Head of Operations London

The opportunity

At Iris our spirit is built on outsider thinking. We dive headfirst into the unknown experiment relentlessly and stay ahead of the curve. We believe that creativity thrives when its backed by operational excellence.

The Head of Operations will embody this spirit pushing boundaries championing bold ideas and shaping work that resonates in culture. Sitting at the heart of the agency this role bridges creativity and commerciality ensuring the right people processes and technology are in place to unlock our full potential.

You will design and deliver systems that keep Iris agile innovative and ready for whats next. From building high-performing teams to integrating cutting-edge tools you will make sure the agency runs as seamlessly as it dreams enabling creativity to thrive at scale.

How youd spendyour day

People

• Building and sustaining a high-performance talent ecosystem across departments ensuring the right expertise and mindset are in place to meet evolving client and industry demands.
• Partnering with department leads and HR to anticipate hiring needs champion career development and drive a culture of collaboration curiosity and innovation where operational structure amplifies not limits creativity.
• Championing diversity equity and inclusion to ensure a wide range of perspectives and experiences are represented and celebrated.

Process

• Designing implementing and continuously evolving agency processes that balance creativity with commercial health.
• Overseeing resourcing workflow management and operational planning to maximise productivity and ensure seamless collaboration across Strategy Creative Production PR Social and Performance teams.
• Creating operational models that allow the agency to flex quickly in response to new business wins shifting client needs and industry trends.
• Setting and monitoring performance metrics to measure and enhance operational excellence.

Technology

• Leading the evaluation and integration of new technologies AI tools and media platforms to keep Iris at the forefront of modern marketing.
• Partnering with department heads to ensure systems and tools enhance creativity collaboration and data insights and performance tracking into the agencys daily operations to drive smarter faster decision-making.

What were looking for

• An experienced operations or production leader with 10 years in a creative marketing or media agency environment.
• A strategic thinker who knows how to turn ideas into scalable systems that fuel both creativity and commercial growth.
• Someone with a deep understanding of agency workflows resourcing models and financial dynamics.
• A natural collaborator who builds trust clarity and momentum across diverse teams.
• A leader comfortable with change. Calm under pressure decisive in complexity and quick to adapt.
• A curious innovator who embraces technology and data as enablers of creativity not obstacles to it.
• Above all someone who embodies Iriss outsider spirit turning the unknown into opportunity and inspiring others to do the goes here

Iris Core Values

PASSION

Passion fuels everything we do. You might be the loudest voice in the room orquietly crushing it behind the scenes. What matters is that you care. About thework. About the people. About the impact. We show up with energy getinvolved and make this place better every day for each other and for our clients.

PROACTIVITY

Wedontwait for permission. We get stuck in. Iris people take ownership staycurious and never stop learning.We arealways looking for smarter ways ofworking new skills to master and better answers to the briefsweregiven andeven the oneswerenot. Wedontsitstilland wedontlet opportunities pass usby.

PERFORMANCE

Great work is our baseline. We push for better. We collaborate across teamschallenge the norm and raise the quality of everything we deliver. Strongperformanceisntjust about doing your part.Itsabout growing the businesshelping others succeed and showing clients what Iris is made of.

Benefits

Annual Leave:

We all need downtime. Make sure you make the most of the leaveyouareentitled to. This includes:

• 25 days per annum
• 3 additional days to be used for religious holiday
  (will default to Christmas period unless
  you request otherwise)
• 1 extra day off for your birthday(if your birthday falls on a weekendyou can take it on the Friday or Monday)
• An additional day after both 3 and 5 years of service
• Climate exchange day- should you choose a more sustainable methodof travel to your holiday;youllget an additional day off as our way ofsaying thank you for looking after the planet.

Flexibility:

• Flexibleworking(3 office days)
• Corehours(10am 4pm)

Healthcare & Wellbeing

• BUPA private health care
• BUPA dental care
• Specsavers free eyecare tests
• 3-month Sabbatical after five years of service
• Discounted Gym Memberships through Aviva
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Mental Health First Aid
• NABS Support (Free counselling therapy and training sessions)
  

Family Leave:

• Enhanced Maternity leave:
  • 4 months full pay after 1 years service
  • 6 months full pay after 2 years service
• Enhanced Paternity leave
  • 4 weeks full pay after 1 years service
• IVF support giving you flexibility to attend appointments and recover from procedures
• Additional Parental support meaning you can be there for your familys importantmoments

Pension & Financial Planning

• Pension scheme
• Personal access to our independent FinancialAdvisor
• Aviva Group income protection scheme

We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and recruit on talent alone regardless of age gender identity ethnicity religion education class sexual orientation or disability. We champion diversity and believe it not only benefits but enhances our creativity our company and the wider society at large.

If you decide to apply for a role at Iris we will only keep the data provided by you for 2 years from the date we receive it following which your data will then be destroyed. We have a legitimate interest to process the data you provide us and we will protect your rights in accordance with all applicable data legislation. If at any point you decide you would like us to delete the data we hold or have any more questions please email us

You can find out more about ourPrivacy Policy here: Experience:

Director