Company Description
TLM is a growing awarding organisation with a mission to support innovative qualifications, empower educators, and enhance learner outcomes. As we scale, we are building a collaborative and agile team that values both professional expertise and the entrepreneurial spirit needed in a dynamic environment.
Role Description
The Head of Operations will be responsible for ensuring that TLM runs smoothly and scales effectively. Reporting directly to the CEO, this role will oversee day-to-day operations, staff management, systems development, and organisational growth strategies.
The role requires a leader who can balance strategic oversight with hands-on delivery, ensuring TLM continues to deliver excellence to its stakeholders while preparing for expansion. This role has the potential to evolve into a Chief Operating Officer (COO) position as TLM grows, offering the right candidate a pathway into executive leadership.
Key Responsibilities:
Operational Leadership
* Lead and manage daily organisational operations, ensuring efficiency and effectiveness across departments.
* Develop and implement operational policies, processes, and systems to support growth.
* Oversee compliance, quality assurance, and risk management aligned to regulatory frameworks.
Team Management
* Line-manage key staff, with responsibility for performance reviews, training, and development.
* Foster a collaborative and positive work culture that encourages accountability and innovation.
* Support recruitment, on-boarding, and retention strategies as the team expands.
Strategic Delivery
* Work with the CEO and directors to deliver the organisation’s strategic plan.
* Monitor KPI's and prepare regular performance reports for the board.
* Lead quarterly in-person meetings to align staff, build cohesion, and strengthen organisational culture.
Stakeholder Engagement
* Ensure TLM holds positive relationships with external partners, regulators, and stakeholders.
* Represent TLM professionally at meetings and events.
What we are looking for
* Proven track record in operations leadership, preferably in education, awarding bodies, or not-for-profit/SME environments.
* Strong financial management skills (budgeting, forecasting, and resource allocation).
* Digital literacy, with experience in using management systems/CRM for operational efficiency.
* Strong people management skills with experience in growing teams.
* Excellent organisational, communication, and leadership skills.
* Demonstrated ability to hold multiple priorities, systems, and projects in balance simultaneously.
* Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to balance strategic priorities with hands-on delivery.
* Comfort with hybrid working and willingness to travel quarterly as a minimum for director and team meetings.
Desirable
* Knowledge of qualifications frameworks and regulatory compliance in education.
* Experience in business development or partnership management.
* Previous work in a small but scaling organisation.
Personality Traits / Leadership Style
* Proactive, solutions-focused, and adaptable in a growing organisation.
* Empathetic and people-oriented, able to inspire and support diverse teams.
* Entrepreneurial mindset — enjoys building systems and processes from the ground up.
* Calm and emotionally measured, able to respond to challenges with composure rather than reactivity.
* Strong communicator who can unite remote teams and build cohesion.
* Analytical and systems-oriented thinker, capable of managing multiple moving parts with clarity.
* Forward-thinking, able to anticipate challenges and identify the best long-term solutions.
Contract: Full-time, permanent (subject to 6-month trial period).
Location: Remote with quarterly travel to team/director meet-ups (expenses covered).
Salary: £55,000–£65,000 per annum depending on experience, with scope for review after a successful 6-month period. In addition, the role includes eligibility for an annual performance-related bonus linked to organisational delivery and growth.