Senior Operations Manager in Slough

Senior Operations Manager

Location

Hybrid / London & South East

Employment Type

Permanent | Full Time

Sector

Professional Services

We have been retained by a fast-growing, acquisitive professional services group to appoint a Senior Operations Manager who will work directly with the COO and take significant responsibility for the day-to-day commercial and operational performance of the business.

This is a senior, hands-on leadership role and effectively the number two to the COO .

Regional Directors and Functional Heads will report into the position, with responsibility for driving performance, consistency and accountability across the group.

This is not primarily a transformation, programme management or internal process role. We are looking for someone with genuine experience running and improving the commercial performance of a fee-earning professional services business , who is comfortable challenging senior leaders and holding them accountable for results.

The Role

• Commercial & Regional Performance
• Lead Regional Directors and Functional Heads, setting clear objectives, KPIs and commercial expectations.
• Hold regional leaders directly accountable for revenue, pipeline, client retention, profitability and operational performance.
• Track performance against plan, identify underperformance and drive corrective action.
• Work closely with Finance to connect regional activity to revenue, utilisation, WIP / billing, margin and cash performance.
• Ensure accurate forecasting and strong commercial discipline across the regions.
• Work alongside Sales and Marketing to strengthen pipeline management, revenue growth and client retention.
• Use commercial and operational data to identify opportunities to improve performance and profitability.
• Operational Leadership
• Take ownership of day-to-day operational delivery across the group.
• Act as a trusted deputy to the COO, representing them in meetings and making decisions where appropriate.
• Translate group strategy into clear operational plans, actions and accountabilities.
• Drive consistency in client delivery and commercial standards across multiple locations.
• Build a high-performance culture amongst Regional Directors and their teams.
• Provide a senior point of escalation and resolve operational and commercial issues pragmatically.
• Identify and implement opportunities to improve efficiency, processes and ways of working.
• Growth & Integration
• Support the integration of newly acquired businesses into a consistent group operating model.
• Work across Finance, Sales, HR, IT and Operations to ensure successful integration and execution.
• Help build scalable structures, controls and reporting as the group continues to grow.
• Support the COO and wider leadership team with strategic projects and growth initiatives.
• Offshore / Shared Service Delivery
• Work closely with an established offshore back-office operation to ensure quality, capacity and service levels support the UK business.
• Strengthen ways of working between UK client-facing teams and offshore delivery.
• Support capacity planning, performance management and continued development of the offshore model.

What We're Looking For

The successful candidate will combine commercial ownership with hands-on operational leadership .

You will ideally be able to demonstrate

• Senior commercial and operational leadership experience within a fee-earning professional services environment , ideally accountancy, legal, consulting or a closely related sector.
• Direct line management of senior regional, operational or business-unit leaders, with experience holding them accountable for commercial performance.
• Personal ownership of revenue, pipeline, client retention and P&L / profitability targets , rather than solely supporting or reporting on them.
• Strong understanding of professional services economics, including utilisation, WIP / billing, margin, cash and client retention .
• Clear examples of identifying underperformance, challenging senior leaders and driving measurable corrective action.
• A track record of driving or protecting revenue as well as improving cost and operational efficiency.
• Strong commercial judgement and the confidence to challenge at senior level.
• Experience using KPIs and management information to drive business performance.
• The credibility to deputise for a COO and operate with significant autonomy.
• A pragmatic, hands-on leadership style and willingness to get into the detail when required.

Experience within an acquisitive or PE-backed organisation, acquisition integration and/or offshore/shared-service operations would be advantageous.

The role offers significant exposure to the COO, CEO, CFO and wider leadership team, with genuine authority over regional and operational performance from the outset.

For someone who combines strong commercial instincts with the ability to lead senior people and deliver operationally, there is considerable scope for the role to develop as the group continues to grow.