Chief Operating Officer

Hybrid/London – up to 3 days per week onsite in our London office.

Salary – up to £150,000 + Equity

Why now?

Cloudscaler is at an inflection point. We are 100 people, growing fast in a market that rewards quality and speed. In the next 12 months we'll double in size. Beyond that, we're building toward something considerably larger.

We have the commercial momentum, the leadership ambition, and the culture. What we need now is the operational architecture to match: the systems, the structures, the rigour, built in a way that accelerates the business rather than constrains it.

The role

You'll be the operational heartbeat of Cloudscaler. Everything that makes this business work, from how we hire to how we finance and scale, will ultimately sit with you.

This isn't a job for someone who wants to run a process. It's an opportunity for someone who wants to build a company.

This is a remit with real scope and no artificial boundaries. It's a genuine mandate to build the operating model for a company that will be twice the size within a year and considerably larger beyond that.

You'll lead the operational leadership team, own the P&L alongside the leadership team, represent our operations at Board level, and be the person who translates ambition into execution: consistently, at pace, and without losing what makes Cloudscaler special.

What you’ll be doing

The operating model: every core process, including finance, HR, compliance, technology, and office management, designed to work at 100 people and scaled to work at 500. Lean, automated, data-driven, and built to last.

The talent engine: a talent acquisition and HR function that can sustain 15+ hires a month, deliver a best-in-class employee experience across day-to-day needs such as payroll and leave tracking, and maintain the associate/permanent balance without losing the culture that got us here.

The financial backbone: real-time visibility, tight controls, and the confidence to forecast accurately. A finance function that enables fast decisions rather than slowing them down.

The governance framework: ISO accreditation, regulatory compliance, risk management, and employment law, done properly and without bureaucracy.

The leadership layer: the direct reports and broader operational leadership team that will run this business as it scales. You'll hire them, develop them, and hold them to the standard.

What success looks like after 12 months

This isn't a role where success is vague. By the end of your first year, we'd expect:

• Headcount at 200+, infrastructure intact, culture still recognisable.

• Month-end close in under 7 days, forecast accuracy within 2% of actuals.

• Recruitment agency dependency substantially eliminated, with direct hiring the default.

• Every core process documented, owned, and automated where possible.

• ISO accreditation and all regulatory obligations maintained without friction.

• AI and automation embedded into day-to-day operations across all functions.

Who we’re looking for

You've been a COO, a VP of Operations, or the functional equivalent at a technology or professional services business that was growing fast while you were there. You've personally scaled a business through the gear changes, from tens of people to hundreds, ideally on toward 500 to 1,000. You know what breaks at 150 that didn't at 50. This won't suit you if your experience is only big-company operations, or only early-stage startups. We need someone who has lived the whole climb.

You're the person who holds all of it together; understands each function deeply enough to lead it and knows when to get into the detail and when to trust your team.

You are:

• Operationally exceptional – You build systems that outlast your involvement. Processes don't depend on you; they work because you designed them well.

• Hands-on with tools - You've built your own automations or AI workflows to solve real operational problems, not waited for someone else to do it.

• Commercially sharp – You understand exactly how operational decisions affect margin and growth, and you make the connection instinctively.

• A strong leader of leaders – Your direct reports perform better for having you above them. You build capability, not dependency.

• Data-driven – You love data. You build the reporting yourself, you spot the story in the numbers, and you'd rather show a dashboard than write a paragraph. You make decisions with evidence, and you build the infrastructure to surface it. Gut feel is a starting point, not a conclusion.

• Calm under pressure – The faster it moves, the clearer you get. Ambiguity doesn't unsettle you; it focuses you.

• Emotionally intelligent – You hold people to high standards without losing them. You have the difficult conversations early, and well.

You don't need to be the smartest person in the room. You need to be the one who makes the room smarter.

What you’ll get

• Equity – A meaningful stake in a business that is growing hard and intends to keep doing so. This isn't a token option package, it's a genuine share of what we build together.

• Autonomy – A real mandate, not a managed one. You won't spend your time convincing committees. You'll spend it making decisions.

• Partnership – A leadership team to work alongside, challenge, and build something with.

• Pace – If you've found your current environment slow, bureaucratic, consensus-driven, or risk-averse, this will feel like a different game entirely.

• Impact – At 100 people, what you do is visible across the whole organisation. There's no hiding, but there's also no cap on what you can affect.

Why this role might not be for you

This role is demanding. The pace is real, the accountability is real, and the standards are high. There will be days when the business is moving faster than the infrastructure supporting it, and closing that gap is the job.

This probably isn't for you if you're looking for a well-scoped role with clear boundaries, a mature support function, and a gentle onboarding curve.

It probably is for you if you've been waiting for an operational challenge that's genuinely worthy of what you're capable of, with the equity, the autonomy, and the team to match.

If that's you, let's talk.

Benefits

• Discretionary bonus

• 25 days’ annual leave

• 5 additional days per year towards training, certifications, or charity work

• Option to buy additional annual leave up to 5 days per year

• Public holidays opt-out scheme, the option to work on public holidays creating the flexibility to enjoy your time off when it suits you

• Certifications and training expensed

• Life Assurance

• Long Term Disability cover

• Employee Assist Programme for employee advice and support (including legal and counselling helpline)

• Health, Mental Health, Wellbeing, Financial and Legal support

• 24/7 GP access

• Pension auto-enrolment and contribution

• Employee referral scheme

• Client referral scheme

• Cycle to work scheme

• Travel expenses policy

• Dog friendly offices

Cloudscaler are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, committed to equal opportunities regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ancestry, age, marital status, disability, parental status, religion or medical history.

If you require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process or within the workplace, please let us know when you speak to our Talent Acquisition team or contact [email protected] at the earliest opportunity.