Director, Operations Emea

We are seeking a dynamic and engaging individual to lead and develop the Operations function within EMEA.  The role offers significant opportunity to contribute to and support the development of the overall vision and strategy of the function.  You will drive operational excellence, the alignment of business and client priorities and embrace and implement change initiatives. You will be responsible for a diverse, hybrid team of individuals supporting a range of client-facing departments, overseeing operational management and service delivery, as well as people development. The role will require you to develop and maintain a solid understanding of our business, service offering, our client base, and build strong relationships with a range of stakeholders. The role incorporates the need for a strong commercial mindset to support and drive the resolution of factors that can influence and impact client experience and effective cash flow throughout the project lifecycle.

The Operations function provides hands-on support to the client-facing teams in respect of the project lifecycle of our external client consultancy projects.  The purpose of the team is to ensure that all projects are effectively and accurately administered, business teams receive timely, professional and accurate support from project set-up through to invoicing, and our clients receive a professional, consistent and high-quality service.

Tasks and Responsibilities

• Provide strong direction and leadership to the function aligned with the overall regional business strategy and client requirements.
• Act as an engagement leader with business stakeholders to understand requirements, priorities and constraints, and be recognised as a trusted advisor to achieve consensus and alignment of shared goals.
• Develop an innovative and effective operational service delivery model within a framework of governance to improve quality and consistency of output.
• Establish an optimum structure with flexibility to meet business and client requirements.
• Drive a high-quality and consistent service to both internal and external clients, taking a client-centric approach to add the most value and positive impact to the region.
• Collaborate to identify opportunities to reduce the administration burden to project managers and service delivery teams.
• Lead change initiatives and implement new ways of working within the region, sharing lessons learnt to enable and promote best-practice and continuous improvement.
• Continuously develop and improve the operational delivery through analysis of KPIs and other performance data to provide insights and inform decision-making, availing technological advancement.
• Anticipate potential challenges and opportunities, offering client-focused, proactive solutions.
• Improve, implement and periodically review onboarding training for new team members.
• Collaborate with global counterparts and peers in operations and finance, contributing to discussions beyond the regional focus.
• Inspire and motivate team members to perform at their best, fostering a culture of collaboration, excellence, accountability, and integrity in an inclusive and high-performing team.
• Act as a role model, leading by example and demonstrating a commitment to the company’s values, behaviours and policies.
• Build a one firm ethos through mentoring and coaching, providing opportunities that contribute to the team’s technical and behavioural development, empowering them to grow and succeed, and ensuring a healthy succession pipeline.
• Set performance objectives and perform interim and annual reviews providing continuous feedback on performance.
• Support the implementation of relevant recommendations resulting from internal and external audits.

Requirements

• Extensive experience in a senior business operations role.
• Seasoned people leader with a passion for developing high performance in hybrid, leveraged teams.
• Critical thinking and strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a data-driven, and growth mindset.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey complex information clearly and concisely.
• Resilient and able to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and adaptable to changing priorities.
• Experienced with remote people management.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively lead and motivate teams to achieve both tactical and strategic goals.
• Results-driven, with a focus on prioritisation and efficiency in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to thrive in a dynamic environment, with energy and enthusiasm to drive positive change.
• Comfortable working in a matrix organization, with the ability to navigate cultural nuances and complexities.
• Confident and talented with Microsoft Office applications, including experience with Microsoft D365.Understanding of transactional project data including, but not limited to work in progress management, cost monitoring and invoicing.

Benefits

• Control Risks offers a competitively positioned compensation and benefits package that is transparent and summarised in the full job offer.
• We operate a discretionary global bonus scheme that incentivises, and rewards individuals based on company and individual performance.
• Control Risks supports hybrid working arrangements, wherever possible, that emphasise the value of in-person time together - in the office and with our clients - while continuing to support flexible and remote working.
• As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage suitably qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply and join us and are fully committed to equal treatment, free from discrimination, of all candidates throughout our recruitment process.