Future CEOs / General Managers – AI-powered Software

Reports to: Group COOLocation: London (hybrid)Seniority bar: + 5 yearsAbout CirceusCirceus is an AI-native holding that acquires and scales mission-critical B2B software businesses globally. We have raised $220m+ from leading global institutional investors and serve 200,000+ businesses across diverse verticals, focusing on high-retention, deeply embedded software. We acquire high-quality SaaS companies and accelerate their growth through a centralised AI platform, driving both revenue expansion and operational efficiency. We operate as long-term owners, continuously improving products through applied AI.The RoleWe are building a bench of operators to run the software businesses we acquire. You will take full ownership of a portfolio company or business unit: its P&L, its team, its product direction and its trajectory over the next decade rather than the next quarter.The mandate is to make an already profitable, deeply embedded software business materially better. That means rebuilding workflows around AI, fixing pricing, raising retention, sharpening go-to-market, and deciding where to invest and where to stop. You will use our central AI platform to move products from systems of record into systems of action.You will report into portfolio leadership and work alongside our central AI, M&A and value creation teams. Depending on your background, you may start in a General Manager or number-two seat before taking a full CEO remit, or step directly into one.It suits people who would rather own the outcome than advise on it: former founders, operators who have carried a P&L, or high-performers from investing or consulting who want to stop making recommendations and start making decisions.What You'll DoOwn the P&L of a software business, from revenue growth through to margin and cashSet strategy and the operating plan, then hold the organisation to itRebuild core product and internal workflows around AI, with measurable resultsRecruit, develop and, where needed, restructure the leadership team beneath youDrive pricing, packaging and retention decisions using real customer and cohort dataWork with the central AI team to deploy platform capability into your productReport performance clearly and honestly to portfolio leadership and investorsLead integration of bolt-on acquisitions into your businessBuild the reporting and operating cadence that makes the business legible and fastWhat We're Looking ForTrack record of owning commercial outcomes: a P&L, a business unit, or a company you foundedExperience in B2B software or SaaS, with genuine understanding of recurring-revenue mechanicsDemonstrated ability to hire, lead and hold a standard across a full teamFluency with AI tooling in your own work, and a clear view on where it changes a software businessComfort with incomplete information and decisions that cannot be deferredAnalytical rigour: you can build the model, not just read itClear, direct communication with customers, teams and investors alikeWillingness to travel and to be based where the business needs youNice to HaveFounder or early-employee experience at a software company you helped scalePrior turnaround, carve-out or post-acquisition transformation experienceBackground in private equity, growth equity or strategy consulting before operatingExperience shipping AI-native product into a live customer baseAdditional languages, particularly Italian or Bosnian, Croatian or SerbianWhy CirceusRun a real business with real customers and real revenue, not a projectExposure to a portfolio of software businesses rather than a single productAI applied to real commercial problems, with impact you can measureDirect collaboration with our central AI teamLong-term ownership horizon, with capital and patience behind the planCompetitive compensation tied to the value you create