Operations Manager / Growth Manager / Junior Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Do you have the organisational skills to manage multiple priorities, integrating all the major operating functions of a small business? Do you have the drive, creativity and persistence to find solutions and overcome challenges?
Do you have the people skills to lead a healthy, collaborative, and productive team - training, managing, coaching, and holding others accountable for results? Do you enjoy improving systems, and managing systems to ensure they are consistently followed by all?
If you have at least 3 years operational management experience, a business-related degree, and a proven track record of success in all of the above (and can arrange reference calls with previous employers to back this up), we would love to hear from you.
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About Us:
Cleansmart manufacture professional carpet and upholstery cleaning equipment. Our ‘Airflex’ machines are highly rated, world-class machines. We have a leading UK presence, a growing European presence and, already, active interest from the United States.
We now intend to expand on our success in the UK and set up US-based operations to produce 120V machines. This will be an exciting and transformative period for the business, with substantial opportunities for the successful candidate.
We are currently a very small team, that has operated very successfully in a niche market. We have world class products, exciting products in the pipeline, and a realistic strategy for substantial growth.
The Director now needs a talented and ambitious second-in-command to lead our operations, drive through the improvements that are needed before we can expand, and to provide the leadership and management we will need to operate in a much larger market.
We intend to implement the EOS operating system, as described in Gino Wickman’s best seller ‘Traction’. This is a simple and proven system used by over 190k businesses worldwide. Implementing EOS will give you the tools you need to step up to the second-in-command role of Chief Operating Officer. Training, resources and support are available.
Your mission:
Stage 1: Operations & Growth Manager (starting salary circa £50,000 p.a.)
- Learn and implement the ‘EOS’ model, the 6 founding principles being vision, people, process, data, issues and traction
- Create an actionable strategic plan and execute this.
- Oversee and integrate all major operating functions of the business (after spending time working in and understanding each area of the business)
- Lead and manage the team. Agree team and individual targets. Support team members in meeting their targets. Hold team members accountable for agreed-upon commitments. Ensure all team members are aligned with their responsibilities and the company’s vision and core values. Recruit high performing team members when needed.
- Ensure robust systems are in place in all areas of the business - streamlined, documented, monitored, and consistently followed by all.
- Implement effective staff training for all roles and responsibilities. Ensure that training resources are kept up to date. Coach team members to improve performance.
- Oversee a process of continual improvement. Solve issues, with team input, in a practical and healthy manner. Action effective solutions and evaluate the outcomes.
- Monitor appropriate metrics to track progress and performance.
Stage 2: Opportunity to progress to Head of Operations (circa £75,000 p.a.)
Once our operations are sufficiently prepared, there will be an opportunity to progress to Head of Operations and oversee the set-up of our US-based operations.
Your task will be to recruit and oversee a US-based Operations Manager. Working together, you will locate, plan and oversee the fit-out of US premises, recruit and train US-based staff, implement our systems, and prepare for a successful launch.
This will involve short trips to the US, but the aim is for you to work closely with the US Operations Manager, with controls in place to mostly oversee US Operations from the UK.
Stage 3: Opportunity to progress to Chief Operating Office (OTE £120k+)
After a successful US launch, there will be an opportunity to progress to COO (Chief Operating Officer), with a substantial salary increase/profit share, continuing to oversee both UK and US Operations.
Competencies
- Resourcefulness: Has the enthusiasm, commitment, creativity, and resilience to find solutions and overcome challenges. Drives the company forward.
- People skills: Establishes a healthy and collaborative team environment. Encourages team input and ideas. Coaches staff in their current roles to improve performance. Sets challenging and realistic targets. Holds the team accountable for agreed-upon commitments.
- Organisation and planning. Plans, organises, schedules, and budgets in an efficient and productive manner. Able to manage multiple projects, while focusing on key priorities.
- Systematic approach: Has the ability to break down processes to create and document simple and robust systems. Improves, simplifies, and streamlines existing systems. Monitors controls to ensure systems are consistently followed by all.
- Analytical skills. Able to structure and process data, and draw insightful conclusions from it. Monitors appropriate metrics to track performance and company health.
- Attention to detail. Does not let important details slip through the cracks or derail a project.
- High standards. Expects personal performance and team performance to be nothing short of the best.
- Persistence. Demonstrates the tenacity and willingness to go the distance to get the job done. Follows through on commitments.
Education and work experience
You will need to have a business-related degree and a minimum of 3 years operational management experience, preferably in a small business environment. No previous knowledge of industrial cleaning equipment is needed.
Essential skills/experience
- People skills - leadership, management, training/coaching, accountability
- Organisational skills - planning/project management/managing multiple priorities
- Process - improvements, documentation and monitoring
Useful skills/experience
- Recruitment and team building
- Stock and purchasing
- Production planning
- LEAN principles
- Customer service
- Health and safety
- Logistics
- Data analysis
- Accounting processes and P&L management
- Knowledge or experience of the operating systems described in Verne Harnish’s ‘Scaling up’, or ideally the EOS system, as described in Gino Wickman’s ‘Traction’, would be advantageous.
To apply
Please upload your CV via Indeed and complete the Indeed skills assessments 'Management & leadership' and 'Project management' (estimated time to complete both assessments is 15 minutes).
Thank you very much for your interest in this position, we very much look forward to receiving your application.
Please note: Before making any job offer, we will ask you to arrange reference calls with previous Managers and subordinates.
Job Type: Full-time
Salary: £50,000.00-£120,000.00 per year
Schedule:
- Monday to Friday
Education:
- Bachelor's (required)
Experience:
- Operations management: 3 years (required)
Work Location: In person
