Fractional COO / Operations Director in Leeds

Leeds, Office Based

Fractional, 1 - 2 days per week

Competitive Remuneration, dependent on experience

Genesis Labels & Packaging is a small, ambitious and fast-growing business looking for an experienced Fractional COO / Operations Director to help shape the next stage of its growth. With a team of 10 people, the business has been successfully built through a hands-on, entrepreneurial approach. As Genesis continues to grow, the owners recognise the need to introduce greater structure, strengthen processes and develop a management framework that will enable the business to scale effectively. The aim is to achieve this without losing the flexibility, responsiveness and entrepreneurial spirit that have helped make the business successful.

We are therefore looking for an experienced operational leader who has genuinely helped a small or owner-managed business scale and understands how to introduce the right level of structure without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.

Role overview

Working closely with the owners and leadership team, you will gain a thorough understanding of the business and identify where processes, responsibilities and ways of working can be strengthened. A key focus will be reducing dependency on the owners for day-to-day decisions and problem-solving, while creating an operational structure that supports future growth. This is a hands-on fractional appointment rather than a traditional consultancy role. You will be expected to work alongside the owners and team to implement and embed change, not simply provide recommendations.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Reviewing current operations and identifying bottlenecks, inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement
• Developing practical and scalable processes to support continued growth
• Establishing clearer roles, responsibilities, accountability and decision-making
• Helping reduce day-to-day operational dependency on the owners
• Supporting the development of an appropriate management and organisational structure
• Improving operational efficiency, communication and ways of working
• Turning agreed improvements into practical actions and ensuring they are successfully implemented
• Supporting workforce planning and helping ensure the right people are recruited into the right roles
• Providing operational insight, guidance and constructive challenge to the owners
• Supporting the team as new processes and responsibilities are introduced

About you

You will be an experienced operational leader with a strong track record within small, growing or owner-managed businesses. You may already work as a Fractional COO or Operations Director or have held a senior operational role within an SME and now work on a fractional or consultancy basis. We are particularly interested in candidates who can demonstrate:

• Experience helping an SME or owner-managed business successfully scale
• A track record of introducing structure and processes into an entrepreneurial environment
• Strong operational and commercial understanding
• Experience developing teams, responsibilities and management structures
• The ability to identify problems and personally help implement practical solutions
• A balance of strategic thinking and hands-on delivery
• Strong communication, influencing and relationship-building skills
• Confidence working closely with business owners and constructively challenging existing ways of working

Experience gained within larger organisations may be relevant, but you will need to demonstrate that you understand the realities of a small entrepreneurial business, where resources are lean, roles are broad and people need to be comfortable getting involved.

The opportunity

This is an opportunity to play an influential role in the next stage of Genesis Labels & Packaging’s development, helping create a more structured and scalable business while protecting the agility and responsiveness that have driven its success. The role will initially require approximately 1 to 2 days per week based in the Leeds office. Being present within the business is important, allowing you to understand the team, operation and day-to-day challenges first-hand.

If you have successfully helped a small business scale and can demonstrate the changes you personally helped implement, we would be very interested to hear from you. Please apply with your CV and details of your most relevant SME scaling experience.

Equals One is an advertising and recruitment agency working on behalf of our client to promote this vacancy. You may be contacted directly by the employer should they wish to progress your application. Due to the number of applications we receive, we are unable to provide specific feedback if your application is unsuccessful.