At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead operational projects and bridge gaps across teams to drive growth.
- Company: Join Wave Group, a fast-growing tech-enabled professional services business.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, hybrid working, 30+ days leave, and private healthcare.
- Other info: Pathway to Chief of Staff role with real autonomy and trust.
- Why this job: Gain exposure to international expansion and fundraising while working closely with founders.
- Qualifications: Strong academic background and exceptional execution skills required.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 75000 £ per year.
Wave Global Group is a tech-enabled professional services business with two service engines and a product arm that incubates and owns its software and data assets. Services, software, and data compounding together.
Wave Talent: UK recruitment and staffing for permanent and contract technology and digital professionals for VC-backed and enterprise clients.
WaveWorks: SoW-based enterprise consultancy focusing on multi-workstream technology programmes at seven-figure scale.
Wave Labs: The group's product and technology arm, which includes:
- WaveMind: A self-serve AI hiring platform built on Wave Talent's proprietary candidate universe.
- Mothership: An internal data lake with LLM copilot capability.
Wave is scaling across the UK, US, and UAE and building toward a meaningful exit. Every role is designed to compound against that trajectory.
The role is the operational layer directly beneath the COO, owning cross-functional projects and infrastructure. You protect the founders' time by ensuring tasks are completed and serve as the first point of contact for operational problems without clear ownership.
You will not specialise in any one function but will excel in many areas, focusing on unblocking growth across sales, non-sales functions (finance, commercial, people, marketing), and Labs. A core part of the job is ensuring these three sides work cohesively.
What you own and what success looks like:
- International expansion (operational): Manage the operational side of opening and running our UAE and US entities, including entity setup, visas, banking, and commercial infrastructure. Success is measured by timely launches and effective processes.
- Internal systems, tooling and SOPs: Build and maintain dashboards and reporting systems, ensuring documentation is comprehensive and accessible. Success is indicated by reliable dashboards and efficient onboarding processes.
- Operational bridge across sales, non-sales and Labs: Ensure seamless collaboration between all three areas, particularly supporting Labs. Success is defined by cohesive operations and clean handovers.
- Funding and growth readiness: Support the Group Strategy Director by coordinating efforts to prepare for funding opportunities. Success is seen in proactive identification of bottlenecks and readiness for funding discussions.
- Compliance, governance and risk: Address operational gaps in compliance and security, ensuring the group meets necessary obligations. Success is maintaining audit-ready foundations and coordinated equity workstreams.
- General operational firepower: Act as the first point of contact for high-level operational tasks without clear ownership. Success is measured by the resolution of issues and protection of the founders' time.
Your first 90 days: Focus on international expansion, internal systems, bridging gaps, and taking ownership of operational items currently landing on the founders.
Who we are looking for:
- Strong academic background with a good degree from a reputable university.
- Above average skills across various functions, with a focus on execution.
- Genuinely tech and AI literate, using AI as a primary tool.
- Proactive and resourceful, comfortable with ambiguity.
- Ambitious, aiming to operate at founder level and grow into a Chief of Staff role.
Why this role: Work directly with the CEO and COO of a profitable, fast-growing group, gaining exposure to international expansion, fundraising, and board-level operations.
Why work at Wave: Shoreditch HQ with hybrid working, 30+ days annual leave, private healthcare, enhanced parental leave, performance-related bonuses, annual company trips, Apple equipment, and EMI share options tied to group growth.
Head of Operations in London employer: Wave Group
Wave Group is an excellent employer, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration in the heart of London. Employees benefit from competitive salaries, flexible hybrid working arrangements, and opportunities for professional growth while contributing to impactful projects that modernize policing through advanced AI solutions.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Operations in London
✨Get Involved in Industry Events
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✨Engage in Professional Networks
Join professional management associations relevant to your career goals. These networks often host workshops, panels, and networking events that can put you in front of hiring managers. Plus, they can give you the scoop on upcoming roles, such as the full-time positions with companies like Wave Group.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
When reaching out to potential employers, particularly for leadership roles, demonstrate your leadership capabilities with real examples. Share stories from your previous positions that illustrate how you handled challenges and drove results. This will help you stand out when you apply to places like Wave Group.
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We think you need these skills to ace Head of Operations in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Us Your Leadership Skills:In the corporate leadership and management field, it's essential to highlight your leadership experience. Use your CV to flesh out examples of how you've led teams to success or managed significant projects. We want to see specific instances where your actions made a tangible difference in your previous roles!
Quantify Your Achievements:Numbers talk, especially in management! When detailing your achievements in your CV or cover letter, don’t just say you improved team performance. Instead, say you boosted productivity by 30% over six months through effective strategy implementation. This makes your application pop and shows us what you can bring to Wave Group.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to narrate your professional journey. We’re looking for motivation and a clear understanding of what corporate leadership means to you. Dive into your aspirations and how they align with the values and vision of Wave Group. Make it personal – we want to get to know you!
Tailor Your CV for Management Roles:Ensure your CV reflects the management skills that are essential for this role. Focus on competencies like strategic planning, team building, and problem-solving. Use a clean layout, and don’t forget to align your experiences with those keywords mentioned in the job listing. This will help you stand out from the crowd!
How to prepare for a job interview at Wave Group
✨Showcase Your Leadership Style
You’ll want to thoroughly convey your unique approach to leadership. During the interview with Wave Group, be ready to share real-life examples of how you've inspired and motivated teams in the past. Think about specific achievements that illustrate your strategic thinking and your ability to drive results.
✨Brush Up on Management Theories
Expect some technical questions related to management theories and practices. Brush up on concepts like transformational leadership, servant leadership, or situational leadership. Be prepared to discuss how you would apply these theories to the role at Wave Group, especially in the specific context of the challenges they’re currently facing.
✨Craft Your Vision for the Company
Since this is a full-time leadership role, spending time thinking about your vision for Wave Group could really set you apart. Consider potential strategies for growth and how you would lead teams towards achieving them. This shows not just enthusiasm, but also strategic foresight that they’ll likely be looking for in a candidate.
✨Emphasise Team Dynamics and Culture
In corporate leadership, team dynamics and organisational culture are everything. Be ready to discuss how you've fostered a positive work environment in previous roles. Bring up examples of how you've managed diverse teams effectively—this will resonate well at Wave Group as they’re likely seeking a candidate who can enhance their workplace culture.
