Operations Manager

We're hiring an Operations Manager to be the backbone of a small, growing brand consultancy in Spitalfields, London – making our studio run smoothly so we can focus on great work.

About Simple Truth

Simple Truth is a brand consultancy in our seventh year, based in Spitalfields, London. We create brands and digital experiences across multiple sectors, including property, social housing, travel, leisure and the not‑for‑profit sector, as well as established and emerging consumer organisations.

We started with a clear purpose: do great work that makes an impact, help businesses properly, and build an agency that isn't about ego. We're at a point where our existing tools (Monday, Harvest, Xero, Slack) need to actually work instead of just existing.

The Role

You'll be the operational backbone of a 6-person team. You'll ensure our existing systems work properly, get the team to use them consistently, and give the founder breathing room to focus on strategy and client relationships.

This isn't about introducing new systems or corporate processes. It's about making our existing tools (Monday for project management, Harvest for time tracking and invoicing) actually deliver the discipline and insights they should.

What You'll Actually Do

Get Our Systems Working (40%)

We use Monday, Harvest, Xero, and Slack. Your first job is to assess if they're fit for purpose and get the team actually using them consistently.

• Audit what we have: do Monday, Harvest and Xero work well together, or do we need tweaks?
• Fix time tracking: everyone (including contractors) logs time in Harvest accurately so we know project profitability.
• Make Monday work: it should show our timelines, tasks and resource planning – not just be used by the founder.
• Extract profitability, we should know which projects made money and which didn't, using Harvest and Xero.
• Create briefing discipline: projects start with a proper written brief so everyone is aligned.
• Make it stick: help the team use these systems consistently and positively so they become a natural part of how we work.

Note: We really don't want to introduce new systems. We need to use what we have properly first.

Project & Client Operations (40%)

• Own day-to-day project delivery and client relationships on most projects, working closely with our designers and freelancers.
• Run projects in Monday: timelines, deliverables, team assignments and status are always clear and current.
• Take a detailed brief from the founder at the start of a project and turn it into a clear written brief for the team.
• Co‑write scopes of work with the founder so everyone is aligned on deliverables, effort and fees.
• Schedule team capacity effectively across projects and flag clashes early.
• Lead weekly project reviews: what's on track, what's at risk, what needs a decision.
• Track scope and time so projects stay within budget and are profitable.

Team & Financial (20%)

• Run weekly team check-ins and hold people accountable for agreed actions.
• Make sure everyone (including contractors) tracks time accurately in Harvest.
• Set up and maintain sensible day rates/cost rates in Harvest so project profitability is visible.
• Log project expenses and supplier costs so we have a true view of margins.
• Run simple monthly profitability reviews: which projects made money, which didn't, and why.
• Flag capacity issues before they become problems.
• Support hiring and onboarding, and handle day-to-day performance conversations where needed.

What We Need From You

Essential Experience

• A minimum of 5 years in agency or consultancy operations (or project management stepping into broader operations).
• Small business experience (under 20 people) where you've worn multiple hats.
• You've made teams actually use project management and time tracking tools they were ignoring – by showing value and creating accountability, not just nagging.
• You can assess existing systems and optimise them rather than automatically recommending replacements.
• You understand agency workflow: brief → delivery → invoicing → profitability tracking.
• Exposure to diverse services: strategy, design, development, content (not just one specialism).

Essential Skills

• Systems thinking: see how Monday, Harvest and Xero connect and work together.
• Change management: get people to change how they work without destroying morale.
• Process design: create simple workflows that people actually follow.
• Financial literacy: understand margins, project profitability and cash flow basics.
• Comfortable with constructive challenge: hold people accountable for using systems and updating status.
• Detail-oriented but pragmatic: things don't need to be perfect; they need to work.

Essential Qualities

• Pragmatic: "good enough and used" beats "perfect and ignored".
• Self-directed: can work independently without constant direction.
• Assertive but collaborative: can enforce standards without being autocratic.
• Founder-compatible: can work with a hands-on founder without needing them in every decision.
• Patient but persistent: system adoption takes time and repetition.
• Problem-solver: when something isn't working, you figure out why and fix it.

Bonus Points

• Experience with Monday, Harvest, Asana or similar tools.
• Property, B2B or consultancy sector experience.
• Built operations in a business transitioning from startup to scale-up.
• Worked in a full-service creative or brand agency.

What You Won't Be Doing

• Complex financial forecasting or bookkeeping (we have an accountant).
• HR/benefits/legal matters (outsourced).
• Creative work or client strategy (that's our team, led by Mark, the founder).
• Making big business decisions (that's the founder).
• Ripping out existing systems and starting over (we like Monday and Harvest, they just need proper use).

This is the person who makes our existing tools work and holds the team accountable for operational discipline.

What We Offer

Salary: £38,000–£48,000 depending on experience.

Structure:

• Report directly to the founder.
• Authority to implement operational improvements.
• Real autonomy to make decisions (you won't be micromanaged).
• Partnership mentality.

Environment:

• Small team (6 people) where you'll actually know everyone.
• Interesting, values-driven clients across property, housing, travel, leisure, not‑for‑profit and consumer sectors.
• Creative, mission-oriented culture.
• Office in Spitalfields with some flexibility after probation.
• Genuine impact – you'll build operational discipline from a strong but under-structured base.

Growth:

• Help shape how the business scales.
• Build your own operations playbook.
• Potential to grow as the business grows. Equity will be considered for the right candidate.