Director of Operations in London

As a key member of the senior leadership team, the Director of Operations works symbiotically with the CEO: translating vision into sustainable systems, nurturing culture, and ensuring that the team and organisation can thrive. The Director of Operations will co‑lead Bertha Earth alongside the CEO, building a strong, reflective, and values‑led organisation capable of delivering bold impact at scale. This role ensures the foundations of Bertha Earth — its people, systems, safeguarding, finances, data, and spaces — are robust, efficient, and aligned to the organisation’s mission: to grow a diverse network of young environmental leaders, storytellers, and changemakers who reignite a great love for our planet. This role is perfect for someone excited by growth and evolution, working closely with the CEO to help shape the organisation’s leadership as it matures, with the potential of increased hours and a COO position in the future.

Relationship to the CEO Role

The CEO and Director of Operations form a complementary leadership partnership: The CEO holds the co‑created vision, strategy, and ecosystem relationships. The Director of Operations anchors our shared vision in robust systems, culture, and delivery. Together with senior leaders, they co‑lead the organisation, aligning on priorities, supporting each other’s growth, and ensuring Bertha Earth remains bold and grounded. The Director of Operations acts as both a thought partner and a counterbalance to the CEO: confident to challenge when needed, generous in collaboration, and committed to leading through trust, humility, and shared accountability. They have the experience and maturity to fully deputise for the CEO when absent.

Terms

Part‑time, permanent role (3 days/week). Salary: £60,000–£68,000 pro rata, depending on experience, inclusive of 10% London Weighting. 10% employer pension contribution and optional healthcare/dental benefits after 6 months. Based in London, with flexible hybrid working.

• Operational Leadership
  • Lead the operational management of the organisation, ensuring systems, policies, and structures are implemented and enable effective delivery of Bertha Earth’s strategic goals.
  • Develop and monitor annual business plans and budgets in collaboration with the CEO, ensuring strong alignment between ambition and operational capacity.
  • Oversee contract management, procurement, and supplier relationships, maintaining accountability, value for money and a commitment to environmental sustainability.
  • Partner with the CEO to prepare reports, policies, and documentation for our governance structure.
  • Serve as the organisational lead for risk, compliance, health and safety, and data protection, ensuring Bertha Earth meets or exceeds its legal and ethical obligations, liaising with external experts/consultants as required.
• People, Culture & Leadership Development
  • Model and nurture Bertha Earth’s AKABI values (Authentic, Kind, Accountable, Bold, Inclusive) through daily leadership and decision‑making.
  • Oversee people operations, including recruitment, onboarding, professional development, and performance management processes.
  • Provide thoughtful, kind and fair feedback — balancing empathy and accountability to support personal and professional growth.
  • Co‑create structures for reflection, wellbeing, and continuous learning, ensuring the team feels supported, heard, and inspired.
  • Support leadership development across the organisation, coaching team members to step into their potential and "fail forwards" with courage and care.
  • With senior leaders, hold responsibility for internal culture and act as a protective presence for the team, fostering maturity, humility, and openness in all interactions.
  • Lead on the development, maintenance and communication of organisational policies, ensuring they are up‑to‑date, aligned with current legislation and best practice, and reflect Bertha Earth’s AKABI values.
  • Ensure policies are clearly communicated, accessible, and actively embedded across the organisation so that all staff understand and follow them in day‑to‑day practice.
• Systems, Data & Digital Infrastructure
  • Lead on the design, implementation, and improvement of organisational systems — ensuring that processes are efficient, user-friendly, and future‑focused.
  • Oversee data collection, management and security; act as Data Protection Lead and manage external data partners.
  • Ensure insights from data inform strategy, evaluation, and programme improvement.
  • Develop and maintain the organisation’s IT infrastructure, ensuring tools and platforms support collaboration, delivery, and creativity.
• Safeguarding, Risk & Compliance
  • Serve as a Designated Safeguarding Lead, ensuring Bertha Earth’s safeguarding policies, procedures and culture are robust and embedded.
  • Oversee all elements of organisational risk management — from insurance to health and safety — ensuring that everything operates in a safe, compliant, and reflective way, supporting a culture of care.
  • Work collaboratively with the CEO and Head of Programme Operations to review and improve safeguarding systems, especially as the organisation scales nationally and internationally.
• Finance & Infrastructure
  • Co‑lead budget planning, forecasting, and financial monitoring with the CEO and finance team.
  • Manage operational expenditure and resource allocation to support the organisation’s strategic goals, ensuring transparency and accountability.
  • Oversee Bertha Earth’s presence in physical spaces, building positive relationships in our shared office space and with partner organisations.
  • Interrogate how we are managing contracts, risk assessments, and planning internally and with partners to ensure consistent, safe experiences for staff and young people.
  • Play an active role in the Retreat Space Working Group, helping to bring to life the organisation’s long‑term vision for a sustainable, safe, and inspiring home for youth connection.
• Communications & Collaboration
  • Support Bertha Earth’s storytelling, brand, and marketing work from an operational and cultural perspective — ensuring messaging, visuals, and communications reflect the organisation’s ethos and inclusivity.
  • Help the team hold key partner relationships with professionalism and clarity — able to challenge constructively, hold boundaries kindly, and nurture long‑term trust.
  • Communicate effectively across all levels of the organisation, ensuring staff and partners feel informed, respected, and engaged.
  • Support others to provide feedback, and model best practice in this space.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

Essential

• Proven experience in senior operational or organisational leadership roles, ideally within youth, education, or social impact sectors.
• Understanding of HR, compliance, and safeguarding systems, with ability to design and embed processes that support people and purpose.
• Experience managing budgets, contracts, and cross‑functional teams.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills — empathetic, emotionally intelligent, and able to "read a room".
• Skilled communicator able to provide kind, fair, and direct feedback, including with senior colleagues.
• High level of integrity and maturity; professional, calming and centred.
• Able to balance strategic thinking with hands‑on implementation.
• Values‑driven, reflective, and motivated by environmental and social impact.

Desirable

• Experience developing or managing physical sites (e.g., retreat or residential settings).
• Understanding of data systems, digital infrastructure, and organisational design.
• Experience reporting to boards, advisory groups, or funders.
• Creative approach to storytelling, communications, or brand alignment.

Important dates

Please note that you will need to be available for all the dates below for your application to be considered. Candidates who are shortlisted in the first round of the application process will be offered the opportunity to schedule a brief, informal phone call. This call will allow you to ask any questions you may have about this opportunity or our organisation before committing to the full application process.

Application deadline: 23:59 Sunday, 1st February - This is the deadline for receiving your answers to the questions and CV.

1st round interview (video call): Slots available between Tuesday, 24th February and Thursday, 5th March.

Assessment day and final interview (09:00-17:00): Thursday, 19th March.

Deadline for applications - 23:59 Sunday, 1st February.