Operations Manager in Newport

A hands-on operational leadership role at the heart of Alacrity - supporting entrepreneurs, delivering venture programmes and helping turn ambitious ideas into scalable businesses.

Job Description

Organisation: Alacrity Foundation

Contract: Full-time, permanent

Working environment: Primarily office-based, with flexibility where appropriate

About Alacrity

Alacrity Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to developing entrepreneurs, creating technology businesses and supporting ambitious founders to build companies with the potential to scale.

Our environment is very different from a traditional corporate workplace. We work with entrepreneurs, start‑ups, investors, mentors, universities, public‑sector partners and some of Wales' most exciting businesses. Things move quickly. New opportunities appear constantly. Priorities evolve. Ideas turn into projects and projects turn into businesses. We're now looking for an exceptional Operations Manager to help make all of that happen.

The Role

The Operations Manager will sit at the heart of Alacrity and take responsibility for ensuring the organisation, its programmes and its day‑to‑day operations run brilliantly. This is a hands‑on role for someone who loves making things happen. You'll work closely with the CEO and wider team, helping translate ideas and strategy into action while ensuring programmes, founders, events, reporting,

systems and operational priorities remain organised and on track.

Crucially, you need to understand the world of business start‑ups and entrepreneurship. You'll be working directly with founders who are building businesses from the ground up, so you'll need to understand the challenges of early‑stage companies, from validating an idea and developing a product through to customers, funding, investment and growth.

No two weeks at Alacrity are quite the same. You'll need to be comfortable working in an environment that is ambitious, fast‑moving, collaborative and fun.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the day‑to‑day operational delivery of Alacrity's start‑up and entrepreneurship programmes.
• Ensure founders and teams have clear objectives, milestones and deadlines.
• Track the progress of businesses through programme stages.
• Coordinate workshops, mentoring sessions, investor preparation and founder activities.
• Identify where founders or teams are falling behind and help put actions in place.
• Ensure programme documentation, reporting and records are accurate and up to date.
• Help create an outstanding experience for every entrepreneur who comes through Alacrity.

Business & Start‑up Support

• Work confidently with entrepreneurs at different stages of their journey
• Understand the fundamentals of business models, product‑market fit, customer acquisition, revenue, cash flow, investment and scaling.
• Help founders stay focused on commercial priorities and agreed actions.
• Coordinate access to mentors, specialists, investors and ecosystem partners.
• Support businesses as they prepare for pitches, investment and growth.

Operational Management

• Take ownership of the smooth day‑to‑day running of Alacrity.
• Develop and improve internal processes and systems.
• Coordinate team priorities and ensure actions are followed through.
• Maintain operational calendars, programme schedules and key deadlines.
• Support budgeting, purchasing, suppliers and operational expenditure.
• Maintain appropriate policies, procedures and operational documentation.
• Look for opportunities to make Alacrity more efficient and effective.

Events & Ecosystem

• Coordinate founder workshops and training, investor events and pitch days, networking events, partner meetings, mentor and speaker programmes, and visits from investors, businesses and stakeholders.
• Ensure every event and interaction is professional, engaging and unmistakably Alacrity.

Partners & Stakeholders

• Build strong relationships with entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, universities, businesses, government organisations and funding partners.
• Represent Alacrity professionally and confidently across the Welsh business and technology ecosystem.

Reporting & Impact

• Track programme KPIs and business outcomes.
• Maintain accurate information on founders, businesses and programme activity.
• Support reporting to funders, trustees and partners.
• Capture success stories and evidence of impact.
• Help ensure deadlines and contractual programme requirements are met.

About You

We're looking for someone who is organised enough to bring structure to a fast‑moving environment but entrepreneurial enough not to be intimidated when things change.

You will ideally have:

• Experience working with start‑ups, entrepreneurs, incubators, accelerators or early‑stage businesses.
• Strong operational or programme management experience.
• A good understanding of how start‑ups develop, fund and grow.
• Excellent organisational and project‑management skills.
• The ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong communication and relationship‑building skills.
• Confidence working directly with founders, senior business leaders and external partners.
• A practical, problem‑solving mindset and strong attention to detail.
• The ability to work independently, take ownership and use technology to improve processes.

The Person We're Looking For

You’ll probably love this role if you’re the person who naturally asks: “What needs to

You don’t wait to be told about every task. You spot problems, find solutions and get things moving. You enjoy being around ambitious people and new ideas. You can bring order to chaos without removing the energy that makes a start‑up environment exciting.

You can switch from helping a founder solve a problem in the morning, to organising an investor event at lunchtime, to reviewing programme KPIs in the afternoon. And you’ll enjoy working somewhere where there is always something new happening.

Why Join Alacrity?

This isn't a standard Operations Manager role. You'll be surrounded by entrepreneurs building new businesses, technology and ideas. You'll meet investors, founders, mentors and business leaders and play an important role in helping create the next generation of successful Welsh companies.

You’ll have the opportunity to shape how Alacrity operates rather than simply inherit existing processes. Most importantly, you'll join a small, ambitious team where your contribution will be visible and where good ideas can quickly become reality.

If you love start‑ups, people, problem‑solving and making things happen, we’d love to hear from you.

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