Chief Operating Officer – High-Growth. FMCG/Consumer Events

Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Hybrid (London Based with Regular UK Event Travel)

£65,000 – £80,000 Salary Depending on Experience, plus Performance Bonus, Car Allowance / Travel Support, Potential Profit Share / Equity Opportunity & More

Full Time – Permanent. Reporting to: CEO. Company: High‑growth direct marketing and events business. Clients: Leading consumer subscription and FMCG brands. Culture: Entrepreneurial | Hands‑On | Fast‑Paced | Collaborative | High Accountability.

Role Overview

Act as the CEO’s strategic counterpart to shape business strategy, organisational design, and operational transformation across a rapidly growing UK‑wide operation with international ambitions.

Key Responsibilities

• Co‑develop and execute strategic growth plans alongside the CEO.
• Act as a strategic advisor and operational counterpart to the CEO on major business decisions.
• Lead operational delivery across nationwide events and exhibition campaigns.
• Oversee staffing, logistics, scheduling, accommodation and equipment planning.
• Drive organisational design and operational scalability as the business grows.
• Manage operational budgets, event‑level P&L and cost‑control initiatives.
• Lead and develop operational management and performance structures.
• Oversee freelance workforce planning, recruitment and retention strategies.
• Build leadership capability through coaching, accountability and management development.
• Manage relationships with venues, organisers, suppliers and brand stakeholders.
• Act as the senior escalation point for operational, workforce and compliance issues.
• Support governance across People operations, culture and workforce strategy.
• Drive systems, reporting, KPI and process improvement initiatives.
• Build scalable SOPs, workflows and operational frameworks.
• Champion operational technology, reporting dashboards and process automation.
• Support change management, restructuring and operational transformation activity.
• Support international operational expansion initiatives including the US market.
• Present operational reporting, workforce metrics and commercial insights at leadership level.

Qualifications

• Proven operational leadership experience within field marketing, direct sales, experiential marketing or events.
• Demonstrable experience operating as a strategic partner to a CEO, founder or MD.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen with P&L management experience.
• Experience scaling teams, operational structures and organisational processes.
• Strong leadership capability with experience developing managers and building accountability.
• Experience managing distributed or freelance workforces within fast‑paced operational environments.
• Experience managing logistics across multiple concurrent events, campaigns or field operations.
• Excellent relationship management and stakeholder communication skills.
• Comfortable operating within fast‑paced, founder‑led SME environments.
• Hands‑on, adaptable and willing to roll sleeves up when needed.
• Strong change management and operational transformation capability.
• Experience driving operational structure, governance and scalable systems.
• Highly organised with excellent decision‑making and problem‑solving skills.
• Comfortable balancing strategic thinking with operational execution.
• Knowledge of the UK exhibition and consumer events circuit including NEC, ExCeL and Olympia.
• Experience within subscription or continuity sales models.
• Familiarity with contractor or freelance workforce management.
• Exposure to US expansion or international operational growth.
• Background within entrepreneurial or scaling businesses.

Benefits

• Genuine strategic seat at the leadership table.
• Direct partnership with the CEO and real influence over business direction.
• Opportunity to shape and scale the operational backbone of a growing business.
• Executive‑level ownership with highly visible impact.
• Fast‑paced, entrepreneurial and collaborative culture.
• Opportunity to help drive international expansion.
• Significant long‑term progression opportunity including potential profit share or equity discussion.
• Autonomy to build systems, structures and operational excellence your way.
• In return you’ll gain real influence, high autonomy and the opportunity to help shape a scaling business at executive level.

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