93 Operations Director jobs in London

Join Fresh as our Next Operations Director – South

Fresh, an award-winning residential for rent accommodation provider with a portfolio of over 20,000 beds across the UK and Ireland, is seeking a highly strategic and people-focused Operations Director .

In this pivotal role, you will lead operational performance across our fast-growing and diverse portfolio, operating within the Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA), Build to Rent (BTR), and Co-Living sectors. You’ll take full ownership of more than 8,500 units and foster strong, strategic partnerships with a valued client base of over 15.

This is a senior operations role reporting to the COO, responsible for leading the region with a matrix team of marketing and property SMEs to drive client outcomes. You’ll work closely with the COO to shape and deliver the future vision of residential living—driving strategy, commercial performance, and delivering exceptional experiences for both residents and clients.

Acting as the vital link between our teams, assets, and stakeholders, you’ll ensure operational excellence, regulatory compliance, and continued commercial success across the region.

Location: Ideally based within commuting distance of London, with regular travel required across London, the South of England, and South Wales. Flexible home working is available.

What We’re Looking For:

We’re searching for a confident, accomplished, and forward-thinking Operations Director who brings a balance of strategic vision and hands-on leadership. You’ll play a key role in delivering operational excellence, inspiring high-performing teams, and shaping the resident and client experience across our growing portfolio.

Strategic Leadership & Operational Excellence

• Proven experience leading large, multi-site operational teams within residential property, hospitality, or student accommodation.
li>Ability to deliver scalable, consistent, and efficient services across a wide portfolio.
• Data-driven mindset with the ability to use insights to improve performance and decision-making.

People-First Leadership

• A motivating and collaborative leader who builds trust and drives a culture of service excellence.
• Track record in developing and empowering high-performing teams through coaching, clarity, and support.
• Committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and wellbeing—aligned with our Be Wellbeing programme.

Resident & Customer Experience

< i>Strong understanding of the full resident lifecycle—from move-in to move-out—and the drivers of satisfaction and retention.

Commercial Acumen & Partner Management

• Strong commercial skills, including experience managing budgets, operating margins, and meeting client expectations.
• Capable of building long-term partnerships with institutional clients, JV partners, and developers.
• Experience with bids, mobilisations, or award submissions is a plus.

Growth Mindset & Innovation

• Passionate about shaping the future of residential living in a dynamic, evolving market.
• Confident in managing change, scaling operations, and driving continuous improvement.
• Brings fresh thinking, challenges the status quo, and actively contributes to innovation.

You’ll be proactive, energetic, and solutions-focused—someone who leads by example and isn’t afraid to get hands-on when needed. Your integrity and credibility will earn the trust of colleagues, clients, and partners. With a forward-looking mindset and a focus on results, you’ll continually seek opportunities to innovate, improve, and move the business forward.

If you’re ready to lead transformational change and deliver lasting impact, we’d love to hear from you.

Operations Director
Lonsite Limited – London, UK

Lonsite is a specialist construction recruitment agency supplying skilled labour to major UK infrastructure projects (nuclear, rail, aviation, water, energy & defence). We combine boutique agility with market-leading compliance and expertise.

We’re seeking an Operations Director to drive strategic growth, optimise margins and scale our new White Collar Permanent Recruitment service. You’ll lead all operational functions, P&L performance, technology integration and team development, reporting to the Founding Director.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute strategies to deliver ambitious revenue and margin targets.
li>Oversee daily operations, streamline processes and champion health, safety, sustainability & compliance.
• Lead selection, implementation and optimisation of CRM/ATS platforms and digital transformation initiatives.
• Manage budgets, cash flow and client financial health, delivering regular performance reports.
• Build a high-performing team: hire, coach and develop staff, and deliver development sessions.
• Generate billings, covering permanent assignments until a specialist consultant is in place.
• Strengthen client relationships, win new accounts and act as senior escalation point.
• Represent Lonsite at industry events and support brand development.

Person Specification

• Director-level experience in construction or engineering recruitment (labour supply & permanent search).
• Proven track record of driving significant revenue growth and margin improvement.
• Strong commercial acumen, financial management and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Excellent leadership, change-management and communication abilities.
• Deep understanding of major infrastructure markets.

What We Offer

• Six-figure salary package plus performance bonus
• Private healthcare and other benefits
• Clear progression: opportunity to step into the Managing Director role within 2–4 years
< i>Genuine board-level influence and career development

This list is not exhaustive and other duties may be required as the role and business evolve.

To apply, please send your CV and a brief cover letter. Lonsite is an equal-opportunity employer.

• Leadership & Strategic Direction:
  Set the vision and lead the strategic operational planning across a national cleaning portfolio. Ensure teams are aligned to organisational goals and customer expectations, driving a culture of excellence and continuous improvement.
• Client Engagement & Relationship Management:
  Lead high-level engagement with key clients and stakeholders through regular reviews, strategic discussions, and performance presentations. Be a trusted point of contact and escalation for commercial and operational matters.
• Operational Oversight:
  Monitor service delivery across multiple high-value contracts, ensuring that key performance indicators (KPIs), service-level agreements (SLAs), and compliance standards are consistently met or exceeded.
• Commercial & Financial Accountability:
  Own the P&L across a portfolio valued at £2 +, identifying cost-saving opportunities and driving profitability. Lead commercial reviews and support pricing strategies, tender responses, and acquisition assessments.
• Team Development & Performance Management:
  Mentor, guide, and support a large and diverse operational team. Promote leadership capability across the business and ensure succession planning, skills development, and high engagement levels.
• Operational Excellence & Quality Assurance:
  Drive standards across safety, quality, and sustainability. Conduct regular site audits and leverage performance data to identify areas for innovation, efficiency, and optimisation.
• Change Leadership & Integration:
  Lead business transformation initiatives, including new contract mobilisations, change programmes, and acquisition integrations. Ensure seamless service delivery and cultural alignment through times of change.

• A strong background in senior operations leadership within soft services FM , with a heavy emphasis on cleaning services .
• Proven ability to manage and grow a 0m+ business portfolio , driving operational efficiency, margin growth, and customer satisfaction.
• Demonstrable experience of managing commercial risk, pricing strategies, and P&L responsibility in a complex, multi-site environment.
• Successful track record of leading and integrating acquisitions , delivering stability and commercial performance during transitional periods.
• Ability to inspire, lead, and mentor large operational teams, with excellent people leadership skills and experience in performance management and cultural development.
• Deep commercial insight with the ability to assess data, spot inefficiencies, and implement actionable solutions at pace.
• Experience working with clients in regulated sectors (e.g., healthcare, education, public sector) is desirable.
• High-level communication skills with the ability to influence at executive level, both internally and externally.

• Strategic thinking with a hands-on approach.
• Commercially savvy, financially astute, and numbers-driven.
• Calm under pressure with excellent decision-making ability.
• People-first mindset with a passion for leadership and development.
• Resilience, ambition, and integrity in equal measure.

Join Fresh as our Next Operations Director – South

Fresh, an award-winning residential for rent accommodation provider with a portfolio of over 20,000 beds across the UK and Ireland, is seeking a highly strategic and people-focused Operations Director .

In this pivotal role, you will lead operational performance across our fast-growing and diverse portfolio, operating within the Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA), Build to Rent (BTR), and Co-Living sectors. You’ll take full ownership of more than 8,500 units and foster strong, strategic partnerships with a valued client base of over 15.

This is a senior operations role reporting to the COO, responsible for leading the region with a matrix team of marketing and property SMEs to drive client outcomes. You’ll work closely with the COO to shape and deliver the future vision of residential living—driving strategy, commercial performance, and delivering exceptional experiences for both residents and clients.

Acting as the vital link between our teams, assets, and stakeholders, you’ll ensure operational excellence, regulatory compliance, and continued commercial success across the region.

Location: Ideally based within commuting distance of London, with regular travel required across London, the South of England, and South Wales. Flexible home working is available.

What We’re Looking For:

We’re searching for a confident, accomplished, and forward-thinking Operations Director who brings a balance of strategic vision and hands-on leadership. You’ll play a key role in delivering operational excellence, inspiring high-performing teams, and shaping the resident and client experience across our growing portfolio.

Strategic Leadership & Operational Excellence

• Proven experience leading large, multi-site operational teams within residential property, hospitality, or student accommodation.
li>Ability to deliver scalable, consistent, and efficient services across a wide portfolio.
• Data-driven mindset with the ability to use insights to improve performance and decision-making.

People-First Leadership

• A motivating and collaborative leader who builds trust and drives a culture of service excellence.
• Track record in developing and empowering high-performing teams through coaching, clarity, and support.
• Committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and wellbeing—aligned with our Be Wellbeing programme.

Resident & Customer Experience

< i>Strong understanding of the full resident lifecycle—from move-in to move-out—and the drivers of satisfaction and retention.

Commercial Acumen & Partner Management

• Strong commercial skills, including experience managing budgets, operating margins, and meeting client expectations.
• Capable of building long-term partnerships with institutional clients, JV partners, and developers.
• Experience with bids, mobilisations, or award submissions is a plus.

Growth Mindset & Innovation

• Passionate about shaping the future of residential living in a dynamic, evolving market.
• Confident in managing change, scaling operations, and driving continuous improvement.
• Brings fresh thinking, challenges the status quo, and actively contributes to innovation.

You’ll be proactive, energetic, and solutions-focused—someone who leads by example and isn’t afraid to get hands-on when needed. Your integrity and credibility will earn the trust of colleagues, clients, and partners. With a forward-looking mindset and a focus on results, you’ll continually seek opportunities to innovate, improve, and move the business forward.

If you’re ready to lead transformational change and deliver lasting impact, we’d love to hear from you.

Operations Director
Lonsite Limited – London, UK

Lonsite is a specialist construction recruitment agency supplying skilled labour to major UK infrastructure projects (nuclear, rail, aviation, water, energy & defence). We combine boutique agility with market-leading compliance and expertise.

We’re seeking an Operations Director to drive strategic growth, optimise margins and scale our new White Collar Permanent Recruitment service. You’ll lead all operational functions, P&L performance, technology integration and team development, reporting to the Founding Director.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute strategies to deliver ambitious revenue and margin targets.
li>Oversee daily operations, streamline processes and champion health, safety, sustainability & compliance.
• Lead selection, implementation and optimisation of CRM/ATS platforms and digital transformation initiatives.
• Manage budgets, cash flow and client financial health, delivering regular performance reports.
• Build a high-performing team: hire, coach and develop staff, and deliver development sessions.
• Generate billings, covering permanent assignments until a specialist consultant is in place.
• Strengthen client relationships, win new accounts and act as senior escalation point.
• Represent Lonsite at industry events and support brand development.

Person Specification

• Director-level experience in construction or engineering recruitment (labour supply & permanent search).
• Proven track record of driving significant revenue growth and margin improvement.
• Strong commercial acumen, financial management and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Excellent leadership, change-management and communication abilities.
• Deep understanding of major infrastructure markets.

What We Offer

• Six-figure salary package plus performance bonus
• Private healthcare and other benefits
• Clear progression: opportunity to step into the Managing Director role within 2–4 years
< i>Genuine board-level influence and career development

This list is not exhaustive and other duties may be required as the role and business evolve.

To apply, please send your CV and a brief cover letter. Lonsite is an equal-opportunity employer.

We’re Growing – Join Us as Operations Director in London

As our business continues to grow and evolve, we’re now seeking a forward-thinking Operations Director to driver our London division forward.

As Operations Director , you will lead the cleaning operational success of our London region, working closely with senior stakeholders and the wider leadership team to shape strategy, drive continuous improvement, and deliver outstanding service.

This is a high-impact leadership role for someone who excels in strategic decision-making, operational delivery, and people leadership—playing a key role in driving business performance, enhancing service quality, and fostering a high-performing, inclusive culture.

As Operations Director you will:

• Lead regular strategic reviews with senior stakeholders through monthly and quarterly meetings.
• Monitor and evaluate KPIs and quality assurance metrics across all contracts, identifying trends and opportunities for improvement.
• Conduct site visits to ensure compliance, service quality, and alignment with company standards.
• Oversee financial performance, ensuring profitability across the portfolio and identifying opportunities to improve margins.
• Collaborate with operational leaders to address client feedback, ensuring swift and effective resolution.
• Drive operational efficiencies and scalable processes to support continued growth.

As Operations Director you will have:

• Proven leadership experience at senior management or director level within the facilities management (FM) sector.
• A history of managing business portfolios valued at £20M+ with demonstrated financial growth.
• Experience in acquisitions and integrations, ensuring smooth operational alignment during transitions.
• Strong people leadership skills, with a focus on coaching, mentoring, and building high-performing teams.
• Demonstrated ability to drive business improvement through operational and strategic initiatives.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, both internally and externally.
• Commercially savvy, with a data-driven approach to identifying challenges and driving solutions.
• A structured, practical problem-solver focused on sustainable, long-term success.

What we offer you

We believe in rewarding talent and creating a workplace where everyone feels valued. Here’s what you’ll get:

• Employee Ownership – You are part of our success!
• 33 days holiday (including bank holidays)
• Company sick pay
• Maternity and paternity leave support
• 24/7 GP access, plus mental health, wellness, financial, and legal support
• Two paid volunteering days per year – Give back to a cause that matters to you
• Exclusive perks and discounts – More than 250 deals available
• Ongoing training and development – From apprenticeships to leadership programs
• Wellbeing, Diversity & Inclusion – Our Mosaic Committee and Mental Health First Aiders are leading the way
• Recognition and rewards – Celebrating our shining stars all year round

Our Commitment to Inclusion

We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone belongs. As an inclusive and equal-opportunity employer, we welcome applicants from all backgrounds and experiences. We believe that diversity drives innovation and excellence, and we strive to build a culture of respect, fairness, and opportunity for all.

Reasonable adjustments

Please let us know if there are any adjustments, we can make to support you during our recruitment process. We’re happy to help…

Please note: Security clearance (DBS) is required for this role

Job Title: Operations Director

Location: London (or within a commutable distance, flexibility available for the right candidate in surrounding areas)

Contract: Full-Time, Permanent

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

Salary: Competitive + Company car or car allowance + Performance Bonus

About Busy Bees

Busy Bees are a global leader in early years education. We’re a values-driven organisation built on care, quality, service and people. With over 1000 centres globally, and ambitious growth plans in the UK and Europe, there’s never been a more exciting time to join our leadership team.

We’re now looking for a proven senior operations leader to take on a pivotal role within our UK leadership team as Operations Director, with responsibility for driving performance across a large, high-profile region that includes our London centres.

About the role

As Operations Director, you will be accountable for the overall performance, quality, compliance, and leadership of multiple early years education centres. This is a strategic and delivery-focused role that will work closely with the CEO and wider UK and European leadership team to drive growth, performance and transformation across your region.

What you will do

• Lead and inspire a team of senior operational leaders across a portfolio of centres
• Ensure operational excellence, safeguarding, compliance, and high-quality education delivery
• Be accountable for regional P&L, budget delivery and resource optimisation
• Drive performance across occupancy, compliance, engagement and profitability
• Shape and implement initiatives across employee engagement, retention and talent development
• Scope and support the rollout of tech solutions, new processes and acquisition integrations
• Collaborate cross-functionally with HR, L&D, Finance, and IT to deliver best-in-class services
• Act as a change leader, embedding a culture of high performance, care, and continuous improvement

Who We're Looking For

We are looking for a high-performing individual who is either currently operating at this level or above but ready to progress into a more complex, fast-paced, and high-growth environment.

Someone highly commercial, people-focused, and operationally rigorous. You’ll be confident making decisions at pace, navigating complex stakeholder environments, and delivering measurable results across a large, dispersed, service-based organisation.

Essential experience

• Substantial leadership experience at Operations Director/COO level
• Demonstrated success managing multi-site teams and senior direct reports
• Background in retail, healthcare, childcare or other regulated service environments
• Strong understanding of the London market including cost dynamics, workforce supply, and customer expectations
• Proven experience leading transformation and strategic initiatives
• Strong track record in budget ownership, financial performance, and KPI delivery

Key capabilities

• Exceptional leadership and coaching skills, you get the best from your people
• A commercial mind, with a strong grasp of cost, value and performance levers
• Data-driven decision making and proven experience using insights to drive change
• Excellent communicator, able to engage at every level from frontline teams to Board
• Strategic thinker with operational discipline and attention to detail
• Passion for early years education, safeguarding, and improving outcomes for children.
• Flexible approach to working hours, including travel across the UK and occasional European visits

If you're ready to bring your experience to a purpose-led, high-impact leadership role we want to hear from you!

Are you feeling uninspired in your current role? Or are you ready for an exciting career change in central London?

Our client has a compelling opportunity for you in a vibrant, client-centric business. Offering a competitive salary, performance-related bonuses and the chance to acquire equity in the business, this is an opportunity that you don't want to miss!

This role presents fresh challenges, a family-like culture, a hands-on team and is within a fast-growing company in London that offers incredible opportunities.

They are looking for an Operations Director with exceptional communication skills to lead the operational strategy and execution within the business. In this role, you will report directly to their CEO and manage a team of managers across their portfolio.

This position is particularly exciting as it offers significant room for professional growth and is open to candidates from any industry. If you possess people management experience, a strong work ethic and a thirst for knowledge, this role could be the perfect fit for you.

Equal Opportunities Employer:

Our client is committed to providing equality in the workplace and ensuring that all opportunities for and during employment will be afforded to individuals fairly. The client reflects the diversity of many communities and welcomes applications from people of all backgrounds.

If you're eager to take on a fresh challenge and elevate your professional journey, we invite you to take the next step and apply for this thrilling opportunity today.

Requirements

About You:

Our client is looking for an outstanding leader with strong management and communication skills. The ideal candidate can approach challenges with a positive attitude and who likes to work in the office amongst a team. They want someone who can take initiative and exhibit excellent organisational skills. Having a willingness to learn and embrace new challenges is also very important.

Core Responsibilities:

• Streamline operational procedures in alignment with company values.
• Oversee any building projects and take ownership of facilities.
• Collaborate with the CEO to deliver a high level of communication within the broader team.
• Work with the team to drive optimal performance and development.
• Examine operational processes to enhance efficiency and best practices.
• Act as a mentor and coach to guide the team.
• Build relationships between the employees and clients.
• Manage records and ensure health and safety regulations are maintained.

Benefits

• Opportunity to acquire equity and become a shareholder of the company.
• Personal and company performance based bonuses = 25%-50% of salary.
• Increased salary within 3-6 months
• Comprehensive training and support.
• Annual awards ceremony to celebrate success.
• Fantastic career progression.
• Supportive Employee Wellbeing Assistance program.
• A culture focused on teamwork, rewards and fostering social activities.
• Opportunities to join a rapidly expanding industry.