Strategic Leadership - Operational Excellence - Scaling SME Environment
Ready to step into a true executive leadership role where your influence, decision-making and operational expertise will directly shape the future of a scaling national business?
Do you thrive in fast-moving environments where strategy and execution go hand in hand and where no two weeks ever look the same?
At Croci Collective, we’re entering a major new phase of growth and are looking for a commercially minded, operationally strong COO to act as the CEO’s strategic right hand while building the operational infrastructure required to scale successfully.
This is not a back-office operations role. This is a genuine executive leadership opportunity for someone equally comfortable shaping strategic direction in the boardroom as they are solving operational challenges on-site at live events.
You’ll operate as a true counterpart to the CEO, helping shape business strategy, organisational design, workforce scalability and operational transformation across a rapidly growing business with UK-wide operations and exciting international ambitions.
P.S. We love fun, engaging and friendly people that genuinely represent our brand culture.
The Role at a Glance:
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Hybrid (London Based with Regular UK Event Travel)
£65,000 - £80,000 Salary Depending on Experience
Plus Performance Bonus, Car Allowance / Travel Support, Potential Profit Share / Equity Opportunity & More
Full Time - Permanent
Reporting to: CEO
Company: High-growth direct marketing and events business
Clients: Leading consumer subscription and FMCG brands
Culture: Entrepreneurial | Hands-On | Fast-Paced | Collaborative | High Accountability
Leadership Scope: Sales Performance | Operations | Logistics | Workforce Planning | Finance | People Governance
Your Background / Skills: Operational Leadership, Events, Experiential Marketing, Field Sales Operations, Workforce Management, Commercial Operations, Change Management, Organisational Design, Team Leadership
Who we are:
We are Croci Collective - one of the UK’s fastest-growing direct marketing businesses specialising in subscription product sales through consumer events and exhibitions nationwide.
We partner with major venues, exhibition organisers and leading consumer brands, deploying high-performing sales teams across a packed annual calendar of live events and campaigns throughout the UK.
Our success is built on execution, energy and people.
We are proud of our collaborative culture whilst being highly selective about both the clients we partner with and the people we bring into the business. We move quickly, think commercially and genuinely care about creating an ambitious environment where talented people can thrive.
The business is now entering an exciting new stage of growth, including recent US expansion activity, and we’re looking for a COO who can help build the operational infrastructure, leadership capability and strategic discipline needed to scale successfully.
This role also follows the evolution of the previous HR Director position, absorbing the strategic organisational leadership, operational excellence and change management responsibilities that supported the company’s growth journey.
Ready to help shape the future of a rapidly growing business?
As COO, you’ll operate as the CEO’s strategic counterpart, helping co-create business direction while taking ownership of the operational engine that powers the organisation.
You’ll oversee event operations, workforce planning, logistics, performance management, organisational design, operational scalability and people governance while helping translate commercial ambition into operational reality.
This role combines strategic leadership, operational delivery, people leadership and commercial accountability inside a scaling SME environment where adaptability, ownership and resilience are critical.
You’ll play a key role shaping leadership capability, operational structure and scalable systems while helping the business prepare for continued national growth and international expansion.
What your day might look like:
• Co-developing and executing the company’s strategic growth plans alongside the CEO
• Acting as a strategic advisor and operational counterpart to the CEO on major business decisions
• Leading operational delivery across nationwide events and exhibition campaigns
• Overseeing staffing, logistics, scheduling, accommodation and equipment planning
• Driving organisational design and operational scalability as the business grows
• Managing operational budgets, event-level P&L and cost control initiatives
• Leading and developing operational management and performance structures
• Overseeing freelance workforce planning, recruitment and retention strategies
• Building leadership capability through coaching, accountability and management development
• Managing relationships with venues, organisers, suppliers and brand stakeholders
• Acting as the senior escalation point for operational, workforce and compliance issues
• Supporting governance across People operations, culture and workforce strategy
• Driving systems, reporting, KPI and process improvement initiatives
• Building scalable SOPs, workflows and operational frameworks
• Championing operational technology, reporting dashboards and process automation
• Supporting change management, restructuring and operational transformation activity
• Supporting international operational expansion initiatives including the US market
• Presenting operational reporting, workforce metrics and commercial insights at leadership level
About You:
• Proven operational leadership experience within field marketing, direct sales, experiential marketing or events
• Demonstrable experience operating as a strategic partner to a CEO, founder or MD
• Strong commercial and financial acumen with P&L management experience
• Experience scaling teams, operational structures and organisational processes
• Strong leadership capability with experience developing managers and building accountability
• Experience managing distributed or freelance workforces within fast-paced operational environments
• Experience managing logistics across multiple concurrent events, campaigns or field operations
• Excellent relationship management and stakeholder communication skills
• Comfortable operating within fast-paced, founder-led SME environments
• Hands-on, adaptable and willing to roll sleeves up when needed
• Strong change management and operational transformation capability
• Experience driving operational structure, governance and scalable systems
• Highly organised with excellent decision-making and problem-solving skills
• Comfortable balancing strategic thinking with operational execution
Desirable:
• Knowledge of the UK exhibition and consumer events circuit including NEC, ExCeL and Olympia
• Experience within subscription or continuity sales models
• Familiarity with contractor or freelance workforce management
• Exposure to US expansion or international operational growth
• Background within entrepreneurial or scaling businesses
Why Join Croci Collective?
• Genuine strategic seat at the leadership table
• Direct partnership with the CEO and real influence over business direction
• Opportunity to shape and scale the operational backbone of a growing business
• Executive-level ownership with highly visible impact
• Fast-paced, entrepreneurial and collaborative culture
• Opportunity to help drive international expansion
• Significant long-term progression opportunity including potential profit share or equity discussion
• Autonomy to build systems, structures and operational excellence your way
Apply today, step into your next executive leadership challenge and help shape the next chapter of Croci Collective’s growth journey.
If you thrive on building high-performing teams, creating structure in fast-paced environments and turning ambitious growth plans into operational success, this is your opportunity to make a genuine impact inside one of the UK’s fastest-growing experiential marketing businesses.
In return, you’ll gain real influence, high autonomy and the opportunity to help shape a scaling business at executive level.
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