Operations Manager

Smile Digital; Glasgow; Hybrid; GBP 38,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

Smile Digital in Glasgow is seeking an Operations Manager/Lead to keep the day-to-day operational wheel turning across multiple teams. This hybrid role requires 3 days in the office and focuses on data-driven decision making, reporting accuracy and process improvements.

You will partner with leadership, finance and delivery teams to ensure workflows are efficient, with visibility for informed decisions. 3–5 years’ experience and strong Excel skills are expected in a fast-paced service business.

Qualifications

• Around 3–5 years' experience in operations, resource, workflow or PMO within a fast-paced service-based business.
• Experience in agency? useful but not essential.
• Proven ability to translate data into actionable insights and improve processes.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day operational running across multiple teams.
• Coordinate actions, deadlines and priorities to keep work moving.
• Own and improve processes, workflows, trackers and reporting.
• Collaborate with delivery and finance to ensure accuracy of operational data and reporting.
• Produce and maintain operational and commercial reports with meaningful insights.
• Identify trends and gaps across delivery, performance and capacity.
• Assist with resource planning and capacity management.
• Manage day-to-day admin of systems and tools; embed consistent ways of working.
• Support onboarding and set-up for new starters.

Skills

Organised

Commercial awareness

Excel skills

Data reporting

System thinking

Resource planning

Cross-functional

Tools

Agency management system

Job description

Operations Manager, Operations Lead - Glasgow Hybrid, 3 days per week in the office - £38,000 to £45,000 - 12 month fixed-term contract

We are working with a growing, fast paced service based business that is looking for an experienced Operations Manager / Operations Lead to help keep the day-to-day running of the business organised, efficient and commercially on track.

This is a hands on role for someone who enjoys being across the detail, keeping teams and processes moving, and using systems and data to understand what is working well and where improvements can be made.

You will work closely with leadership, finance and delivery teams, helping to make sure operational information is accurate, reporting is useful, workflows are working properly and teams have the visibility they need to make good decisions.

What you will be doing

• Supporting the smooth day-to-day operational running of the business across multiple teams


• Coordinating actions, deadlines, priorities and follow-ups to make sure things keep moving


• Owning and improving operational processes, workflows, trackers and reporting


• Working closely with delivery and finance teams to make sure operational and commercial information is accurate and aligned


• Producing and maintaining operational and commercial reports, and importantly being able to understand what the data is actually telling the business


• Identifying trends, issues and gaps across delivery, performance, resource and workflow and helping teams understand what needs to change


• Supporting resource and capacity planning across teams


• Helping to drive good job management and making sure information is being captured accurately and consistently within systems


• Taking ownership of the day-to-day administration of operational systems and tools


• Reviewing how systems and processes are set up and identifying opportunities to simplify or improve them


• Supporting teams with systems and process queries and helping embed consistent ways of working


• Line managing and mentoring a part-time Operations Executive


• Supporting onboarding and operational set-up for new starters

What we are looking for

You will ideally have around 3 to 5 years' experience within operations, resource, workflow, studio, PMO, project delivery or a similar role within a fast-paced service-based business.

Agency experience would be useful, particularly within a creative, digital, marketing, communications or similar environment, but it is not essential.

We are particularly interested in someone who:

• Is highly organised, practical and comfortable juggling multiple priorities


• Has strong commercial awareness and understands the relationship between delivery, resource and financial performance


• Is confident working with operational data and reporting and can turn numbers into useful insight


• Has strong Excel skills and is comfortable manipulating data, using formulas, lookups, pivot tables and reporting tools


• Is systems savvy and ideally has experience improving workflows, fields, reporting structures or system processes


• Understands resource planning, workload and capacity management


• Is comfortable working across different teams and keeping people accountable for actions and deadlines


• Has a process improvement mindset and naturally spots where things could work better


• Is approachable, calm under pressure and confident supporting colleagues across the business

Experience using an agency management or job management system would be a bonus, but we are open to candidates who have worked with other operational, project or workflow systems.

This would suit someone who enjoys being the person who keeps the operational side of a business running smoothly, likes getting underneath the data and systems, and can bring structure, insight and follow-through to a busy team.