Managing Director in Bristol

Meanwhile Creative is a founder-led business that transforms underutilised urban spaces into thriving creative communities built from shipping containers. Across the UK, we create affordable, characterful workspaces for makers, creatives, start-ups, entrepreneurs and independent businesses. Today we operate five sites, support around 1,000 tenants and generate more than £3m in annual revenue. But we’re only getting started. With new locations launching, significant growth plans ahead and increasing demand for our model, we’re looking for a commercially minded Managing Director to help lead the next chapter.

This is a rare chance to join a successful founder-led business at the point where growth creates opportunity. Working directly alongside our Founder, you’ll become the operational and commercial engine behind the business. You’ll take ownership of day-to-day leadership, help deliver new site launches, strengthen operational performance, improve systems and processes, and play a central role in helping scale the business nationally. This is a hands-on leadership role. One day you might be solving a complex operational challenge, reviewing site performance and supporting your management team. The next you could be leading a major site rollout, negotiating with contractors, evaluating a new location opportunity or helping shape the commercial direction of the business. If you enjoy ownership, autonomy and variety, you’ll thrive here.

If you’re looking for a highly structured corporate environment with layers of support and clearly defined boundaries, this probably isn’t the role for you.

Why are we hiring?

The business has reached a point where the Founder needs a genuine operational partner. Someone who can absorb complexity. Someone who can make decisions. Someone who can lead people, drive projects and keep momentum moving. Someone who can help turn growth opportunities into reality. Ultimately, we’re looking for the person who can help build the platform for the next stage of Meanwhile Creative’s growth.

What will you be doing?

• Leading the day-to-day operation of a growing multi-site business
• Supporting and developing operational leaders across the site portfolio
• Driving operational performance, occupancy, customer experience and commercial outcomes
• Improving systems, reporting, accountability and operational consistency
• Managing site expansion projects from approval through to launch
• Coordinating contractors, suppliers and delivery partners
• Supporting commercial decision making and growth initiatives
• Evaluating and helping execute new site opportunities
• Reducing founder dependency and increasing organisational scalability
• Helping create a high-performance, highly accountable culture

What will Success Looks Like?

Within your first 12–18 months you will have:

• Successfully launched multiple new sites
• Reduced operational reliance on the Founder
• Improved visibility, reporting and accountability across the business
• Delivered projects on time and within budget
• Strengthened operational performance across the existing portfolio
• Created a more scalable operating platform for future growth

Most importantly: You’ll have helped put more containers on the ground and accelerated the growth of the business

Who We’re Looking For:

We’re far more interested in capability and mindset than direct sector experience. You will have current or extensive experience in a scaling, multi-site environment. This could be from any of the below…. Hospitality, Coworking or flexible workspace, Student accommodation, Self-storage, Facilities management, Leisure, Retail operations, Logistics, Franchise operations or any other complex environment.

You’ll likely bring:

• Experience leading multi-site operations
• Strong commercial awareness and business judgement
• Experience managing managers and operational teams
• Budget and P&L responsibility
• Experience delivering projects, openings or site rollouts
• The ability to manage contractors, suppliers and external stakeholders
• A pragmatic, solutions-focused mindset
• Comfort operating within a fast-moving founder-led environment
• The confidence to make decisions and take ownership

Most importantly, you’ll be someone who enjoys building, improving and making things happen.

Why Join Meanwhile Creative?

This is a business with a clear identity, strong foundations and significant growth potential. You’ll receive:

• Significant autonomy and ownership
• Direct partnership with the Founder
• A genuine opportunity to shape the future of the business
• Exposure to growth strategy, expansion and commercial decision making
• Long-term progression potential
• Performance bonus
• Potential long-term incentive or equity participation
• A collaborative, entrepreneurial and non-corporate culture
• The opportunity to help build something genuinely different

For the right person, this is far more than a Managing Director role. It’s the opportunity to help scale a business with a unique proposition, strong commercial foundations and ambitious plans for growth. If the idea of building something rather than simply managing it excites you, we’d love to hear from you.

Please apply or reach out to Henry at ISL Talent, our retained hiring partner, for a confidential discussion about the opportunity.