Operations Director - East London
£75,000-£90,000 basic + bonus + equity potential (OTE up to £140,000)
Core3 are exclusively retained to recruit an Operations Director in East London on behalf of a fast-growing recruitment business entering a critical growth and transformation phase. This is a rare opportunity to step into a strategic No.2 role with a clear path to board-level influence and future succession planning.
Why join this business?
This is a pivotal leadership opportunity in a purpose-driven, founder-led recruitment business with strong foundations and big ambitions. With a five-year horizon to a successful exit, the founder is seeking a commercially sharp and operationally excellent leader to help shape the next chapter-building resilience, driving performance, and enabling long-term value creation. You'll have full autonomy to lead operations, influence strategy, and leave your mark on a high-potential business that's ready to scale.
How you'll make an impact
Own the day-to-day operations of the business-commercial, financial, compliance and systems-creating stability and enabling sustainable growth.
Lead transformation projects to streamline processes, embed accountability, and deliver a high-performance culture across the team.
Provide structure and clarity for junior and developing staff, including implementing KPIs and training frameworks that lift capability and engagement.
Partner with the founder on business planning, forecasting and performance tracking, ensuring strategic decisions are backed by robust data.
Support expansion into new markets and revenue streams, including building operational readiness for diversification.
Collaborate on recruitment, onboarding and retention of top sales talent to drive future pipeline and profitability.
Play a leading role in succession planning and exit-readiness, with equity and profit-share potential tied to delivery.
Why this role is right for you
You're an experienced Ops, Commercial or Sales Director (or equivalent) from a recruitment background, ideally with exposure to interim/contract markets.
You've led teams through change, turnaround or transformation-and know how to implement structure without losing pace.
You bring a well-rounded commercial skill set: part operator, part analyst, part people leader.
You're comfortable managing budgets, financial plans and reporting, and understand the levers of recruitment profitability.
You thrive on ownership and want to play a long game-stepping into a high-trust relationship with the founder and driving value over the next 3-5 years.
You want to be part of something that balances ambition with purpose and integrity-leaving the business better than you found it.
What you'll get in return
Basic salary £75,000-£90,000 DOE
Bonus + equity/profit-share package (OTE £110,000-£140,000)
Defined route to board-level role and succession potential
Full ownership and autonomy to shape operational strategy
A grounded, entrepreneurial culture built on trust, transparency and shared success
If this Operations Director - East London opportunity speaks to you, we'd love to hear from you. Apply now or reach out to // 0117 213 0300. Go to to see our full jobs listings.
We invite applications from all qualified candidates who believe they meet the requirements of the role, whilst supporting and promoting equality and diversity to create an inclusive working environment for all.
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