Job Title: Chief Operating Officer / Head of Ops, Systems & Marketing (Recruitment Sector)
If you are considering sending an application, make sure to hit the apply button below after reading through the entire description.
Location: Southend-on-Sea (Hybrid Flexibility Available)
Employment Type: Full-Time
Salary: £40,000 – £60,000 + Performance Bonus + Share Scheme
Hours: Long and demanding – this is a leadership role, not a standard 9-to-5.
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About Us
We are pretty full-on.
We’re passionate about our work. We think we’re the best in the market – and we’re working relentlessly to stay ahead. We don’t settle. We don’t coast. We’re building a high-performance machine, and we have very high standards.
We’re a specialist recruitment firm placing elite legal, finance, and data professionals into top-tier firms – with individual placement fees ranging from $25,000 to $100,000.
We’ve passed $4M in revenue and are aiming for $10M+ in the next 24 months. We’ve got a world-class delivery team, a strong brand, and quality clients. Now, we need the right operations leader to bring systems, scale, and momentum to every part of the business.
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Your Role: Right Hand to the Founder
This is the most senior of three operations hires. You will report directly to the Founder and act as their number two across everything operational.
You'll work alongside:
1. This Role – Senior hire overseeing Operations, Systems, and Centralised Marketing.
2. Ops Exec – Supporting the day-to-day running of the business.
3. People Ops Lead – Handling hiring, induction, and performance as we grow by 3+ people a month.
You will own execution, lead our systems strategy, and manage a team of 11 offshore marketers and data specialists. You’ll be expected to move fast, solve problems proactively, and deliver outcomes week to week.
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Key Responsibilities
Operations & Business Systems
• Build and optimise core business processes, systems, and workflows.
• Implement automation and enforce SOPs for delivery, sales, and back office.
• Introduce performance dashboards and accountability frameworks.
• Support finance with reporting, budgeting, and reconciliations.
Tech, Data & AI
• Oversee the integrity and efficiency of our 1M+ candidate database.
• Manage our growing data and tech stack
• Collaborate with vendors and engineers to scale our infrastructure.
• Leverage AI and automation for outreach, lead scoring, and profile enrichment.
Centralised Marketing (Offshore Team Management)
• Direct and lead an 11-person offshore team handling:
o Weekly job ad creation (200+ per week)
o Email marketing
o Candidate outreach and data management
• Own the budget and results of our centralised marketing and data ops function.
Execution & Strategy Delivery
• Translate the Founder’s vision into clear, trackable execution plans.
• Own cross-functional projects end-to-end – tech, delivery, people, and marketing.
• Be the engine of progress: tracking KPIs, clearing blockers, and driving action daily.
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What We’re Looking For
• Proven experience in fast-growth recruitment or sales-led businesses.
• Strong background in operations, systems, and team leadership.
• Tech-savvy: you're comfortable with data platforms, automation tools, CRMs, and AI solutions.
• Hands-on and action-oriented – you implement, fix, and deliver.
• A sharp thinker and strong communicator who can manage up, down, and sideways.
• A builder – you love structure, process, performance, and accountability.
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What You’ll Get
• £40,000 – £60,000 base salary depending on experience
• Performance bonus and share scheme
• Strategic, central role in a business on an ambitious growth path
• Real ownership, real impact, and a true seat at the table
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This Role Is Not For Everyone
We work 50 hours a week - with flexibility for some home working.
It’s fast-paced, high-accountability, and operationally intense.
There are no passengers here.
But if you’re looking to build something meaningful, lead a business through real scale, and work alongside a driven founder with global ambitions — we want to meet you.