Who you are
- You're a natural cheerleader - you walk into a room and the energy shifts. You celebrate wins loudly, challenge low standards, and your team genuinely feels more motivated after time with you. You get people to follow you and you make the work fun
- You've managed managers (ideally GMs, site leads or area managers) in multi-site service businesses - hospitality, leisure, workspace, retail or similar. You know how to lead that layer without doing the doing yourself. The standards mindset matters more than the sector
- You're service-first - you notice the details members notice, you hold a high bar for how sites look and feel, and you won't accept "average"
- You run things like they're your own - you've worked in founder-led, owner-operated or scale-up environments with real autonomy. You tackle problems head-on, fix root causes rather than symptoms, and don't wait to be told
- You're comfortable leading at a distance from HQ - you stay positive, make the call and keep the team on track without someone down the corridor to check in with
- You understand the commercial side - how operational decisions drive occupancy and the bottom line, how to manage a P&L, and how to make trade-offs under pressure
About the job
🎯 Head of Operations - South West
🌍 Bristol, UK
🏛️ 4-5 days per week in Bristol and Bath, 0-1 days per week at home or in other UK locations
🤝 Reporting to Sophie Marsh, our COO
Runway East creates flexible workspaces across London and the UK. Our mission is to be the best place for ambitious businesses to grow. We care deeply about service, detail and ownership. As a proud B Corp and a growing company, we're building something long-term - for our members and our team.
Elevator Pitch: The Job
This role is the operational lead for our South West portfolio. You'll own it end-to-end: 3 sites across Bristol and Bath, the General Managers who run them, the member experience and the full P&L. You'll report to our COO and sit on the management team, so your voice shapes company decisions, not just regional ones.
The right person is a natural cheerleader who has run things with real ownership, raises the energy wherever they go and wants to build something they're proud of.
What you'll be doing
- Lead and develop the South West General Managers, who run a (total) ~10-person team across 3 sites - set expectations, build capability and hold people accountable
- Build the regional bench - recruit, coach and grow future GMs
- Own standards and member experience across every South West site - showroom-ready at all times, from first impression to day-to-day service to retention
- Own the regional P&L and EBITDA, and drive occupancy, desk rates and profitability
- Keep every South West site safe and fully compliant (H&S, statutory and risk)
- Build the systems, cadences and processes that create a service-first culture, adapting central ways of working to fit the region
- Be the escalation point for the South West - spot issues early, take decisive action, fix things properly
- Work with the leadership team, shaping company-wide ops strategy and expansion
Why Join Us?
- Real ownership of South West operations - the mandate, the team and the accountability to drive excellence
- Direct access to the COO and exec team - you'll be heard and your decisions will matter
- A growing company - where you can make your mark quickly, not wait years to have an impact
We believe in taking care of our team members and offer a range of benefits to support your well-being and professional development. As a valued member of our team, you will enjoy:
- Time Off: 28 days including bank holidays 🏖️, plus an extra day for every year at Runway East 🎉. We also give you your birthday off 🎂 and extra time over Christmas 🎄.
- Wellbeing: private health & dental, gym discounts 🏋️♂️, mental health support 🧠, and a Bike2Work scheme 🚲.
- Growth: professional development budget, learning resources 📚, and clear progression pathways.
- Community: two workdays per year for charitable activities 🌍, team outings 🎉, and epic annual trips (Barcelona, Rhodes, Vilnius, and more!) 🌟.
- Ownership: we’re employee-owned 🙌. Runway East is held in an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) on behalf of everyone who works here, so when the business does well, we all share in it 💰
- The Usual Suspects: paid sick days, compassionate leave, enhanced parental leave, and life insurance 👍.
Our Commitment to Inclusivity
We celebrate diversity and believe it strengthens our community. We welcome people from all backgrounds, identities, and experiences. What matters most to us is your spirit and passion. If you need specific access support, let us know—we’re here to help.
