THE BIG PICTURE
VCCP is the challenger agency for challenger brands, with over 900 people around the world. We offer full-service marketing and brand experience solutions from advertising to media buying, content production to data science, customer mapping to platform design & build.
Bernadette is our award-winning specialist product and service and digital comms discipline of the VCCP Partnership. We are a friendly and knowledgeable team of 80 specialists across Strategy & Data, UX, Design, Motion, Technology & Engineering, Project & Account Management and Operations, all dedicated to creating great work across all digital channels.
OUR CULTURE
The VCCP Group has a unique culture, and we are looking for people who will make a positive contribution to this, therefore the candidate must have the following attributes:
* A collaborative nature
* An entrepreneurial spirit
* Take pride in their work
* Have an honest approach
* Be un-precious and be able to recognise that a good idea can come from anywhere
* Take responsibility
We are Bernadette - Bernadette means Brave as a bear. Being brave as a bear is having the confidence to face any challenge. It’s having a relentless curiosity. Fearlessly breaking new ground and having a passionate pioneering digital spirit.
OUR PURPOSE:
Our mission is to make digital more valuable, using creativity and collaboration to unlock innovation. That includes opening new categories and formats, delivering groundbreaking customer interactions, or generating long-term customer advocacy - across the whole digital ecosystem.
We design and make digital experiences, products and campaigns which set new standards for everyone to follow, are indispensable and you can’t imagine life without them.
ABOUT THE ROLE
We are looking for a high-impact Operations Manager to serve as the backbone of our digital experience agency. This isn't a ‘behind the scenes’ role; you are the pulse of the studio. You will ensure our processes are watertight, our team is optimally resourced, and our culture is thriving.
You aren’t just following a checklist - you are the architect and enforcer of the systems that allow our creative and technical teams to do their best work.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:
Process & Studio Governance
* Process Architect: Own, evolve, and most importantly enforce internal workflows. You are the final word on compliance; if a process exists, you ensure the team follows it.
* Operational Reporting: Lead the creation and delivery of regular reporting for the Bernadette leadership team. You will track agreed performance metrics (e.g., utilisation, recovery) to ensure financial objectives are met or exceeded.
* Ceremony Lead: Oversee the preparation and execution of all core team meetings and ceremonies (Triage, Love In, Forecasting, Monthly Team Meeting), ensuring they are high-value and well-run.
* Resourcing Oversight: While you won't manage the day-to-day seat-shifting, you are the escalation point for resourcing conflicts. You ensure the resourcing process is followed, you are actively involved in solving problems, and make sure that the Delivery team has what they need to succeed.
* Workplace Evolution: Own the physical and digital work environment. This includes ensuring the studio is equipped with the right IT/equipment for collaboration and maintaining robust processes for remote and hybrid working.
* Third party management: you are across our contracts and ways of working with our third party partners
Talent & Recruitment
* The Talent Journey: Shape the end-to-end employee experience.
* Hiring Lifecycle: Act as the internal lead for all recruitment. This includes drafting job specs, managing finance approvals, and partnering with our internal talent team and external recruiters.
* Candidate Experience: Facilitate interviews, ensure a tight feedback loop and ensure new hires align with our studio standards.
* Compliance: Serve as the bridge to VCCP HR, ensuring all policies, contracts, and benefits are understood and adhered to by the entire team.
Growth & Culture
* Wellbeing & Culture: Partner with the leadership team to prioritise and execute wellbeing initiatives, ensuring Bernadette remains a high-performance yet healthy environment.
* Brand Voice: Oversee our social media channels and PR (internal and external), ensuring a consistent presence that reflects our expertise and agency life.
* Awards Driver: Take the lead on awards submissions, hunting down the best work from the team and ensuring we meet deadlines to get the recognition we deserve.
* Social & Engagement: Ensure our ‘culture calendar’ is full. From team socials to internal celebrations, you make sure the team stays connected and energised.
About You
* The Diplomatic Enforcer: You don't just police the process; you communicate the value of the process. You can translate complex operational needs into simple behaviours for creative and technical teams.
* Operational Authority: You have a proven track record of enforcing processes in a creative environment while maintaining high team morale. You see a bottleneck and immediately think of a systemic solution. Have presence and not afraid to speak up
* Hyper-Organised: You’re the person who never misses a detail
* Strategic Ambition & Agency Passion: You don’t just want to ‘manage’ a studio; you want to evolve it. You are deeply passionate about the intersection of creative excellence and operational efficiency. You have the ambition to treat this role as a business partner to the leadership team.
* Composed Agility in a High-Velocity Studio: Digital experience agencies are inherently busy and you are the person who thrives in that energy without losing your cool. You don't just survive a fast-paced environment; you organise it, bringing a sense of calm and structure to the team even when deadlines are shifting and priorities are competing.
Essentials for the Role:
* A proven track record of thriving within a fast-paced digital agency environment.
* Demonstrated experience driving meaningful operational or cultural change at a departmental level.
* A history of designing and implementing scalable processes that measurably improve team efficiency and output quality.
* Expert at coordinating departmental operations, including high-frequency touchpoints like daily Stand Ups, to ensure alignment and momentum.
* Experience collaborating closely with resourcing teams to balance permanent headcount and freelance talent against fluctuating pipeline demands.
* Skilled in managing third-party suppliers, from initial onboarding to maintaining meticulous contract records and ensuring full legal/commercial compliance.
If this sounds like you or someone you know, we'd love to hear from you!
VCCP DE&I STATEMENT
We believe that DE&I is about creating a strong culture of inclusion within our agency, where everyone can thrive and be their authentic self. VCCP is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, age, disability, religion, belief, sexual orientation, marital status, or ethnicity. If you require any adjustments during the application or interview process, please let us know via joinus@vccp.com.
CRIMINAL RECORDS INFORMATION
As part of our onboarding process, you will be required to complete a Criminal Records Declaration regarding any unspent convictions. For roles in finance, HR, Legal, IT or senior management, we may be required to verify your declaration with a basic DBS check, as well as an Adverse Finance and ID check.
**Please note, we try to respond to as many applications as possible but, if you do not hear from us within two weeks of submitting your application, please assume we are unable to proceed with your application for this specific role. Thank you for your interest in VCCP**