Head of Operations

Sanderson King; Greater London; On-site; GBP 48,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Sanderson King is supporting a PE-backed healthcare clinic group in London with a high-growth trajectory and a leadership hire for Head of Operations. The role is on-site, multi-site, and focused on balancing rapid expansion with exceptional operational standards.

You will drive day-to-day performance across the clinic network, develop scalable processes and KPIs, and partner with the Founder & CEO and senior leadership to shape the growth of the operating platform.

Qualifications

• Significant operational leadership experience within a multi-site healthcare or clinic environment.
• Experience supporting meaningful site growth and new location openings.
• Strong understanding of operational challenges of scaling a physical estate.
• Experience managing multiple locations and senior site leaders.
• Excellent commercial awareness and understanding of site-level performance.
• Strong knowledge of operational KPIs, reporting and performance management.
• Experience building scalable processes and operating procedures.
• Track record of improving customer experience and operational standards.
• Strong people leadership and team development capability.
• Confidence working directly with Founders, CEOs and senior leadership teams.

Responsibilities

• Leading day-to-day operations across a growing multi-site clinic network.
• Driving high operational standards across every location.
• Improving customer experience, service delivery and commercial performance.
• Supporting mobilisation and opening of new clinics.
• Building scalable operating processes, procedures and standards.
• Establishing clear KPIs and using data to identify issues and opportunities.
• Working with clinic leaders to improve performance.
• Recruiting and developing high-performing operational teams.
• Creating consistency across locations while maintaining entrepreneurial culture.
• Working with Finance, HR, Marketing, Technology, Property and clinical leadership.

Job description

London | 5 Days On-site | Up to c.£80,000 + Package

The Opportunity

Sanderson King is delighted to be supporting the Founder & CEO of a high-growth, PE-backed healthcare clinic business with another important leadership appointment, following a number of successful C-suite hires we have already made for the organisation.

The business is at an exciting stage of its development, with significant investment behind an ambitious strategy to rapidly expand its clinic network across the UK.

We are now searching for a Head of Operations who can work closely with the Founder & CEO and wider leadership team to help build the operational platform required to support this growth.

This is not a traditional corporate operations position. We need a hands-on, commercially minded operator who has previously experienced the realities of scaling a multi-site healthcare or clinic-based organisation and knows how to balance rapid expansion with exceptional operational standards.

The Role

The Head of Operations will take responsibility for day-to-day operational performance across the clinic network while helping develop the systems, processes, people and infrastructure required for significant future growth.

You will be highly visible across the business, spending time with clinic teams as well as working closely with the Founder & CEO and senior leadership.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Leading day-to-day operations across a growing multi-site clinic network.
• Driving consistently high operational standards across every location.
• Improving customer experience, service delivery and commercial performance.
• Supporting the mobilisation and successful opening of new clinics.
• Building scalable operating processes, procedures and standards.
• Establishing clear KPIs and using data to identify performance issues and opportunities.
• Working closely with individual clinic leaders to improve performance.
• Recruiting, developing and supporting high-performing operational teams.
• Creating greater consistency across locations without losing the entrepreneurial culture of the business.
• Working cross-functionally with Finance, HR, Marketing, Technology, Property and clinical leadership.
• Identifying opportunities to improve efficiency, productivity and profitability.
• Supporting the implementation of new systems and technology across the estate.
• Helping develop the regional management structure as the clinic network expands.
• Working directly with the Founder & CEO on operational strategy and future growth initiatives.

New Clinic Openings & Growth

A major part of the opportunity will be helping the business successfully scale its physical footprint.

You will help ensure new clinics move smoothly from development through mobilisation and opening, including:

• Supporting operational planning for new locations.
• Building repeatable opening and mobilisation processes.
• Ensuring teams, systems and operating procedures are ready ahead of launch.
• Working closely with Property and other functions throughout the opening process.
• Supporting recruitment and onboarding of new clinic teams.
• Monitoring performance following launch and quickly addressing operational challenges.
• Applying lessons from each opening to continually improve the rollout model.

We are therefore particularly interested in candidates who have personally experienced a business moving from a relatively small estate to a significantly larger multi-site operation.

About You

Direct multi-site healthcare experience is important for this appointment.

We would particularly welcome candidates from areas such as:

• Aesthetics and cosmetic clinics
• Optical
• Physiotherapy
• Primary care
• Specialist healthcare
• Other premium clinic-based businesses

You may currently be operating as a Head of Operations, Operations Director, Regional Operations Director, Regional Director or in a comparable senior multi-site leadership position.

More important than title is evidence that you have genuinely helped a healthcare business scale.

Experience & Skills

We are looking for someone who can demonstrate:

• Significant operational leadership experience within a multi-site healthcare or clinic environment.
• Previous experience supporting meaningful site growth and new location openings.
• Strong understanding of the operational challenges associated with scaling a physical estate.
• Experience managing multiple locations and senior site leaders.
• Excellent commercial awareness and understanding of site-level performance.
• Strong knowledge of operational KPIs, reporting and performance management.
• Experience building scalable processes and operating procedures.
• A track record of improving customer experience and operational standards.
• Strong people leadership and team development capability.
• Confidence working directly with Founders, CEOs and senior leadership teams.
• Experience operating in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Experience within a PE-backed, founder-led, startup or scale-up organisation would be particularly advantageous.

The Person

Culture and approach will be equally important.

We are looking for someone who:

• Is genuinely hands-on and enjoys being close to operations.
• Has a builder mentality rather than simply maintaining established structures.
• Can move comfortably between strategy and detailed operational problem-solving.
• Takes ownership and follows issues through to completion.
• Is commercially minded and comfortable being held accountable for performance.
• Builds trust quickly with frontline teams and senior leadership.
• Is calm and pragmatic when things don't go to plan.
• Is comfortable challenging existing ways of working.
• Can introduce structure without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.
• Thrives in an ambitious, rapidly changing environment.
• Wants to play a meaningful role in building a business rather than simply taking another corporate operations position.

Why Join?

This is an opportunity to join a well-funded business at a point where the decisions being made today will shape how it operates for years to come.

You will work directly with an entrepreneurial Founder & CEO and an evolving senior leadership team, with significant scope to influence how the operational model is built.

Rather than inheriting a mature national estate, you will have the opportunity to help create the infrastructure, culture and operating standards required to become one.

For the right individual, there should also be significant opportunity for your own responsibilities to develop as the organisation continues to grow.

Package & Location

Salary: Up to c.£80,000 depending on experience, plus package

Location: London

This is deliberately an on-site role. We are looking for someone who wants to be highly visible within the business, working closely with the Founder, leadership team and individual clinics.

If you have successfully helped scale a multi-site healthcare business and would be excited by the opportunity to do it again within an ambitious, PE-backed growth environment, we would love to hear from you.