Head of Operations

StrideUp is leading a new era of values-driven finance. Ranked the 5th fastest growing fintech in the UK and Ireland in 2025, we have already deployed hundreds of millions in property finance, supporting people in achieving their financial goals. What makes us different is how we combine purpose with performance. We began with home finance, creating an alternative trusted by the Muslim community and welcomed by anyone seeking fairer, more transparent products. This product-market fit has powered our growth, and is only the beginning. Our vision is bigger; to expand our offering and build a financial institution that opens doors for communities often left behind.

Joining StrideUp means being part of a high-performing, values-driven team at the most exciting point in our journey. We have proven success behind us and huge opportunity ahead, and now we are ready to build beyond.

StrideUp is backed by leading VC and private equity investors, having raised over £40m in corporate funding, and over £600m in institutional funding lines.

The Role

As Head of Operations, you will own the operational backbone of StrideUp. This is a senior leadership role at the heart of how we deliver for our customers, responsible for driving operational excellence, streamlining processes, leveraging technology for efficiency and ensuring every customer interaction reflects the high standards StrideUp is built on. You will be part of the executive team, shaping how our operations scale alongside the business, and leading a team of operational professionals who share your commitment to continuous improvement and exceptional outcomes.

You Are

• A seasoned operational leader who has built and run high-performing operations in a fast-growing, regulated financial services or fintech business.
• Someone who leads with accountability, owning outcomes, not just processes, and setting the standard for the teams around you.
• Highly analytical and metrics-driven, establishing clear performance baselines, building robust reporting frameworks and using data as the primary basis for operational decision-making.
• Forward-thinking in your approach to technology, with a strong understanding of how AI and automation can be applied to drive operational efficiency, enhance decision-making and reduce manual effort across a business.
• A clear and confident communicator who can translate operational complexity into strategic insight for ExCo and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Commercially minded and customer-focused in equal measure, knowing that operational excellence and exceptional customer outcomes are two sides of the same coin.
• A builder at heart, energised by the challenge of designing scalable systems, embracing technology and developing the people around you.

What You’ll Do

• Own strategy and management of the Operations function (including Servicing and Underwriting), translating company objectives into clear departmental goals, OKRs and budget accountability.
• Drive a culture of operational excellence and continuous improvement, identifying inefficiencies, removing blockers and raising the bar across every part of the function.
• Act as the operational voice in product and technology development, working closely with Engineering & Product to influence feature prioritisation, surface operational pain points and drive solutions that improve efficiency and customer outcomes.
• Ensure customers receive a consistently high standard of service at every touchpoint, embedding customer-centric thinking into processes, workflows and team behaviours.
• Build and develop a high-performing operational team, set clear expectations and create an environment where accountability and collaboration thrive.
• Maintain robust operational MI, giving ExCo timely, reliable visibility of performance and enabling data-driven decisions across the function.
• Collaborate with ExCo peers across Finance, Engineering & Product, Sales & Marketing and Compliance & Risk to align operational priorities with company strategy and manage key third-party relationships to contracted standards.

Requirements

• Significant senior operations leadership experience within a regulated financial services business, ideally a fintech, specialist lender or mortgage provider.
• Proven track record of building and scaling operational functions, process improvement, technology adoption and performance management.
• Working knowledge of FCA-regulated environments and the conduct expectations applicable to financial services operations.
• Experience managing and developing senior direct reports, including function-level leaders.
• Strong analytical capability, comfortable with operational MI and using data to drive decisions and continuous improvement.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills, with experience engaging at ExCo level.
• Demonstrated ability to balance commercial growth ambitions with operational rigour.

Bonus

• Experience leading technology-enabled operational transformation in a financial services or fintech environment.
• Experience building operational capability from an early stage in a high-growth scale-up.

Benefits

• Salary: Competitive, based on experience
• 25 days annual holiday
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• 3% pension contribution
• Monthly socials
• Central London location
• Friendly and informal startup environment with a focus on performance and impact

StrideUp is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We celebrate the diversity of our team and encourage applications from all individuals, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, pregnancy, or any other characteristic. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and look forward to seeing how you can contribute to our mission.