Head of Operations in City of London

We are exclusively recruiting a Head of Operations for a small, high-performing and growing hospitality group as it shifts from established and successful into a genuine scale-up and growth phase. Built on clear values around quality, provenance and standout customer experience, this independent hospitality brand has already built a loyal following and strong performance across a small group of London sites. With 3 new openings planned over the next 12 months and 4 the following year, with an overall goal of 10 over two years and a longer-term ambition beyond that, this business now needs an experienced operational leader to build the infrastructure that supports sustainable scale.

This is not simply about running effective and smooth operations, it’s about designing what the next chapter looks like and playing an instrumental role in it. This is a true Head of Operations role, partnering closely with a founder to translate vision into consistent, people-led, commercially strong operations across a growing multi-site group. We’re looking for someone who has lived this journey before and has taken a small number of locations or cluster business into a larger, structured group. A builder, completer/finisher, someone who brings clarity and rigour without stripping the soul from its brand.

The role

• You’ll own operational performance across the group, building the capability, leadership structure and systems required to support ambitious multi-site growth.
• A key part of this role is moving the business from instinct-led excellence to repeatable, disciplined performance - introducing and refining process, reporting rhythm and operational infrastructure without losing brand personality or pace.
• You’ll coach and develop site and emerging area leaders, strengthening the bench and defining the leadership layers needed for expansion, while embedding energy, accountability and pride.
• Working in close partnership with the founder, you’ll translate brand vision into scalable, safe and commercially robust operations.
• You’ll play a key role in shaping the operating model - from labour structures and reporting lines to performance cadence and new opening readiness.
• You’ll lead P&L performance, labour models, cost control and KPIs across existing sites and new openings, helping define how the organisation evolves as it scales from a tight cluster into a structured multi-site group.
• Strategic and hands on, you’ll be equally comfortable partnering with the founder, on operations strategy and in the day-to-day delivery and detail.

Essential experience we’re looking for

• Proven multi-site hospitality leadership (high-volume hospitality or QSR)
• Direct experience scaling from small/cluster to established multi-site group - this role will likely suit someone who has helped take a business from circa 5 sites toward 15–20+ and is motivated by doing that journey again.
• Knowledge and experience in multi-site management, expansion and QSR
• Demonstrable experience building systems and infrastructure for growth
• Strong commercial and P&L ownership across sites
• Experience building middle management layers and succession pipelines
• A builder of teams, culture and future leaders
• Clear values around food quality, provenance and standout customer experience
• Structured, organised and delivery-focused
• Hands-on, energetic and solutions-driven
• High emotional intelligence and natural gravitas
• Clear on ownership and accountability
• Comfortable and confident operating alongside a founder-led vision
• Most importantly: you’re someone people want to work with - collaborative, straight-talking, fun and invested.

Interested in this exciting opportunity? Please apply via LinkedIn. Applications close: Wednesday 25th March 2026. Unfortunately, owing to high volumes of interest, applications and CVs cannot be accepted through individual LinkedIn messages or email. Every application will be reviewed and all candidates should expect to receive a response no later than one week post-closing date.