Chief Operations Officer

We are a rapidly expanding executive coaching & consulting company with a presence in London, Paris, Singapore, Hong Kong, New York and Dublin, working with a global client base.

Our HQ is in London, where a small, energetic team works closely together to run the operations of the business. We have always promoted a hybrid workplace, with our team being in the office, at home, some local to London and many in other cities or countries.

We are a values driven company and we believe that our culture is part of our success. We maximise the diversity of who we work with and how we work, sharing talents and ideas and co-building solutions. Each person in our team is empowered to take ownership, push boundaries, and play an integral part in taking the business forward to deliver an exceptional experience to our coaches and our clients.

As an executive coaching business we take pride in how we develop our people to ensure that they have fulfilling careers, ensuring an empowering and dynamic workplace is one of our biggest drivers. We are looking for an individual who is excited to help us develop the infrastructure the company needs as it continues to grow, and who is ready to lead from the front and take accountability.

The COO role supports the CEO in running the Aesara business and sits on our Global Leadership team. The role will include managing operational budgets, optimising business processes, monitoring key performance indicators, and ensuring effective utilisation of resources. The COO will collaborate with our regional managing partners to align strategies, drive operational efficiency, and enhance productivity ensuring they work for the needs of all regions. They will serve as a key liaison between different functional areas, facilitating communication, coordination, and integration across the organisation. The role is crucial in streamlining operations, improving organisational effectiveness, and supporting the CEO in achieving strategic objectives.

This role will be based in our London office on Throgmorton Street, in the City. We do have a flexible working policy, and we practice hybrid working with a minimum of three days per week in the office.

Core Responsibilities

• Operational Management: The COO is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the organisation. This includes managing the company's core operations, ensuring efficient processes, and driving operational excellence and optimising the time of coaches to deliver their services. They will establish operational goals & KPI’s, monitor performance, and implement strategies to improve productivity and efficiency for Aesara now & into the future. They will ensure that core business processes are being adhered to by all members of the APL community (employees, GLT & coaches) and put in place action plans to address if not.

• Process Optimisation: The COO will be responsible for identifying and implementing process improvements to enhance operational efficiency. This may include the analysis of workflows, elimination of bottlenecks, and streamlining of procedures to drive cost savings, improve quality, optimise the time of coaches to service delivery and business development and increase speed and responsiveness. We are in the process of designing and developing an Aesara 2.0 workstream as an umbrella for all process improvements which the COO will lead the implementation of and ensure it meets the desired objectives.

• Strategic Governance, Planning and Execution: The COO collaborates with the CEO and the GLT in the development of the organisation's strategic plans. The COO aligns operational activities with the overall strategic direction of the company & ensures effective decision-making processes are in place for all strategic initiatives. The COO will manage the operational governance of the GLT and it’s associated committees.

• Operations Team Leadership, HR: The COO will directly line manage the London based Operations and Project Management team and have dotted line responsibility for the project managers in our regional offices. They will cultivate a culture of performance, accountability, and continuous improvement, ensuring strategic milestones are met. The COO recruits and develops talent, establishes training and development programs, and ensures the organisation has the right skills and capabilities to achieve it’s operational objectives.
• In addition to this line management responsibility, the COO will therefore also lead all HR processes internally with the support of our external HR consultants.
• The COO will also manage Aesara’s office footprint including the relationship with the providers of our London headquarters.

• Resource Allocation: As leader of the Operations team, the COO plays a critical role in resource management. They allocate resources, such as budgets, personnel, and technology, to APL's people and/or initiatives based on strategic priorities. They optimise resource utilisation to maximise efficiency, achieve objectives, and ensure alignment with organisational goals. This will include:
• Allocation of project management resources to client projects or internal projects
• External resource sourcing where APL require additional resource or expertise
• Supplier onboarding and supplier relationship management

• Legal governance & Contract Negotiation: The COO leads contract negotiation with our clients, which is the foundation of our presence on coaching panels with global client firms. Depending on the successful candidates aptitude for this area, this will include the following responsibilities:
• Contracting & contract negotiation with our clients.
• Client onboarding (non-contractual, policies, onboarding questionnaires, environmental questionnaires). Working with some of the largest institutions globally, our clients require us to go through various onboarding processes for which the COO will be responsible.
• Internal policies & agreements – processes/Ways Of Working/documentation and development of our internal policies as the business continues to grow and our client needs continue to adapt.

• Risk Management: The COO is responsible for identifying and managing operational risks. They develop risk mitigation strategies, implement internal controls, and ensure compliance with regulations and industry standards. This includes ensuring necessary risk assessments are undertaken and kept up to date. The COO will also take responsibility for managing all Aesara’s insurances.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: The COO fosters collaboration and coordination across APL’s GLT. They will work closely with regional managing partners to align strategies, resolve cross-region issues, and promote a cohesive organisational culture. The COO ensures effective communication and knowledge sharing across the organisation, including with the global bench of senior executive coaches.

About you

The successful candidate will have a proven track record in similar scope operational leadership roles. They will display the following characteristics:

• Educated to degree level & with previous experience in operational leadership roles
• Strong financial acumen & previous commercial business experience, ideally in client facing businesses.
• Experience in a growing services company – with particular experience around process and system implementation to enable growth.
• Proven line management experience & ability to manage diverse teams
• Understanding of core business functions including Marketing, HR & Technology
• Legal / contract management knowledge & experience preferred
• Negotiation experience preferred
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to build & maintain relationships, influence and collaborate with cross-cultural teams – this will encompass people of all levels of experience and seniority, from our most junior employees, our global bench of coaches and our most senior client contacts.
• Exceptional organisational & prioritisation skills
• Strong attention to detail
• Agile problem solver – able to innovate & bring solutions in a fast-paced environment
• Independent decision maker