At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead operations and delivery across CRM projects, ensuring quality and profitability.
- Company: WeDoCRM, a fast-growing agency focused on customer relationship management.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working, and a clear path to Managing Director.
- Other info: Join a culture that values fairness, equality, and work-life balance.
- Why this job: Shape the future of a growing agency while working closely with the founder.
- Qualifications: Experience in operations leadership and managing delivery teams.
The predicted salary is between 65000 - 75000 £ per year.
Permanent, full-time
About WeDoCRM: As a specialist in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Customer Marketing, WeDoCRM supports companies of all sizes to drive ROI from their customer database. Our agency is growing quickly as more companies partner with us to deliver powerful CRM operations.
Why this role exists: As we grow, our founder is splitting their time between winning new business and running the day-to-day — and the day-to-day increasingly pulls them away from the work only they can do. This is a newly created role to build out our operational leadership: you become the operational engine of the agency and the senior point that day-to-day delivery and operational issues land on, so the Founder can focus on growth.
You’ll run delivery across two streams: our established Retainer business (recurring CRM delivery, the bulk of the team) and a newer, growth-stage Projects stream (larger builds and technical work) that you’ll help stabilise and scale into a repeatable, profitable line. This is the most senior hire below the Founder, and it’s deliberately an MD-track seat: Operations Director now, Managing Director as the agency scales. We’re looking for someone with that ambition and ceiling.
- Delivery across two streams — the core of the role
- End-to-end delivery quality across both the Retainer and Projects streams
- Resourcing, utilisation and capacity planning across the delivery team
- Delivery margin — the profitability of how we deliver, across both streams
- Scaling the Projects stream — helping turn an emerging, growth-oriented line into a stable, repeatable and profitable part of the business
- The systems, processes and operating rhythm that keep the agency running as it scales
- Reporting and forecasting that give the founder and board a clear view of delivery health
- Leadership of the delivery team
- Retainer: lead, coach and develop our senior delivery managers, who in turn run the managers and executives across our delivery pods
- Projects: lead our projects delivery, including project-management and technical leadership
- Oversee a technical function. You’ll oversee a build team — you don’t need to be hands-on technical, but you’re comfortable leading technical people and holding the work to standards
- Set delivery standards and a culture of ownership and accountability across both streams
- Own senior hiring, onboarding and performance within delivery
- Delivery escalations & fire prevention — the outcome that matters most
- Become the senior point the team turns to for delivery issues, instead of the founder
- Crucially, reduce delivery escalations at source — through better scoping, resourcing and delivery discipline — not just absorb them faster
- Turn firefighting from the founder’s daily reality into a rare, well-handled exception
A note on scope: new business and commercial growth remain with the founder. Your focus is operational — running delivery and the team so the work is excellent, predictable and profitable.
What success looks like:
- First 3 months
- Fully up to speed on both streams, the team, delivery and the numbers
- The founder can step back from the day-to-day with confidence
- A clear read on delivery health, resourcing and where delivery issues actually start
- 6–12 months
- Delivery issues reaching the founder have dropped sharply — and fewer arise in the first place
- The Retainer stream runs predictably and profitably without the founder in the loop
- The Projects stream is more stable, repeatable and profitable than you found it
- A scalable operating model the agency can grow into — and you’re building the case for the MD step
Our ideal candidate:
- Your spike is operations. You get energy from making a services business run — resourcing, delivery quality, process, margin. You want to be the founder’s operational counterweight, not the face of the company.
- You can run more than one delivery model. You’re comfortable owning steady recurring delivery and a newer, less-defined projects/build line at the same time — and overseeing a technical team within it.
- You’re an operator who can lead client-facing teams. You can lead the managers who run client work and step in as a senior escalation point when delivery needs it — but your focus is the engine room, not owning accounts yourself.
- You fix fires at source. Your instinct isn’t just to catch problems faster — it’s to change the system so fewer happen. You can point to a time delivery escalations dropped because of something you built.
- You lead through managers. You’ve managed managers, or you’re a senior operator clearly ready to — you set standards through a team rather than doing it all yourself.
- You’re ambitious. This is an MD-track role and you want that path.
Experience & skills:
- Operations or delivery leadership within a consultancy, agency or professional-services business
- Track record owning delivery quality, resourcing/utilisation and delivery margin
- Experience across recurring/retainer delivery and/or project-based delivery
- Comfortable overseeing a technical or build function (managing technical people), even if not hands-on technical
- Experience leading a team — ideally leading other managers, or ready to step up to it
- Comfortable with the numbers: utilisation, delivery margin, forecasting, resourcing models
- Strong people leadership and stakeholder credibility
- Familiarity with CRM platforms / the consulting delivery model
Who this role is not for:
- Someone who wants to own new business or be the rainmaker (that’s the Founder’s lane)
- A purely back-office operator who can’t lead client-facing teams
- Someone who needs every function mature and well-defined — the Projects stream is still being built
- A big-corporate operator who’d over-engineer a lean, fast-moving agency
What our company stands for:
Fairness, understanding and the promotion of self-worth. We're young and as such our identity is still being shaped. Regardless, we already have a cornerstone which centres around equal opportunity and understanding. Equality is paramount to who we are and we will always ensure our employees have a safe environment to be themselves and flourish. We also pride ourselves on ensuring everyone maintains a healthy and happy work/life balance which is why flexiworking is offered to everyone.
What’s on offer:
£65,000–£75,000 base, depending on experience. A genuine MD-track path — real progression as the agency scales, not a title in name only. The chance to shape and scale a growing Projects stream, not just maintain what exists. Direct partnership with the Founder, real autonomy, and ownership of how the agency runs.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Operations Director in Manchester
✨Get Involved in Industry Events
Jumping into industry events or leadership conferences can really help boost your visibility. Not only will you meet potential employers, but you’ll also get the chance to connect with other leaders in corporate management. Look for local or even virtual events that focus on leadership—every connection counts!
✨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 WeDoCRM.
✨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 WeDoCRM.
✨Tailor Your LinkedIn Presence
Ensure your LinkedIn profile is specifically tailored to corporate leadership. Highlight achievements, showcase relevant content and engage with posts in management groups. This not only builds your credibility but keeps you on the radar of companies looking for candidates like you as they post full-time opportunities.
We think you need these skills to ace Operations Director in Manchester
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 WeDoCRM.
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 WeDoCRM. 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 WeDoCRM
✨Showcase Your Leadership Style
You’ll want to thoroughly convey your unique approach to leadership. During the interview with WeDoCRM, 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 WeDoCRM, 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 WeDoCRM 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 WeDoCRM as they’re likely seeking a candidate who can enhance their workplace culture.
