Regional Operations Director

OLIVER - North America; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Job summary

OLIVER in London is seeking a Regional Operations Director for the EMEA region. You will translate the global operating model into market-specific execution, building structure, governance and performance focus to strengthen control and enable scalable growth.

You will lead a regional operations team, partner with regional and global leadership, and act as the key connector between regional execution and global capability.

Qualifications

• Senior operations leadership experience in advertising, consulting, creative production, media agency, or professional services.
• Deep understanding of agency operating models including delivery, workflow, planning, utilization, scope, billing and margins.
• Proven track record of leading regional or multi-market operations teams in fast-paced environments.
• Strong ability to use metrics and KPIs to drive action and improve performance.

Responsibilities

• Lead the regional operations function for EMEA with clear priorities and governance.
• Own the client delivery run model for EMEA, with cadence, governance, issue resolution and escalation.
• Manage governance, forums and decision rights to ensure regional context is represented globally.
• Embed the global operating model across EMEA with market-specific execution.
• Oversee demand, supply, utilization and capacity; partner with Global Capacity Management and Delivery to optimise deployment.
• Enable regional client teams with core processes: onboarding, timesheeting, billing readiness and inter-agency setups.
• Drive margin management by monitoring cost-to-serve, leakage and avoidable costs across the region.
• Use performance data to identify risks and opportunities and translate insights into actions.
• Foster cross-functional collaboration between Sales, Account, Implementation, Finance, HR, Technology and Offshore teams.
• Lead, coach and develop the Regional Operations team and cultivate accountability and continuous improvement.

Skills

Agency operating models

People leadership

Commercial acumen

Data-driven decision making

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

Established in 2004, OLIVER is the world’s first and only specialist in designing, building, and running bespoke in-house agencies and marketing ecosystems for brands. We partner with over 300 clients in 40+ countries and counting. Our unique model drives creativity and efficiency, allowing us to deliver tailored solutions that resonate deeply with audiences.

As a part of The Brandtech Group, we’re at the forefront of leveraging cutting‑edge AI technology to revolutionise how we create and deliver work. Our AI solutions enhance efficiency, spark creativity, and drive insightful decision‑making, empowering our teams to produce innovative and impactful results.

Role: Regional Operations Director (EMEA)

Location: London, United Kingdom (3 days a week from our London offices)

About the role:

The Regional Operations Director is accountable for the operational effectiveness of the EMEA region. Reporting to the Global Chief Transformation and Operations Officer, you’ll translate the global operating model into practical, market‑specific execution — building the structure, governance and performance focus needed to strengthen operational control and support scalable growth.

You’ll lead a regional operations team, partner closely with regional and global leadership, and act as the key connector between regional execution and global capability. The role calls for a leader equally comfortable setting strategic direction and solving complex operational problems hands‑on — someone who turns data into action, builds high‑performing teams, and keeps commercial performance firmly in focus.

What you will be doing:

Regional operational leadership

• Set clear priorities, accountabilities and ways of working for the EMEA Regional Operations function.
• Build the structure, rhythm and capability needed to improve client delivery, business performance and regional growth.
• Act as the senior operational partner to Regional Leadership on risks, performance, capacity and improvement priorities.

Client delivery operations

• Own the operational run model for EMEA clients — including cadence, governance, issue resolution and escalation management.
• Partner with Account Leadership to ensure delivery risks are visible, blockers are resolved quickly and client teams are set up to deliver effectively.
• Ensure regional clients are mobilised and supported through consistent operating standards and reliable delivery controls.

Governance, cadence and decision management

• Own the regional governance rhythm: forums, communications, decision‑making and performance reviews.
• Ensure decisions are made at the right level, escalations are routed effectively and regional context is represented in relevant global and regional forums.
• Drive clear actions, accountability and follow‑through across the function.

Operating model execution

• Embed the global operating model across EMEA, ensuring standards, processes, tools and governance expectations are adopted consistently.
• Translate enterprise‑level standards into practical, market‑specific ways of working.

Resource and capacity management

• Own the regional view of demand, supply, utilisation, resource mix and capacity gaps.
• Partner with Global Capacity Management, Account Teams, Delivery Leads and Offshore Operations to optimise deployment, resolve constraints and improve utilisation.
• Provide regional input into enterprise workforce planning and future capacity needs.

Business and client enablement

• Ensure regional client teams have the operational foundations needed to mobilise and deliver work effectively.
• Coordinate core business processes including client onboarding, timesheeting, billing readiness, inter‑agency set‑ups, compliance and headcount approvals.
• Act as the regional operational point of coordination for enablement issues, working across Finance, HR, Technology and Implementation to unblock dependencies.

Commercial performance and margin management

• Manage the operational levers that affect cost‑to‑serve across the region, including scope leakage, resource efficiency, rework and avoidable cost.
• Partner with Account Leadership and Finance to improve margin visibility and ensure practical actions are in place to protect profitable delivery.
• Oversee regional budget performance and present financial outcomes to regional and global stakeholders.

Regional insight and continuous improvement

• Use performance data to identify risks, issues, and improvement opportunities across the region.
• Translate insight into action — ensuring key issues have clear owners, measurable outcomes, and appropriate escalation routes.
• Identify recurring operational bottlenecks and lead remediation, including regional adoption of global improvement initiatives.

Cross‑functional partnership

• Act as the key operational connector between EMEA and global operations capabilities.
• Partner across Sales, Account, Implementation, Finance, HR, Technology, and Offshore functions to drive client outcomes and operational consistency.
• Provide regional operational input into sales pursuits, client mobilisation, scope expansions and solution design — ensuring proposed models are deliverable and scalable.
• Interface with Global Programme Directors where regional and global client contexts intersect, aligning on dependencies, escalations, and capacity impacts.

Team leadership and development

• Lead, coach and develop the Regional Operations team, building a high‑performing function with clear roles, standards, and ways of working.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, operational discipline, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure the team has the skills, confidence, and behaviours needed to support a more mature, insight‑led, and scalable delivery model.

What you need to be great in this role:

Essential

• Senior operations leadership experience within, advertising, consulting, creative production, media agency, or professional services.
• Deep understanding of agency operating models — including client delivery, workflow, resource planning, utilisation, scopes of work, billing, compliance, and margin management.
• Proven experience leading regional or multi‑market operations teams in a people‑led, fast‑paced environment.
• Strong commercial acumen, with confidence managing the operational levers that affect profitability.
• Experience owning or improving resource and capacity management, including demand and supply visibility, workforce mix, and deployment planning.
• Ability to use operational data, KPIs, and reporting to identify risks, drive action, and improve performance.
• Track record embedding governance, process discipline, and ways of working across complex teams or markets.
• Strong cross‑functional stakeholder skills — with experience partnering across regional and global functions including Finance, HR, Technology, Account, and Delivery.
• Proven people leadership: building capable teams, strengthening operational performance, and creating a culture of accountability.
• Comfortable moving between strategic direction and hands‑on operational problem‑solving.

Desirable

• Experience in a global matrix organisation with regional, global, and offshore delivery models.
• Background in an in‑house agency, embedded agency, creative production, or complex marketing ecosystem.
• Exposure to client mobilisation, implementation, transition, or new operating model design.
• Experience contributing to RFPs, commercial modelling, solution design, or delivery model development.
• Exposure to automation, AI‑enabled operations, workflow optimisation, or digital transformation in a marketing or agency environment.

Commercial and budget accountability

• Experience overseeing regional or annual operational budgets and presenting financial performance to senior stakeholders.
• Track record of driving margin discipline — reducing leakage, rework, and avoidable cost across complex delivery environments.
• Ability to connect operational decisions to commercial outcomes and communicate financial performance clearly to leadership.
• Strategic integration of AI tools to improve operational efficiency, insight, and reporting across a regional function.
• Experience setting AI governance standards and embedding AI‑assisted workflows within a team or function.
• Agentic leadership approach: systematic, outcome‑oriented problem‑solving across complex, multi‑stakeholder environments.
• Confidence driving AI adoption and sharing best practice across a broader operations network.
• Strong judgment in evaluating AI outputs and maintaining rigorous human oversight.

Req ID: 18558

#LI-KA1 #LI-Director #LI-Hybrid

Our values shape everything we do:

Be Ambitious to succeed

Be Imaginative to push the boundaries of what’s possible

Be Inspirational to do groundbreaking work

Be always learningand listening to understand

Be Results-focused to exceed expectations

Be actively pro-inclusive and anti-racist across our community, clients and creations

Our recruitment process does not employ artificial intelligence. Candidate evaluation and selection are conducted without AI-supported screening or decision‑making.

OLIVER, a part of the Brandtech Group, is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive working environment where all employees are encouraged to reach their full potential, and individual differences are valued and respected. All applicants shall be considered for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, neurodivergence, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by local laws.

_OLIVER has set ambitious environmental goals around sustainability, with science‑based emissions reduction targets. Collectively, we work towards our mission,embedding sustainability into every department and through every stage of the project lifecycle.