Commercial Operations Manager

Commercial Operations Manager
Part-Time, ContractRequirements

• MUST live within commutable distance of BH16, Dorset
• MUST work from the Poole (BH16) office 2 days per week
• Contract role, approx. 2-4 days/week
• Must be confident with BD and operations
• Experience in creative, marketing, sports and/or logistics is a bonus
• Right to work in the UK

If you're:

• proactive
• commercially switched on
• operationally ruthless
• confident on the phone
• entrepreneurial
• comfortable wearing multiple hats

This role could be for you

About the role

This is a rare hybrid role for someone who is both
operationally sharp

and
commercially driven

. You'll be working across a small portfolio of ambitious businesses owned by the same founder - including a marketing agency, a photography studio, a new sports facility and a driver-led logistics start-up. Three are in build mode. One has the opportunity for commercial acceleration.

Your job is to bring pace, sales energy, operational logic and commercial discipline to all of them.

You must be entrepreneurial, proactive and comfortable wearing multiple hats. You cannot be someone who needs a full brief, handholding or corporate structure. This role suits someone who thrives in early-stage chaos, enjoys figuring things out, and wants actual ownership - not just tasks.

The Work You'll Own
Here's the headlines:
1. Business Development & Sales (marketing agency + a photography studio)

This is at least 50% of the role.

You will:

• Build outbound pipelines and start conversations daily
• Contact potential clients via LinkedIn/email/phone
• Pitch Husk's services (lead services: branding, paid ads, PR, shoots)
• Sell commercial photography and video projects for photography Studio
• Shape proposals, scopes and pricing with the founder
• Create a predictable monthly pipeline and revenue forecast
• Represent the group professionally in meetings and calls

If you don't like sales, this role is not for you.

2. Operations & Logistics (All companies)
Sports Facility (20% of role)

• Research, compare and negotiate with suppliers
• Build the operational plan: bookings, staffing, F&B, retail
• Lead prep for planning approvals, tenders and launch documentation
• Map the customer journey and operational model end-to-end
• Support fund raise

Driver-led logistics (20% of role)

• Build operations from scratch: driver onboarding, insurance, standards
• Work with IT team to build workflows and interdependencies
• Set up booking and dispatch workflow with reliability at the core
• Identify and negotiate with potential suppliers and partners
• Help shape the early business model and service structure

Husk (5% of role)

• Improve workflow efficiency and client onboarding
• Organise resourcing across designers, contractors and project work for branding projects

Photography & Video Studio (5% of role)

• Plan logistics for shoots: kit, crew, scheduling, props, transport
• Keep shoots running smoothly and professionally
• Build repeatable systems for production days

Who This Role Is For

This is not an entry-level, admin or support job.

The person who thrives here is:

Entrepreneurial

You think like a founder. You see solutions, not obstacles. You take ownership without being asked.

Commercially Intelligent

Numbers matter. Margins matter. Negotiation matters.

You question costs. You protect budgets. You don't overspend for convenience.

A Natural Problem Solver

You love a challenge.

If something breaks, you fix it.

If a process is messy, you tighten it.

If nobody knows the answer, you go and find it.

A Self-Starter With High Standards

You don't drift. You don't half-deliver. You don't accept mediocre work.

You care about how things run and how they look.

Comfortable Talking to Anyone

You can pick up the phone and:

• chase a supplier
• negotiate a tender
• book a meeting
• get a quote
• speak to a driver
• onboard a client
• pitch a project
• You're confident, clear and human - not robotic.

Organised, Fast, and Resourceful

You bring order to the chaos without needing perfect information.

You understand how to prioritise across multiple companies.

In your application please state your availability to start and your day rate.