Chief Operating Officer

B2B Marketing Agency | UK

Jefferson Locke is partnering with an established B2B marketing agency to appoint a new Chief Operating Officer as the business enters its next phase of growth.

This is a genuinely influential leadership role, working closely with the CEO to strengthen the operational and commercial engine of the business and create the infrastructure needed to scale.

The brief goes well beyond simply “running operations”. The COO will help translate strategy into execution, improve performance and profitability, develop the leadership team and ensure the business can grow without compromising the quality of its client delivery.

The successful candidate will take responsibility for day-to-day operations across a number of client-facing and delivery functions, while helping shape the systems, processes, capabilities and operating model required for the future.

The opportunity

Working as a close partner to the CEO, you’ll be responsible for:

Leading the day-to-day operational performance of the business
Building a more scalable, efficient operating model
Improving processes, systems, resource planning and ways of working
Driving performance against financial, operational and delivery KPIs
Helping deliver annual targets and longer-term growth plans
Ensuring the business has the capability and capacity to scale
Supporting new business, proposition development and commercial initiatives
Strengthening accountability and collaboration across the leadership team
Developing and coaching senior leaders across the organisation
Acting as a senior point of contact for key clients and stakeholders
Balancing immediate commercial priorities with longer-term value creation

The role will also have significant influence over how the organisation evolves, from operational infrastructure and governance through to leadership capability, culture and client delivery.

What we’re looking for

We’re interested in speaking with established senior leaders who have operated as a COO, Managing Director or in a comparable leadership position within a B2B marketing agency. This experience will be essential.

You’ll need to combine strategic thinking with a willingness to get close to the detail. This isn’t a role for someone who only wants to operate at board level. The business is looking for someone capable of shaping strategy while also making sure things actually happen.

Relevant experience is likely to include:

Leading complex, multi-functional operations
Scaling teams and client delivery environments
Improving operational performance and profitability
Building systems, processes and organisational infrastructure
Financial planning, budgeting and forecasting
Leading businesses through periods of growth or transformation
Strong commercial and analytical capability
Developing leadership teams and creating greater accountability
A good understanding of modern B2B marketing or agency delivery models

The client is particularly looking for someone who is commercially minded, decisive and comfortable operating in an evolving environment, with the credibility to work equally effectively with the CEO, leadership team, clients and wider organisation.

Why this role?

This is an opportunity to join an established business at an interesting point in its development.

There’s already a strong platform in place. The challenge now is to help build the operating discipline, leadership capability and commercial infrastructure that will allow the business to scale successfully.

For someone who enjoys creating clarity, improving performance and turning ambitious growth plans into an organisation that can actually deliver them, this is a substantial COO mandate.