, and automation wherever it pays for itself. In a year or two, the measure is a business that runs better, costs less to serve, and doesn't depend on a handful of people to hold it together.AI and automation are already part of how the business runs, and you'd work alongside a strong technology function. You'd decide where to push further and where to leave well alone. We're less interested in a list of tools than in what you've put into production, what it changed, and how you worked out where it would and wouldn't help.You'd also build the leadership layer underneath you: spotting talent, developing it, and creating real depth so the business isn't leaning on any one person. And you'd be the human face of the business with clients and suppliers.It's a flat, collaborative leadership team with very little ego, so how you work with people matters as much as what you've delivered.The background that fits is senior operational leadership at Operations Director, COO or MD level in a complex, multi-site or distributed operation, ideally from logistics, distribution, field services, retail or a tech-enabled scale-up.People who've done it in scale-ups and mid-sized businesses tend to find it fits best. You should understand how the technology fits together and where automation pays off, without needing to be the engineer. If you're an Operations Director ready for your first COO seat, that's every bit as relevant as someone already carrying the title.The package is £180k base with a 20% on-target bonus, and the rest comes in conversation.