Run the UK like a focused venture. Own the full P&L across retail, marketplaces and DTC—revenue, contribution margin, brand health—and move with founder-level speed backed by our central Growth Studio.
This is a step-up seat built for a high-trajectory operator: someone who's run a region, channel or category successfully and is ready to own an entire market. Real ownership, real leverage, and the chance to set the template other markets will follow.
Package:
Strong six-figure base + uncapped performance upside + clear equity path for outperformance.
Head of UK (Country Lead)
Manchester (hybrid)
• Full-time
• Reports to: CEO
Own the P&L. Win the market. Build the playbook.
Package:
Designed for exceptional performers on the way up, strong six-figure base, uncapped performance upside, and clear equity path for outperformance.
The role
Run the UK like a focused venture. You'll own the full P&L across retail, marketplaces and DTC—revenue, contribution margin, brand health—and move with founder-level speed backed by our central Growth Studio.
This is a step-up seat built for a high-trajectory operator:
someone who's run a region, channel or category successfully and is ready to own an entire market. Real ownership, real leverage, and the chance to set the template other markets will follow.
About Hairburst:
We sit where beauty meets wellbeing. Haircare built with science, validated in the mirror. Founded with £4k; bought by JD Sports 2021; bought back by founders 2023. You'll find us in Boots, Superdrug, Holland & Barrett, across marketplaces and DTC. 1 million+ customers.
The context:
We're rewriting the playbook for modern consumer brands. Beauty × wellbeing by design. AI-native operations. Subscription-led economics. Evidence-based formulas with measurable results. Territory ownership where country leads move at founder speed, backed by world-class specialists.
You'll join at the inflection point. We have product-market fit, profitable growth, and a proven model. Now we need someone to own the UK completely and show what's possible when you combine founder-level autonomy with world-class infrastructure.
What you'll own
* P&L accountability
→ Revenue, contribution margin, brand health across all channels.
* Strategy & priorities
→ Write the UK plan. Pick the few things that matter. Sequence the rest.
* Commercial levers
→ Mix, pricing, promo. Retail sell-in/sell-out. Creator/affiliate performance. Subscription and retention. Availability.
* Partnerships
→ Key retail relationships, creator partnerships, on-ground activations that actually move product.
Your unfair advantage
The Growth Studio:
Performance, e-commerce, CRM/retention, creative, CX—world-class specialists who've already made the expensive mistakes. You set the strategy; they give you the firepower to execute at pace.
You
* Owner's mindset.
You've already owned real outcomes (revenue, margin or GMV) in a consumer business and you're hungry for true market ownership.
* Brand-literate operator.
You know brand isn't what we say—it's what we consistently do. Every pricing decision, retail placement and customer interaction either builds or erodes value.
* You have a spike.
Outstanding at one or two levers (retail velocity, DTC/CRM, marketplaces, creator-to-conversion) and solid across the rest.
* You ship, then learn.
Short cycles, clear reads, scale what works, bin what doesn't.
* Channel-fluent.
You know when retail, DTC or marketplaces should lead, and how they support each other.
* Operator basics.
Simple plans, one source of truth, decisions made quickly. You lift people, set high standards, protect focus.
Signals we want
→
0→1 and 1→10
: you've launched or rebooted something and scaled it fast—not just tended a steady-state book
→
Outcomes over titles
: a market, region or channel you grew—starting point → actions → £ impact
→
Numbers + narrative
: comfortable in weekly P&L and trading calendars; equally strong telling the brand story
→
Test over debate
: scrappy tests, cut losers quickly, double down on winners
→
Commercial instincts
: you've used pricing, promo and mix levers; done win-win deals with retailers or creators
→
Hands-on leadership
: you've led cross-functional teams and coach for outcomes
Our approach to potential
We back people on the way up. If you've been consistently taking on more scope and delivering bigger outcomes—regardless of title—we want to talk.
We'd rather hire a sharp operator who's ready to run their first full market P&L than someone already coasting in the job. If you've already been a UK GM at a major beauty brand, you're probably overqualified—we're looking for someone building their playbook, not refining a well-worn one.
Apply
CV + one short answer (≤150 words):
Imagine you're UK Lead on Day 30 with a £50k discretionary budget and the Growth Studio behind you. What's the single highest-leverage move you'd make in the next four weeks to improve contribution margin and set up repeat?
State in plain English:
* Customer/segment you'd target
* Channel (retail/marketplace/DTC) and offer/experience you'd run (and why it fits our brand)
* The simple read you'd use in 4–6 weeks to prove it deserves to scale (e.g., CAC→LTV, retail velocity, repeat/sub attach)
150 words max. No decks.
We'll get back to you within 48 hours.