Director of Operations

My client is a premier international advisory organisation specialising in organisational ethics, culture, and governance. Working alongside executive leadership teams and boards across financial services, technology, and civil society, they translate cutting-edge moral philosophy and behavioural science into practical, values-driven business transformation.

Operating an established, remote-first international model supported by a global network of senior specialist advisers, they are appointing an Operations Director to partner directly with the CEO on a contract / fractional basis.

This is not a back-office administration post. It is a strategic leadership mandate for an intellectually agile, commercially grounded operator who can co-design and execute firm strategy, bring order to complex international operations, and champion technology-led ways of working.

Working in direct partnership with the CEO, you will take full ownership of business operations across five core pillars:

• Strategy & Operating Model: Partner closely with the CEO to shape business strategy and translate priorities into disciplined, coordinated execution. Continually refine the firm’s operating model, governance, and risk frameworks—including oversight of ISO 27001 alongside specialist support - balancing rigorous control with entrepreneurial agility.
• Multi-Currency Finance & Commercial Visibility: Lead financial operations across an international, multi-currency structure. Own rolling cash-flow forecasting, annual budgeting, intercompany coordination, and management reporting alongside external specialist accountants. Provide clear commercial insight into project costs, margins, and firm economics.
• AI & Workflow Automation: Act as the internal champion for modern technology, fulfilling a leadership mandate to embed practical AI and intelligent automation across the firm’s core operational engine. Proactively identify, design, and implement automated workflows to eliminate administrative drag and scale delivery capacity.
• Advisory Delivery Enablement: Establish robust contracting, onboarding, and project set-up controls. Maintain resourcing and utilisation visibility across an international associate network of senior consultants, building frameworks that make client delivery consistent and effortless.
• People & Team Infrastructure: Lead people operations across the employee and contractor lifecycle. Direct the Operations Executive, oversee external HR partners, and foster an accountable, high-trust, and collaborative remote culture.

• Professional Services Pedigree: Substantial operations leadership experience within management consulting, advisory, professional services, or a high-growth knowledge-based firm. Comfort collaborating with highly academic teams, senior ethicists, and sector specialists is essential.
• Financial Acumen: Proven capability managing complex multi-currency cash flows, intercompany coordination, and commercial margin visibility. A recognised accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA) or substantial hands-on financial management experience is highly prized.
• CEO Partnership & Tenacity: High resilience, intellectual confidence, and the autonomy to act as a genuine co-pilot to the CEO—bringing execution discipline, robust judgement, and the gravitas to challenge assumptions constructively.
• Commitment to AI & Systems: A proven track record of designing, simplifying, and embedding scalable ways of working, with an active, hands-on interest in leveraging AI and automated tools.
• Governance & Standards: Pragmatic risk awareness, with working knowledge of overseeing ISO 27001 and information-security frameworks alongside specialist support.
• Contractor Readiness: Experienced operating on an agile contractor / fractional basis.
• Desirable:
  Professional French-language capability is advantageous, though not strictly mandatory.

Remote UK (occasional London collaboration)

Immediate availability or a short notice period is advantageous to facilitate a structured handover.