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For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead operations in a fast-paced environment, ensuring projects stay on track and teams are aligned.
- Company: Join a growing medical equipment manufacturer focused on innovation and product development.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, benefits package, and opportunities for career growth.
- Other info: This role offers genuine long-term potential in a newly created position.
- Why this job: Shape the future of R&D while working closely with senior leadership in a dynamic setting.
- Qualifications: Experience in programme management, operations, or scaling startups is preferred.
Have you helped scale a startup or growing SME, bringing structure and operational clarity as the business evolved? Do you thrive in fast-paced environments where priorities shift quickly, projects move at speed, and leadership relies on you to keep everything aligned and on track?
A growing medical equipment manufacturer is looking for a Programme Operations Lead to work directly with the R&D Director, helping bring structure, visibility, and operational clarity to a scaling product development function. This is a newly created role within a fast-moving and evolving environment focused on new product development, innovation, and modernising the way the business operates. The position is ideal for someone who thrives on creating structure, improving delivery, keeping teams aligned, and ensuring momentum is maintained as priorities shift and the business continues to grow.
You’ll operate as a key partner to the R&D Director, supporting the day-to-day running of the function and helping ensure projects, actions, and operational priorities stay on track.
The Role
This is a hands-on operational leadership role within a fast-paced engineering and product development environment. You’ll help create visibility across projects, improve coordination, drive accountability, and ensure important work doesn’t get lost in a busy and constantly evolving landscape. The role requires someone highly organised, proactive, commercially aware, and comfortable operating in an environment where priorities can change quickly.
Responsibilities
- Establish and manage the operating rhythm across the R&D function
- Run weekly and monthly planning, delivery, and coordination meetings
- Improve visibility across projects, priorities, risks, and delivery timelines
- Track actions, commitments, and key deliverables across the team
- Support leadership with planning, coordination, and operational execution
- Identify bottlenecks, risks, or gaps early and help drive resolution
- Help improve processes, communication, and operational structure as the team grows
- Support onboarding, team coordination, and cross-functional alignment
- Ensure follow-through on critical activities within a high-volume environment
- Translate discussions and ideas into clear actions and next steps
Background & Experience
We’re interested in people from programme management, operations, delivery, consulting, or scaling SME/startup environments. You may have experience in:
- Programme or project leadership
- Business operations
- Product development operations
- Startup or scale-up environments
- Engineering or manufacturing businesses
- Consulting or transformation roles
Exposure to technical, engineering, manufacturing, hardware, or regulated environments would be beneficial but not essential.
The Successful Person
- Highly organised and operationally strong
- Comfortable managing multiple moving priorities
- Calm and reliable under pressure
- Strong communicator with good stakeholder management skills
- Proactive and solutions-focused
- Able to bring structure into evolving environments
- Commercially aware with strong judgement
- Comfortable working closely with senior leadership
- Confident driving accountability and follow-through
Why Apply?
This is a rare opportunity to join a growing product development and engineering business in a newly created position with genuine long-term potential. You’ll work closely with senior leadership, play a key role in shaping how the R&D function operates, and have the opportunity to grow into a broader operational or strategic leadership role over time.
Programme Operations Lead in Cambridge employer: Coates Recruitment
Contact Detail:
Coates Recruitment Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Programme Operations Lead in Cambridge
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in your industry, especially those who work at the company you're eyeing. A friendly chat can give you insider info and might even lead to a referral.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for the interview by practising common questions and scenarios related to programme operations. Think about how you've tackled challenges in fast-paced environments and be ready to share those stories.
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your organisational skills during the interview. Bring examples of how you've improved processes or kept teams aligned in previous roles. This will demonstrate that you can bring structure to their evolving environment.
✨Tip Number 4
Don't forget to follow up after your interview! A quick thank-you email reiterating your interest and highlighting a key point from your conversation can keep you top of mind for the hiring team.
We think you need these skills to ace Programme Operations Lead in Cambridge
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight your experience in scaling startups or SMEs. We want to see how you've brought structure and clarity to operations, so don’t hold back on those examples!
Showcase Your Organisational Skills: Since this role is all about keeping things aligned and on track, be sure to emphasise your organisational prowess. Share specific instances where you’ve managed multiple priorities and kept projects moving smoothly.
Communicate Clearly: Strong communication is key for us! Use clear and concise language in your application. Make it easy for us to see how you can translate discussions into actionable steps, just like you would in the role.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for this exciting opportunity. Don’t miss out!
How to prepare for a job interview at Coates Recruitment
✨Know the Company Inside Out
Before your interview, make sure you research the medical equipment manufacturer thoroughly. Understand their products, recent developments, and the challenges they face in the industry. This will not only help you answer questions more effectively but also show your genuine interest in the role.
✨Demonstrate Your Organisational Skills
As a Programme Operations Lead, being organised is key. Prepare examples from your past experiences where you successfully managed multiple projects or priorities. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your responses and highlight your ability to bring clarity and structure to fast-paced environments.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Abilities
Be ready to discuss how you've identified bottlenecks or risks in previous roles and the steps you took to resolve them. This will demonstrate your proactive approach and solutions-focused mindset, which are crucial for this position.
✨Engage with the Interviewers
During the interview, don’t hesitate to ask insightful questions about the R&D function and the company's future direction. This shows that you're not just interested in the role but also in how you can contribute to the company's growth and success.