Operations Director

Parkinson Lee Executive Search are the retained partners to High Speed Training in the appointment of an Operations Director, to support their short and medium term development strategy.

High Speed Training are one of the UK’s leading online training providers that have witnessed exponential growth over recent years. To date they have currently certified in excess of 2.5 million learners through their high-quality online training courses covering a large customer base of over 40,000 including enterprise clients, SMEs and individual learners.

With an extensive range of over 180 courses in subjects such as Food Hygiene, Health & Safety and Safeguarding they continue to work with industry experts to create courses that provide the best learning experience and outcome for their customers.

Since their launch in 2008, High Speed Training have seen YoY double digit growth, which has enabled continuous investment in the business. They employ a team of over 100 talented individuals and recently became an employee-owned business.

To support the next phase of expansion, in this newly created role, the Operations Director, you will be responsible for implementing and managing all operational aspects of the business.

You will report directly to the CEO and work closely with other members of the Senior Leadership team to streamline operations, optimise efficiency, spur innovation, integrate automation and building a strong operational infrastructure that aligns with the strategic goals and facilitates scalable growth.

As the Operations Director your strategic leadership, strong business acumen, and exceptional management skills will be crucial in driving efficiency, enhancing customer satisfaction, and achieving their service level goals.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Customer support leadership overseeing and steering the Customer Success Teams and ensuring top-tier service across all facets of business support
• Working with the product and tech teams to drive automation implementation in the customer support area, enhancing service efficiency and user experience
• Working with key stakeholders to improve the customer experience to reduce the number of incoming queries into business and learner support
• Leading and implementing changes across the business, using proven change management strategies to ensure smooth transitions
• Cross-functional collaboration with various teams across the organisation, fostering cooperation and alignment towards common goals
• Continuously evaluate and improve operational processes and procedures, aiming to increase efficiency, effectiveness, and scalability
• Encouragement of innovation to foster a culture of continuous improvement and innovation within your teams and across the organisation, encouraging new ideas and solutions
• Ensure clear and effective communication with all stakeholders, providing regular updates on operations, changes, and developments
• Collaborate with department heads to set performance goals, monitor progress, and implement corrective actions when necessary
• As an integral member of the SLT you will build strong relationships, keeping the team up to date with customer data, operational insights, improvements, risks, challenges and solutions
• Facilities management overseeing the operations of the Ilkley office and service office in Leeds, ensuring the office spaces are suitable for the needs of their people and comply with relevant legislation such as Health and Safety
• Contribute to the company's overall strategy, aligning operational goals with the strategic direction of the organisation
• Stay up to date with relevant industry regulations and ensure the company's compliance with legal requirements. Develop and implement compliance policies and procedures across all business functions. Collaborate with legal and compliance teams to mitigate risks and maintain a robust compliance framework

Parkinson Lee Executive Search are looking for candidates that can demonstrate:

• Proven experience as an Operations Director, Vice President of Operations, or in a similar senior leadership role within a technology-focused company
• Experienced working as part of an Executive leadership team, be able to demonstrate leading by example through collaboration, taking teams on the journey to deliver transformational change and projects
• Demonstrated success in overseeing day-to-day business operations and managing diverse teams (especially hybrid working and remote teams)
• Strong knowledge of technology industry trends, best practices, and regulations
• Exceptional strategic planning and execution abilities, with a focus on driving growth and profitability
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams
• Previous experience delivering transformational change, taking your team on the journey by winning hearts and minds
• Sound decision-making skills and a track record of making data-driven business decisions
• A strategic thinker, you should be results-oriented and possess the leadership skills necessary to drive operational excellence
• Flexible with a hybrid role, with presence on site in West Yorkshire c1xMonth (or more if needed)

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a business in a period of rapid growth as they look to increase their market share in the UK whilst exploring international territories. They are recognised by Best Companies as one of the Top 25 mid-sized companies in the UK to work for and one of the Top 5 best Education & Training organisations in 2023. They recognise that their success is largely down to their people, and they passionately believe in attracting high performing candidates that align to their collaborative and supportive culture and values.

In return our client is offering a competitive salary + excellent benefits package