Head of Operations

Carnall Farrar Ltd; Greater London; Sur place; GBP 90 000 - 130 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

Carnall Farrar Ltd is seeking a senior operations and resourcing leader to drive the planning, resource allocation and performance reporting across the firm. You will own the core operational and commercial processes and partner with senior leaders to align capacity with demand, enabling growth and international expansion.

You will lead cross-practice resourcing, apply AI-enabled improvements where appropriate, and ensure data quality and visibility in CMap while maintaining margins and budget

Responsabilités

• Own and continuously improve core operational and commercial processes with CPO, Head of Finance, and Business Development.
• Identify and lead operational improvements, using AI and automation safely where they add value.
• Own CMap as the resourcing, project and pipeline system, setting data quality standards.
• Take on evolving operational requirements as CF grows.
• Own resourcing across practices and geographies; lead the Resourcing Team matching consultants to client work by skills and availability.
• Maintain forward-looking capacity and demand, flag gaps and surpluses early.
• Run regular resourcing forums to resolve competing demands and escalate trade-offs.
• Manage the associate pool and costs, keeping spend within budget and protecting margin.
• Track utilisation and timesheet compliance, and close gaps with practices.
• Partner with People on workforce planning using data to shape hiring across levels and geographies.
• Business planning and pricing.

Description du poste

About us

We are a leading consultancy with a purpose to make an enduring impact on health and healthcare. We work with leaders and frontline teams to improve health, transform healthcare, drive adoption of innovation and create value through investment. Our consultancy serves the entire healthcare sector, from payors and providers of care, to life science companies, health tech and sector suppliers and health investors. We provide end-to-end services, from strategy through implementation, accelerated by data, digital and AI. We shape opinion through evidence-based thought leadership on key issues affecting health. With unmatched ability to access and use health data, our consultants are a driving force for delivering positive and meaningful change.

About the role

CF is growing, and the way we plan, resource and report on that growth needs to keep pace. This role exists to turn our ambitions into a clear, deliverable business plan, to make sure the right people are on the right work at the right time, and to give the firm a single, trusted view of how it is performing. Our profitability turns on utilisation, day rate and leverage, and you will own the operational levers behind all three. You will report directly to the Chief Operating and Commercial Officer (COCO) and lead the Operations and Resourcing team. Day to day, you will lead business planning and forecasting, run resourcing across every practice and geography, and produce the performance reporting that our Executive Operating Committee (EOC) and Board rely on. You will work as a business partner to Partners and Heads of Practice, and sit on the Leadership Team. This is a critical role for the day-to-day operations of the company, as well as growth and international expansion, and you will have a leadership role in shaping how a growing consultancy plans and runs its work.

Our strategic intent

We are focused on building the leading consulting company dedicated to health. We serve the entire healthcare sector, including healthcare systems (providers, payors and regulators), life sciences (pharmaceuticals, biotech, devices and diagnostics), health technology, health investors, and the wider supplier landscape. We provide end-to-end services, from strategy through implementation, supporting organisations to improve population health and healthcare outcomes. Our work spans strategy and transformation, finance and performance improvement, and delivery accelerated by data, digital and AI. We help clients understand their ambitions, identify opportunities to create value, apply innovation in practice, and deliver sustainable, measurable change. Our consulting is accelerated by data. With an unmatched ability to access and use health data, we are recognised for our expertise in its safe and responsible application, improving health and healthcare delivery, supporting adoption of innovation, generating evidence, and informing decision‑making. Our engineering and data science capabilities underpin our consulting and are also deployed directly with clients, often as part of multidisciplinary teams. We are building a community of expert consultants who want to operate at the leading edge of the profession and who share a passion for health. Through structured career development from Analyst to Partner, underpinned by apprenticeship, mentorship and formal training, we are cultivating the leaders of the future and supporting individuals to develop distinctive expertise that creates value for our clients.

Responsibilities

• Own and continuously improve the company's core operational and commercial processes working closely with the Chief People Officer, Head of Finance, and the Business Development teams.
• Proactively identify and lead operational improvements, using AI and automation safely where they add value.
• Own CMap as the firm's resourcing, project and pipeline system, setting standards for data quality and use.
• Take on other operational requirements as they arise; this is an evolving role that will develop as CF grows.
• Own resourcing across all practices and geographies, and lead the Resourcing Team matching consultants and associates to client work based on skills, development needs, availability and commercial priority.
• Keep an accurate, forward‑looking view of capacity and demand, flagging gaps and surpluses early to Partners and Heads of Practice.
• Run regular resourcing forums, resolving competing demands and escalating the trade‑offs that need a leadership decision.
• Manage the associate pool and associate costs with the practices, keeping spend within budget and protecting margin.
• Track utilisation and timesheet compliance, and work with practices to close gaps.
• Partner with the People team on workforce planning, using pipeline and demand data to shape hiring plans across levels and geographies.
• Business planning and pricing.
• Lead the annua