At a Glance
- Tasks: Manage operations and governance for cybersecurity advisory engagements, ensuring high-quality client outcomes.
- Company: ISTARI, a leading strategic cybersecurity advisory firm with a bold vision.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, performance bonuses, comprehensive benefits, and hybrid working model.
- Why this job: Join a dynamic team shaping the future of cybersecurity and make a real impact.
- Qualifications: Experience in cybersecurity or advisory services, strong governance and commercial acumen.
- Other info: Opportunity for growth in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 ÂŁ per year.
About Us
ISTARI is a strategic cybersecurity advisory company with a bold vision: to curate the defining cybersecurity ecosystem of our time - uniting enterprise, academia, government, and innovators to build collective resilience. At the heart of this mission, ISTARI helps clients achieve lasting organisational cyber resilience by convening and applying world-class talent, expertise, and innovation through a uniquely powerful network - with ISTARI as the central orchestrator.
The Opportunity
To serve as the operational and governance “engine room” of the Advisory practice. You will be responsible for managing the end-to-end operational success of Advisory engagements across ISTARI - both internally and in collaboration with portfolio companies and strategic partners - ensuring disciplined execution, strong commercial performance and consistent high-quality client outcomes. The role will also own the governance, lifecycle management and continuous evolution of ISTARI’s Advisory capabilities, service catalogue and associated roadmaps. This includes ensuring all services remain current, relevant and differentiated through the integration of new IP, regulatory developments, cyber and risk intelligence, and partner/portfolio capabilities. You will ensure the Advisory “Shop Window” is underpinned by robust delivery, clear service definition, current methodologies and market-aligned propositions.
What You’ll Do:
- Governance: Responsible for the end-to-end integrity of the advisory lifecycle by implementing and enforcing standardised Quality Assurance (QA) frameworks. This role ensures that every engagement - from initial opportunity scoping to final project delivery—adheres to internal governance standards, mitigates operational risk, and maintains the high-caliber reputation of the practice.
- Advisory Delivery & Engagement Management: Support and ensure adherence to QA frameworks by the Delivery team in the delivery of advisory engagements across the practice, ensuring effective coordination of internal teams, portfolio companies and strategic partners. Act as the central point of coordination across Pods to ensure seamless execution, knowledge transfer and client experience.
- Traffic Control & Resourcing: Manage the global allocation of internal FTEs, partners and portfolio resources across all Advisory engagements. Balance demand, specialist capability and commercial objectives to support revenue and recovery targets. Ensure appropriate resource planning aligned to priority capability areas (e.g. cyber resilience, identity, risk and regulatory).
- Expert Network Stewardship: Oversee onboarding, vetting and governance of subcontractors, portfolio companies and specialist partners engaged in Advisory delivery. Ensure all third parties meet ISTARI standards across delivery quality, documentation, commercial terms and client engagement. Support the development of strategic delivery partnerships aligned to priority service areas.
- Commercial Hygiene: Monitor project budgets in real-time to protect profitability, ensuring all engagements are properly scoped and priced according to the Service Catalogue tiers.
- Service Catalogue & Capability Lifecycle: Own the lifecycle management of the Advisory Service Catalogue and associated capability roadmaps. Ensure all services are clearly defined, costed, packaged and aligned to ISTARI’s strategic growth priorities. Maintain alignment between service definitions, delivery models, pricing structures and go-to-market positioning. Continuously review and update services to reflect: New intellectual property and methodologies, Regulatory and risk developments, Emerging cyber/security trends, Portfolio and partner capability evolution, Market and client demand.
- Advisory IP, Knowledge & Industry Intelligence: Ensure structured capture and curation of advisory IP, methodologies and sanitised client deliverables. Drive continuous refresh of Advisory propositions and content based on: Engagement insights, Industry and regulatory intelligence, Threat landscape evolution, Partner and portfolio innovation. Maintain a central, current and accessible knowledge base underpinning the Advisory “Shop Window.”
- Operational Reporting: Provide regular reporting to Global Head of Advisory and ExCo on: Advisory delivery performance, Capability utilisation and capacity, Margin and recovery, Pipeline vs capability alignment, Service catalogue maturity and gaps. Deliver insight to support investment and capability prioritisation decisions.
What You'll Bring
- Security & Advisory Operating Experience: Experience operating within a cyber security, risk, technology or professional services advisory environment. Strong understanding of how high-value advisory services are structured, delivered and evolved.
- Governance & Lifecycle Management: Proven ability to govern and evolve service portfolios and capability frameworks within a fast-moving market. Comfortable managing service lifecycle from definition through to delivery and continuous improvement.
- Commercial Acumen: Strong grasp of consulting and advisory unit economics including margin management, utilisation and partner cost dynamics. Ability to balance commercial discipline with high-quality client outcomes.
- Process Rigor & Operational Discipline: Metrics-driven with strong attention to detail and data accuracy. Able to establish structured operating rhythms and governance in a scaling environment.
- Stakeholder Influence: Confident working with senior stakeholders across leadership, partners and portfolio companies. Able to provide constructive challenge and maintain alignment across multiple delivery parties.
- Systems & Knowledge Management: Experience using CRM/PSA and knowledge management platforms (e.g. Salesforce, Confluence or similar) to maintain a single source of truth for services, delivery and IP.
- Adaptability: Comfortable operating in a scale-up environment where structures and services are evolving. Able to build, implement and run operational frameworks simultaneously.
Compensation and Benefits
- Base Salary: A competitive base salary, benchmarked against industry practice in our hub locations.
- Annual Performance-Related Bonus: An on-target annual bonus, linked to individual performance and contribution.
- Benefits: A comprehensive and competitive benefits package, including medical and dental cover, pension contributions, and life insurance.
- Flexibility: We support a hybrid working model. Willingness to travel for client engagements is required.
Advisory Operations Manager in London employer: ISTARI
Contact Detail:
ISTARI Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Advisory Operations Manager in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the cybersecurity field, especially those connected to ISTARI. Attend industry events or webinars and don’t be shy about introducing yourself. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings!
✨Tip Number 2
Showcase your expertise! Create a portfolio that highlights your experience in advisory operations and governance. Use platforms like LinkedIn to share insights or articles related to cybersecurity trends. This will position you as a knowledgeable candidate when you apply through our website.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by understanding ISTARI’s mission and values. Familiarise yourself with their service catalogue and think about how your skills can contribute to their goals. Tailor your responses to show you’re not just a fit for the role, but for the company culture too!
✨Tip Number 4
Follow up after interviews! A quick thank-you email can go a long way. Mention something specific from your conversation to remind them of your enthusiasm and fit for the Advisory Operations Manager role. It shows you’re genuinely interested and keeps you top of mind!
We think you need these skills to ace Advisory Operations Manager in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to reflect the specific skills and experiences that align with the Advisory Operations Manager role. Highlight your governance and operational experience in cybersecurity or advisory environments, as this will show us you understand what we're looking for.
Showcase Your Achievements: When detailing your past roles, focus on quantifiable achievements that demonstrate your ability to manage operations and deliver high-quality outcomes. Use metrics to illustrate your success in previous positions, as we love seeing how you've made a tangible impact.
Be Clear and Concise: Keep your application straightforward and to the point. We appreciate clarity, so avoid jargon and ensure your writing is easy to follow. This will help us quickly grasp your qualifications and fit for the role.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to submit your application directly through our website. This ensures that your application gets to the right people and allows us to process it efficiently. Plus, you'll find all the details you need about the role there!
How to prepare for a job interview at ISTARI
✨Know Your Cybersecurity Stuff
Make sure you brush up on the latest trends and developments in cybersecurity. Understand how advisory services are structured and delivered, as this will help you speak confidently about your experience and how it aligns with ISTARI's mission.
✨Master the Governance Game
Familiarise yourself with Quality Assurance frameworks and governance standards. Be ready to discuss how you've implemented these in past roles, as demonstrating your ability to maintain high standards will be crucial for this position.
✨Show Off Your Commercial Savvy
Prepare to talk about your understanding of consulting unit economics, including margin management and resource allocation. Highlight any experiences where you balanced commercial objectives with delivering high-quality client outcomes.
✨Be Ready to Influence Stakeholders
Think of examples where you've successfully worked with senior stakeholders or managed multiple delivery parties. Show that you can provide constructive challenge while keeping everyone aligned, as this is key for the Advisory Operations Manager role.