Chief of Staff - confidential

•    Job Title: Chief of Staff / Operations Director – Founder & CEO
•    Salary: up to £130,000
•    Location: Kingston-upon-Thames
•    Sector: Entrepreneurial, international group of businesses
•    Size of company: Confidential
•    Working Pattern/Hybrid: Five days in the office, with some out-of-hours contact and international travel
•    Benefits: Competitive executive-level package

The Opportunity
C&C Search is currently recruiting an exceptional Chief of Staff / Operations Director to become the operational right hand to an entrepreneurial Founder & CEO. 
This Chief of Staff / Operations Director position will suit an experienced Chief of Staff, COO, Commercial Director, General Manager or Operations Director who thrives in a founder-led, high-growth environment. You will combine strategic thinking with hands-on execution, ensuring priorities are delivered, leadership teams remain aligned and operational performance continues to scale.
The role is office-based five days per week, with flexibility required for occasional out-of-hours contact, major events and international travel. 

Company culture and what makes them great to work for
This is an entrepreneurial, ambitious and delivery-focused environment where decisions are made quickly and individuals are trusted to take ownership. The successful Chief of Staff / Operations Director will have significant visibility, influence and access to the Founder & CEO, with the opportunity to shape operating structures, improve commercial performance and support international growth.
The culture will appeal to someone who enjoys pace, accountability and variety. You will work across multiple departments, challenge constructively and turn strategic ambitions into practical, measurable action.

Key responsibilities for this Chief of Staff / Operations Director position:

• Act as a trusted adviser and operational right hand to the Founder & CEO.
• Manage competing priorities and ensure focus on the highest-value business activities.
• Translate strategic objectives into clear actions, ownership and delivery.
• Drive accountability across the leadership team and ensure operational excellence.
• Monitor KPIs across Sales, Marketing, Customer Services and Operations, taking action where required.
• Lead, coach and develop managers across multiple departments.
• Oversee budgeting, resource allocation and commercial performance.
• Lead cross-functional projects, strategic initiatives and business launches.
• Identify and mitigate operational and commercial risks.
• Represent the Founder with key stakeholders, at events and during international travel when required.

 

What background and experience are the company looking for?
 

• Proven experience as a Chief of Staff, COO, Operations Director, Commercial Director, General Manager or similar senior operational leadership role.
• A track record of partnering directly with a Founder, CEO or entrepreneurial business leader.
• Strong leadership experience, including managing managers and leading multi-functional teams.
• Commercially astute, with responsibility for budgets, business performance and operational delivery.
• Experience driving growth and improving performance through data, KPIs and accountability.
• Background within a fast-paced, entrepreneurial, high-growth or founder-led environment.
• Able to operate strategically while remaining hands-on and execution-focused.
• Confident, resilient and comfortable influencing senior stakeholders and constructively challenging where required.
• Willingness to travel internationally and provide flexibility outside of standard office hours when needed.

Highly desirable:

• Experience within a B2C, customer acquisition, commercial operations or direct-response marketing environment.
• Exposure to Private Equity-backed businesses, international expansion or business scaling.
• Experience leading teams of 15+ employees and developing high-performing management teams.
• Background in sales leadership, events or revenue-generating functions.

 

Who is looking after this role?
  
For this role C&C Search is acting as an employment agency.
At C&C Search, diversity, equity and inclusion are at the core of who we are and how we operate. Our commitment to these values is unwavering - across all our work in recruitment, and in our training and development programmes. C&C Search fosters a culture of inclusion and belonging and has a deep commitment to being a part of creating a fairer society through partnering with clients who are also committed to a seat at the table for everybody. We work with companies that are committed to reflecting our communities, where people can bring their authentic selves to work. We know that having varied perspectives helps generate better ideas, better businesses and better societies. There is much to be done, but together we can achieve equality for all.