Chief Operating Officer – Transform Operations for a Leading UK Financial Services Firm

About the Company

A well-capitalized financial services firm headquartered in London, offering lending, investment, and platform solutions to institutional and retail clients. Operating under FCA regulation, the firm pairs modern technology with rigorous risk management and is investing heavily in the next generation of its operating platform.

Why Join Us?

You will join a firm at an exciting inflection point, with a clear growth strategy and board-level commitment to operational transformation. The COO role is pivotal: you will own the engine room of the business and the agenda that makes scale possible.

Role Overview

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) will lead operations, technology, change, and control functions across the firm. Reporting to the CEO, the COO will drive a multi-year operational transformation, strengthen the control environment, and deliver the efficiency and resilience the firm needs to double its customer base.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own end-to-end operating model design and delivery across front, middle, and back office.
• Lead the operational transformation programme, including automation, process redesign, and platform modernization.
• Ensure a robust control environment satisfying FCA expectations, including operational resilience and outsourcing rules.
• Oversee technology strategy and delivery in partnership with the CIO, aligning investment to business priorities.
• Manage vendor and third-party risk, including key supplier negotiations and oversight.
• Own operational KPIs across service quality, cost, capacity, and risk incidents.
• Lead and develop a division of operations, change, and functional leaders.
• Support new product and market launches with operational readiness and control assessments.
• Partner with the CFO on cost programmes, budgeting, and business-case governance.

Requirements:

• 10+ years of senior operational leadership within UK financial services.
• Experience operating in an FCA-regulated environment with demonstrable regulatory credibility.
• A track record of delivering large-scale operational or digital transformation programmes.
• Strong grasp of operational risk, resilience, and third-party management frameworks.
• Commercially astute, with experience owning significant cost bases and efficiency targets.
• Excellent people leadership, able to build teams and raise standards simultaneously.
• Degree-level education; professional qualifications an advantage.

What We Offer:

• Salary of £125,000–£150,000 per annum plus up to 30% performance bonus.
• Private medical insurance, pension contribution, and life assurance.
• Hybrid working from London with flexible arrangements.
• 25 days annual leave plus public holidays and a buy/sell scheme.
• A high-visibility mandate with direct board exposure.

If you are an operationally excellent leader ready to power the next stage of a growing financial services firm, apply today.