Head of Operations

• Salary: £44,000 - £55,000 (depending on experience).

• Contract: Permanent, full-time (8.30am–4.30pm), including occasional weekend and evening working. Proposition has a policy of no paid overtime but offers time-off in-lieu.

• Benefits: 30 days of annual leave, plus UK public holidays, employer pension contribution of 3%, training opportunities.

• Responsible to: Managing Director.

• Direct reports: Studio Manager, Office Manager, Facilities Manager, Events Manager, Business Development Manager, Concierge, Agent Liaison.

• Place of employment: 279 Bethnal Green Road, E2 0EL, plus on site presence across multiple sites within London.

• Closing date: 13th April 2025.

About the role

Proposition is looking for a driven, highly responsible and organised individual to take the lead in co-ordinating and ensuring the effectiveness of our operational teams. 

In this role, you will oversee the operational, income and expenditure, and administrative activities of the charity.

You will be joining the organisation in a period of exciting development and growth, and will play a pivotal role in ensuring we are operating efficiently and effectively as a small team so that we can deliver on objectives across the organisation and grow to have significant impact. 

We are looking for a person who can demonstrate very strong organisational management, who has exceptional interpersonal skills, is emotionally intelligent, highly driven and excels in roles with a wide variety of responsibilities and multiple competing deadlines. 

Working closely with the Managing Director and the senior team, you will be providing day-to-day leadership to the Operational, Events, Venue Hire and Studio Management teams to ensure that they are co-ordinated, delivering on their responsibilities as set by senior management and supported to flourish in their role.

With the support of the Office Manager, be responsible for all data collection associated with the organisational business plan, reporting and data gathering to key core and project funders.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

Financial

• Liaising with the team and working with the Managing Director, to ensure all income and expenditure are forecast, signed off, recorded accurately and overseen. 

• Oversee actual income and expenditure to ensure it aligns closely with forecasts set by senior management and corresponding budgets.

• Identify and monitor areas of financial risk and implement risk management strategies.

• Liaising with the Managing Director, ensure that members of the team responsible for revenue generation are working towards and meeting their targets. 

Operations

• Ensure that all direct reports are fulfilling their responsibilities, meeting deadlines, excelling in their roles, are achieving short-term objectives and supporting our overall mission.

• Be the first point of contact day-to-day for all direct reports, ensuring they are coordinated, supported and are delivering effectively.

• Ensure the effective implementation of good working practices and effective communication systems across the organisation.

• Ensuring that Proposition’s buildings are managed and maintained in a way that makes them attractive, fully functional, safe and compliant.

• Overseeing the office team to ensure the office infrastructure and systems support all aspects of activity, including office supplies and equipment, IT, staff rotas and cleaning.

• Managing the events and venue management team to ensure that all venues are maintained ready for viewings and for use at all times, that events are well managed and the operational elements are delivered to a high standard.

• Overseeing the Studio Management team to ensure they are delivering high standards of service to studio artists, that studios are full at all times, that they are managing their time efficiently, that artists are paying their license fees on time and are not allowed to get into arrears, that all studio artists are abiding by the terms of their license agreements and complying with our policies, that the Studio Management Team are supported to enforce boundaries when necessary, and that Proposition have all required studio artists’ documentation on file.

• Ensuring recruitment processes, employment contracts, maintaining confidential HR records, annual and sick leave, salaries, training and staff development programmes are in place.

• Direct all communications with government bodies, including applications for charitable rate relief  and discretionary rates relief, planning permission and enforcement issues, licensing and the management of local authority stakeholders.

Leadership

• Actively contribute to team meetings, working closely with the Managing Director and other team members on setting the agenda for broader management team meetings.

• Performance reviews of direct reports.

Funding and Evaluation

• With the support of the Office Manager, be responsible for all data collection associated with the organisational business plan, reporting and data gathering to key core and project funders.

Requirements and skills

Essential

• Experience managing teams to deliver projects with multiple stakeholders and tight deadlines. 

• Strong experience in organisational and income/expenditure management and administration.

• Strong understanding of building management, compliance and relationships with government stakeholders.

• Experience in implementing operational systems and the ability to plan, organise, schedule and budget effectively.

• Experience of managing and coaching a team through periods of change and rapid growth.

• The ability to work collaboratively, forming and sustaining good working relationships internally and externally.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Strong IT skills and proficiency in accounting software (Xero or similar).

• Knowledge of building regulations, compliance and H&S requirements.

• Practical and solution-driven approach. 

Desirable

• Experience of a start-up environment.

• A strong interest in art, ecology and biodiversity.

• Experience in reporting and monitoring funding applications.

How to Apply

• Closing date: 13th April 2025.

Please email a CV and 1-2 page cover letter to our Managing Director, Anne Thidemann: anne@propositionstudios.com

If you have any questions about the role please get in touch with Anne Thidemann to arrange a brief conversation.