Head of Business Operations – Software/Marketplace Scale-up

We are looking for a Head of Business Operations who has learned their craft inside a software, SaaS, digital marketplace or technology-enabled startup.This is a senior, hands-on role in a founder-led company. You will lead established customer operations teams while improving the systems, data, processes and cross-functional operating rhythm behind our growth.You will join a small team of approximately 10 people. We do not expect to build a large organisation. Our model is to combine excellent people, strong software, automation and AI to achieve substantially more without adding unnecessary headcount.The opportunityThis is not a traditional corporate Head of Operations role, and it is not a role for someone who wants to manage from a distance.You will initially lead our established Booking Experience and Support teams, along with Finance and Operations, taking responsibility for their performance, development and day-to-day management.As you learn the business, your responsibilities will expand across the wider UK booking lifecycle. You will work closely with Sales, Revenue Operations, Product and the founders to improve how the whole commercial engine operates.This makes the role highly hands-on. You will lead people, solve problems, improve systems and step directly into the booking lifecycle when needed. What you will be responsible forInitially, you will:Lead, coach and develop the Booking Experience and Support teams.Manage finance and operations functions.Set clear expectations and maintain consistently high performance standards.Conduct one-to-ones, performance reviews and development conversations.Manage underperformance appropriately, including improvement plans and difficult personnel decisions when required.Ensure customers and guests receive a consistently strong experience throughout the booking lifecycle.Manage operational issues and escalations calmly and decisively.Develop a detailed understanding of every stage of our booking process.Use data and operational scoreboards to identify problems, opportunities and priorities.Work directly within the operation when circumstances require it.As the role develops, you will:Take increasing ownership of the UK operating rhythm and organisational leadership.Provide cross-functional leadership across the UK business, particularly where operational and commercial priorities overlap. Work closely with Sales, Revenue Operations and Product teams that do not report to you, using influence, judgement and clear communication to align priorities, challenge constructively, resolve friction between teams and drive issues through to a clear outcome.Turn recurring problems into clear processes, ownership, automation or product improvements.Help improve conversion, customer retention, booking value and operational efficiency.Lead cross-functional projects from diagnosis through implementation.Use AI and automation to increase the capability and output of a small team.Develop capable people and reduce unnecessary dependency on the founders.Take increasing responsibility for the performance of the UK operation.Become a trusted senior leader who can run the operation when the founders are not physically present.Demonstrate aligning Sales/Product/Operations around problems without needing CEO intervention.What we are looking forYou must have:A degree.Meaningful leadership and line-management experience.Experience working in a product-led or technology-enabled business.Evidence of successfully leading and developing operational teams.Experience managing the full employee-performance cycle, including reviews, difficult feedback, formal improvement plans and, when necessary, exits.Strong analytical ability and confidence using operational and commercial data.Excellent written and verbal communication.The ability to create clarity, accountability and structure without introducing unnecessary bureaucracy.The confidence to make decisions and challenge constructively.The humility to listen, learn and work alongside frontline colleagues.A practical, hands-on approach to leadership.Demonstrable experience using AI to solve a real problem, improve a process or materially increase your own productivity.The ability to work from our Bedford office every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.AI and how we workWe are enthusiastic and active users of AI.We use it to analyse information, improve processes, increase productivity, test ideas and help a small team achieve substantially more. We expect every senior leader to be curious about what AI can do and willing to experiment with it responsibly.You do not need to be an AI specialist or a technical developer. You do need to be someone who already uses AI to help accomplish meaningful work.If you have never used AI to solve a problem or achieve something more effectively, this is unlikely to be the right environment for you.You will probably be someone who:Has repeatedly been trusted with responsibilities beyond the original scope of your role.Enjoys moving between people, customers, systems, data and operational detail.Is comfortable working in a growing company where not everything is already defined.Naturally moves towards problems and takes responsibility for resolving them.Can combine warmth and empathy with clear standards and accountability.Wants to understand how the whole business works, not simply manage one department.Sees technology and AI as ways to increase capability, not simply reduce cost.Is excited by achieving more with a small, capable team.Does not believe any task is beneath you.Asks questions like, “What is this operational problem costing us?” and “How does fixing it change the commercial outcome?”Relevant backgroundsYou may currently be working as a:Head of OperationsOperations ManagerHead of Customer OperationsMarketplace Operations LeadHead of Service DeliveryRegional Operations ManagerGeneral ManagerSenior operational Chief of StaffExperience in a marketplace, technology-enabled service, travel, accommodation, staffing, logistics or workforce-related business would be particularly relevant.However, we are more interested in the quality and trajectory of your experience than in finding someone from one exact industry.What success will look likeWithin your first six months, you will have:Earned the confidence of the teams you lead.Taken full ownership of the existing operational management responsibilities.Developed a strong understanding of the complete booking lifecycle.Established clear and consistent management standards.Demonstrated sound judgement in handling customer, operational and people issues.Begun identifying practical opportunities to improve how the business operates.Used technology or AI to create a measurable improvement in productivity or quality.Within your first year, you will have:Become a trusted senior presence across the UK business.Taken meaningful operational workload away from the founders.Successfully led cross-functional improvements.Developed a clear understanding of our commercial engine and performance measures.Increased the capability of the team without relying on significant headcount growth.Demonstrated the ability to take progressively broader responsibility for the UK operation.Our working environmentWe are commercially ambitious, values-led and highly practical.Our senior leaders remain closely involved in the work. Everyone is expected to understand the customer, the booking lifecycle and the operational reality behind the numbers.We value people who form their own views, communicate directly, treat others well and change their minds when the evidence requires it.This role follows a fixed hybrid pattern:Monday: Bedford officeTuesday: RemoteWednesday: Bedford officeThursday: Bedford officeFriday: RemoteThe office-based days are an important part of the role and are not optional.Why join us?This is a rare opportunity to join a growing company in a substantial operating role with the scope to take on progressively broader leadership responsibility.You will report directly to the CEO and receive close coaching from both the CEO and Chief Commercial Officer.You will gain exposure to every part of the business and have the opportunity to help shape how the UK organisation evolves—without needing to build a large corporate structure around you.If you are already an excellent operator and people leader, believe strongly in the potential of AI, and want the opportunity to carry significantly more responsibility over time, we would like to hear from you.Please apply with your CV.About Comfy WorkersComfy Workers is a growing digital B2B marketplace providing short-term workforce accommodation to companies across the UK.We combine technology with experienced people to manage a complex booking lifecycle- from the initial customer request through sourcing, booking, guest support, extensions and repeat business.We have built a strong team, a clear commercial model and an increasingly sophisticated operating system. We are now looking for an exceptional hands-on operator to help lead the next stage of the company’s development.