Chief Operating Officer – FinTech SaaS – London or New York

We are exclusively retained by a well known FinTech unicorn seeking to hire a Chief Operating Officer for the business, reporting directly to the CEO.

The COO will be based in either London or New York and extensive travel can be expected between both locations since there are teams in both the UK and USA. The COO will hold hard line and dotted line responsibilities and will operate across the business to support growth and actively scale the company. 

Working closely with the CEO, Co Founders and other members of the senior management team, the COO will ensure that all business functions and operations align towards company goals.

Ideal candidates will have extensive experience of the SaaS industry, ideally within a FinTech environment. Further, they will have had previous experience within the Sales and Finance functions of a SaaS business to that they can bring operational excellence and leadership across all functions of the the business.

This is a significant and highly visible role within one of the most successful FinTechs of the last decade. 

• Work closely and in concert with the CEO, Co founders and senior management team
• Support and enhance operational strategy aligning with the company’s overall business goals and objectives. Collaborate with the executive team to shape the future direction of the organization
• Identify and analyze key operational processes, evaluating areas for improvement, and implementing efficient solutions to enhance productivity, reduce costs, and increase customer satisfaction
• Support the build and leadership of a high-performing team, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Support mentoring and professional development opportunities to team members
• Responsible for driving strategic initiatives, optimizing operational efficiencies, and ensuring seamless execution
• Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics to measure the effectiveness of business processes. Regularly report to the executive team on operational performance and make data-driven recommendations for improvements
• Collaborate with sales, marketing and customer teams to ensure clients receive exceptional support and service throughout their journey, actively work with commercial teams to drive new and existing SaaS revenues
• Work with the team on continuous product market fit to ensure the proposition remains world leading and current
• Use experiences in previous operational roles to bring value and support across all functions of the business
• Identify opportunities for expanding market presence and scaling operations, considering new markets, potential partnerships, and strategic alliances.

• Prior experience gained from a high growth SaaS firm, ideally with experience in FinTech or in a Banking / Financial Services environment
• High degree of business acumen and strategic business thinking
• Can demonstrate an appreciation of sales and new business vigour with combined financial acumen and rigour
• Strong general management and operations experience having previously held an operational leadership role
• Experience in supporting and growing a SaaS firm with continued focus on product market fit
• Strong opinions, logical thinking with the ability to influence and lead but with low ego
• Comfortable in a very entrepreneurial and founder led environment, can prioritise across a range of requirements and distinguish between importance and urgency