Operations Manager in Sutton

Every now and then I take on a role that's genuinely difficult to describe, because it doesn't fit neatly into a box. This is one of them. I've worked with this business before and, when the Director called me about this role, I immediately understood why finding the right person wasn't going to be straightforward. Officially, it's a Business Manager position, it's an opportunity to become a trusted operational partner within an impressive and genuinely international group of businesses spanning international sports consultancy, property, and charity sectors.

Based from their Cheam office, the team supports projects, partnerships, and organisations across the UK, Spain, other parts of Europe, and several countries in Africa. For a business of its size, it has an unusually international reach and a fascinating mix of commercial, charitable, and project-based activity. You’ll work closely with one of the Directors, helping coordinate international projects, oversee day-to-day business operations, support financial administration, solve problems, improve processes, and generally be the person who makes sure things happen.

One day you could be speaking with a project partner overseas. The next, reviewing management information, coordinating compliance activity, supporting recruitment, or helping resolve an operational issue before it becomes a bigger problem. The common thread is ownership. This isn't a role for someone who likes staying in their lane. It's for someone who enjoys understanding how a business works, spotting what needs attention, and quietly making things better.

What makes this role interesting:

• A genuinely broad role spanning operations, international project coordination, finance oversight, and business management.
• The opportunity to become the operational voice of EPG across its active international portfolio, working alongside local leadership in multiple countries.
• Exposure to stakeholders and partners across multiple countries and cultures.
• The chance to work closely with an entrepreneurial Director who values initiative, sound judgement, and practical problem-solving above corporate credentials.
• A small, trusted team where your contribution is visible, your autonomy is real, and the variety is genuine.
• A role where responsibility grows as trust is earned, within a business that is actively looking to develop its next phase of growth.

What experience will help you succeed?

This is a hands-on operational leadership role. We're looking for someone who has already worked in a broad business, operations, practice management, or similar role within an SME environment. You won't have come from a large corporate or consultancy background where resource, infrastructure, and specialist teams are taken for granted. You'll be used to getting things done yourself, often across multiple areas at once.

You’ll likely have experience of:

• Managing or leading a small team and handling straightforward HR and employment relations matters.
• Overseeing business operations, administration, or a shared services function across multiple entities.
• Coordinating multiple projects, stakeholders, and priorities simultaneously, ideally with an international or cross-cultural dimension.
• Working with budgets, management accounts, cashflow information, and systems such as Xero or similar cloud-based accounting platforms.
• Using data, reporting, and management information to identify trends, risks, and opportunities.
• Supporting recruitment, onboarding, HR administration, and supplier management.
• Building relationships with stakeholders across different locations, cultures, and working styles.

You don't need to be a qualified accountant or project manager, but you do need to be commercially aware, financially literate, comfortable working with data, and confident making recommendations based on the information in front of you. To be successful, you'll need to be comfortable working with management information and business data, and confident using systems such as Xero to understand what's happening financially across the organisation. You don't need to be a bookkeeper (you have one in your team!) but you do need to know what the numbers mean. Experience matters more here than qualifications. An SME background where you've had to be resourceful, adaptable, and genuinely hands-on go a long way.

Additional experience that would be useful:

• Experience working across multiple legal entities or business units.
• Exposure to international projects, overseas stakeholders, or multi-jurisdictional environments.
• Experience supporting both commercial and charitable organisations.
• A project management qualification such as Prince2, APM, or equivalent.
• French or Spanish language skills, conversational or above.

Location and flexibility:

This is primarily an office-based role in Cheam, Surrey, working closely with the Director and the wider team. The business values face-to-face collaboration, particularly given the breadth of the role and the variety of conversations, projects, and decisions that arise each day. Full-time office attendance is expected during your induction and probation period. Once established in the role, one day per week working from home is available. Free onsite parking is available, and the office is well-served by bus routes from the surrounding area.