Ops Automation & Systems Lead in London

Yonda is a fast-growing tax technology company helping businesses navigate global VAT and sales tax compliance. We combine smart software with operational rigour to give our clients clarity in complex regulatory environments. We are post Series A and growing quickly, with customers across multiple markets and a team that is scaling to match.

As we scale, we're investing in the systems and automation infrastructure to support that growth. This role has a wide remit - your job is to find the highest-impact operational bottlenecks across the business, then design and implement automation to eliminate them. Filing workflows, client onboarding, reporting, internal tooling - wherever the biggest opportunities are, that's where you'll focus.

You will have strong influence over tooling decisions - evaluating, recommending, and implementing the tools that make this work. Where you can build it yourself using no-code/low-code tools, you will. Where it needs engineering support, you'll spec it clearly enough that the tech team can ship it fast. This is a hands-on IC role. You will own work end-to-end, not manage others doing it. You will report to the CEO and work closely with senior leadership and the founding team.

What You'll Do

• Map internal systems and workflows to identify where manual effort, duplication, or human error is costing us time.
• Design and implement automations using tools like n8n, Retool, or similar to replace repetitive manual work.
• Evaluate and recommend tooling - you'll have strong input into what we adopt and how we use it.
• Spec and scope automation projects that require engineering involvement, writing clear requirements so the tech team can build efficiently.
• Build measurement frameworks to quantify the impact of automation - time saved, error rates reduced, throughput increased.
• Audit how teams use internal tools and systems, identify gaps or misuse, and drive adoption of better workflows.
• Own the integration layer between tools - making sure data flows cleanly between systems rather than being manually transferred.
• Create process documentation where needed, but with the goal of reducing the need for documentation by automating the process itself.
• Work cross-functionally to surface operational pain points and prioritise automation opportunities based on impact.

What We're Looking For

• 4+ years of experience in operations, systems design, process automation, or a related field.
• Track record of identifying manual or broken processes and replacing them with automated, scalable solutions, ideally in a startup or fast‑scaling environment.
• Hands‑on experience with automation and workflow tools (n8n, Retool, Zapier, Make, or similar). You've built things, not just evaluated them.
• Comfortable working with APIs, data flows between systems, and understanding how tools connect at a technical level.
• Strong at scoping technical work for engineering teams - you can write a clear spec, define acceptance criteria, and hold the line on delivery.
• A measurement‑first mindset - you define success metrics before you start and follow up to prove impact.
• Solid project management skills across multiple parallel workstreams.
• Happy working as an individual contributor - you don't need direct reports to do meaningful work.

Nice to Have

• Experience in tax, fintech, or regulated industries where accuracy and compliance matter.
• Familiarity with indirect tax workflows (VAT, sales tax) or financial operations.

Yonda is an Equal Opportunities Employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates regardless of age, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.