173 Chief Operating Officer jobs in the United Kingdom

Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Location: UK
Salary: Competitive, based on experience
Reporting to: Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Spencer Clarke Group are looking for a Chief Operating Officer to join with our client to lead core operational functions across a growing national organisation.
The client are a specialist education and care for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) is seeking an experienced Chief Operating Officer to lead core operational functions across a growing national organisation.
This strategic role will oversee finance, HR, estates, IT, compliance, commissioning, and risk-ensuring high standards, regulatory compliance, and strong foundations for continued growth.
Key Responsibilities

• Lead operational strategy aligned with the organisation's vision and goals.
• Oversee finance, estates, HR, IT, and compliance across multiple sites.
• Manage school openings, site development, and registration processes.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with local authorities and commissioning partners.
• Ensure compliance with all statutory requirements (Ofsted, DfE, SEND Code of Practice).
• Support financial sustainability and drive value for money.
• Promote a strong, inclusive workplace culture and lead workforce planning.

What We're Looking For

• Proven senior leadership experience in operations, ideally within education, care, or a regulated sector.
• Strong understanding of SEND frameworks, funding, and compliance in the UK.
• Experience managing multi-site teams and large-scale budgets.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement, communication, and change management skills.
• Track record of supporting organisational growth and service development.

As a leading specialist recruitment consultant, we excel in connecting exceptional professionals in the fields of Educational Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Psychiatry, and other roles requiring advanced medical or professional registration, with transformative career opportunities. Our unparalleled expertise and proven track record ensure we consistently match talented individuals with roles where they can truly make an impact.
Reach out to Natalie today to explore how she can support your next career move.
Email: | Phone: (phone number removed)
INDSCGNB

Chief Operating Officer

Salary:  Competitive

Location:  Fair Shot Café, London, WC2E 9AB

About Fair Shot

Fair Shot is a registered charity on a mission to become the UK’s leading neurodiversity employment model. We help young adults with learning disabilities and autism gain the skills and experience they need to secure sustainable jobs through our training café in Covent Garden and specialist employment programmes. While we continue to fundraise, our goal is to be as self-sustainable as possible. We achieve this by running our café, delivering events, supplying wholesale coffee, offering DEI workshops, and constantly seeking creative ways to raise awareness of our cause and diversify revenue streams.

Summary of the Position

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) will act as the CEO’s strategic partner and trusted deputy, leading both the charitable programmes (training, neuro-inclusion, and employment support) and the trading operations (café, events, wholesale coffee, and partnerships).

This role combines operational leadership with commercial acumen, ensuring excellent programme delivery while also driving business growth, increasing sales, and shaping a commercial strategy that supports Fair Shot’s long-term sustainability. The COO will oversee finance, compliance, people and culture, and organisational development, while also building partnerships and identifying new opportunities for business development and income diversification. By fostering a high-performing, values-led culture and strengthening Fair Shot’s internal foundations, the COO enables the CEO to focus on external growth, partnerships, and brand leadership, ensuring the organisation continues to expand its impact while remaining financially resilient.

Ideal Candidate

We are seeking a senior leader who:

• Has experience at Director/COO/Deputy CEO level within a charity, social enterprise, or purpose-driven business.
• Is commercially minded, with proven experience in growing business, driving sales, shaping commercial strategy, securing partnerships, and spotting opportunities for business development.
• Can demonstrate a track record of managing multi-disciplinary teams and senior managers.
• Brings knowledge of charity governance, safeguarding, HR, and regulatory compliance.
• Has significant financial management experience across both charitable and trading activities.
• Can translate strategy into clear operational plans and deliver tangible results.
• Thinks laterally and creatively to diversify revenue streams and amplify impact.
• Understands fundraising models and income diversification, with an entrepreneurial mindset for sustainable growth.
• Is resilient, hard-working, emotionally intelligent, kind and empathetic, courageous, warm, purpose-driven, and a strategic leader.
• Is committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion, with experience embedding a values-led culture.

Benefits:

• One Friday off a month (in addition to 30 annual leave days)
• Flexible working arrangements (2 days per week working from home)
• Complimentary beverages at the Café
• Free staff lunch
• Organised social events with learners and staff
• DBS enhanced check provided
• Safeguarding vulnerable adults course provided
• Monthly work coach session for six months

Top Responsibilities

As COO, you will:

• Act as the CEO’s deputy, providing leadership continuity and ensuring the effective running of the organisation. 
• Lead and drive the day-to-day operations across both charitable programmes and commercial activities (café, events, wholesale coffee, and workshops), implementing our strategy and ensuring organisational goals are met.
• Oversee all financial management, reserves, compliance, and risk across the organisation.
• Manage senior leaders and foster a positive, inclusive, and values-driven culture.
• Drive organisational growth by strengthening infrastructure, growing the team, diversifying income, and scaling impact.
• Build strong relationships with funders, employers, and stakeholders, while also bringing in potential partners to enhance both impact and sustainability, and ensuring CRM systems support engagement and growth.

Fair Shot Commitment

Fair Shot is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of background.

Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Location: UK
Salary: Competitive, based on experience
Reporting to: Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Spencer Clarke Group are looking for a Chief Operating Officer to join with our client to lead core operational functions across a growing national organisation.
The client are a specialist education and care for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) is seeking an experienced Chief Operating Officer to lead core operational functions across a growing national organisation.
This strategic role will oversee finance, HR, estates, IT, compliance, commissioning, and risk-ensuring high standards, regulatory compliance, and strong foundations for continued growth.
Key Responsibilities

• Lead operational strategy aligned with the organisation's vision and goals.
• Oversee finance, estates, HR, IT, and compliance across multiple sites.
• Manage school openings, site development, and registration processes.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with local authorities and commissioning partners.
• Ensure compliance with all statutory requirements (Ofsted, DfE, SEND Code of Practice).
• Support financial sustainability and drive value for money.
• Promote a strong, inclusive workplace culture and lead workforce planning.

What We're Looking For

• Proven senior leadership experience in operations, ideally within education, care, or a regulated sector.
• Strong understanding of SEND frameworks, funding, and compliance in the UK.
• Experience managing multi-site teams and large-scale budgets.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement, communication, and change management skills.
• Track record of supporting organisational growth and service development.

As a leading specialist recruitment consultant, we excel in connecting exceptional professionals in the fields of Educational Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Psychiatry, and other roles requiring advanced medical or professional registration, with transformative career opportunities. Our unparalleled expertise and proven track record ensure we consistently match talented individuals with roles where they can truly make an impact.
Reach out to Natalie today to explore how she can support your next career move.
Email: | Phone: (phone number removed)
INDSCGNB

Chief Operating Officer

Salary: Competitive

Location: London, WC2E 9AB

About Our Client

Our client is a registered charity on a mission to become the UK's leading neurodiversity employment model. They help young adults with learning disabilities and autism gain the skills and experience they need to secure sustainable jobs through their training café in Covent Garden and specialist employment programm.

WHJS1_UKTJ

WHJS1_UKTJ

We are seeking a talented Full Stack Developer to join our engineering team. This role requires strong expertise across both front-end and back-end development , with the ability to design, build, and maintain scalable applications from concept to deployment. The ideal candidate combines solid coding skills with an eye for clean UI/UX, strong problem-solving ability, and a collaborative mindset.

• Build responsive, user-friendly interfaces using frameworks such as React, Angular, or Vue.js .

• Implement reusable UI components, state management, and client-side logic.

• Optimize performance across devices and browsers.

• Ensure accessibility and cross-browser compatibility.

• Develop and maintain RESTful or GraphQL APIs.

• Work with back-end frameworks (e.g., Node.js/Express, Django, Spring Boot ) to handle business logic and integrations.

• Manage data flow between front-end and back-end services.

• Ensure security, authentication, and authorization best practices.

• Design and maintain relational (PostgreSQL, MySQL) and/or NoSQL (MongoDB, Redis) databases.

• Write efficient queries and support data modeling.

• Deploy, monitor, and optimize applications in cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP) .

• Work with CI/CD pipelines for seamless deployments.

• Work closely with designers, product managers, and other engineers.

• Translate requirements into technical implementations.

• Participate in code reviews and contribute to engineering best practices.

• Troubleshoot, debug, and upgrade systems.

• 4+ years of experience as a Full Stack Developer or similar role.

• Proficiency in at least one front-end framework (React, Angular, Vue).

• Strong knowledge of JavaScript/TypeScript, HTML5, CSS3 .

• Solid experience with one or more back-end languages/frameworks (Node.js, Python/Django, Java/Spring).

• Hands-on experience with databases (SQL and NoSQL).

• Familiarity with RESTful APIs and/or GraphQL .

• Cloud deployment experience (AWS, GCP, or Azure).

• Understanding of software security best practices.

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience).

• Relevant certifications (cloud, security, frameworks) are a plus.

• Opportunity to work on end-to-end product development with modern technologies.

• A collaborative team culture focused on innovation and learning.

• Flexibility (remote)

• Develop and implement strategic operational plans that align with the company's long-term vision and growth objectives.
• Oversee all operational aspects of the business, including technology, product delivery, customer support, and internal processes.
• Drive efficiency and productivity improvements across all departments, identifying areas for optimization and implementing best practices.
• Manage operational budgets, financial performance, and resource allocation to maximise profitability and ROI.
• Develop and implement key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure operational success and drive accountability.
• Lead and mentor a team of department heads, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and high performance.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant regulatory requirements and industry standards.
• Manage relationships with key vendors, partners, and stakeholders to ensure smooth operational flow.
• Oversee the development and implementation of scalable systems and processes to support rapid growth.
• Drive customer satisfaction through efficient service delivery and effective support mechanisms.
• Champion the company's culture and values, particularly in a remote-first operational framework.
• Conduct regular performance reviews and strategic assessments of operational effectiveness.
• Identify and mitigate operational risks, ensuring business continuity and resilience.

• Extensive experience in a senior operational leadership role, preferably as a COO, VP of Operations, or equivalent, within a high-growth technology company.
• Demonstrated success in developing and executing operational strategies that have driven significant business growth and profitability.
• Strong understanding of financial management, budgeting, and P&L responsibility.
• Exceptional leadership, team-building, and communication skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate diverse teams in a remote setting.
• Proven ability to analyse complex operational issues and develop effective solutions.
• Experience with implementing and managing ERP systems, CRM, and other operational software.
• Proficiency in strategic planning, process improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma), and project management.
• MBA or equivalent advanced degree is highly preferred.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic, and remote-first work environment.
• Outstanding problem-solving and decision-making capabilities.

• Oversee and direct all company operations and business activities.
• Develop and implement strategic operational plans.
• Manage operational budgets and financial performance.
• Lead and mentor senior management teams across various departments.
• Ensure efficiency, quality, and cost-effectiveness in all operations.
• Drive process improvements and implement best practices.
• Oversee human resources, supply chain, and customer service functions.
• Manage risk and ensure regulatory compliance.
• Foster a strong corporate culture and employee engagement.
• Identify and capitalize on growth opportunities.

• MBA or Master's degree in Business Administration, Management, or a related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in senior management roles, with significant operational leadership experience.
• Proven success in strategic planning and execution.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and manage large, diverse teams.
• Strong financial acumen and experience with budgeting and P&L management.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
• Experience in scaling businesses and driving growth initiatives.
• Deep understanding of operational excellence and best practices.
• Proficiency in business analysis and problem-solving.
• A results-oriented mindset with a commitment to achieving organizational goals.