Chief Operating Officer – Creative Studio (North West England)

Location: Full-time, office-based (North West England)
Position Type: Senior operational leadership

A well-established and internationally active creative studio is seeking a Chief Operating Officer to lead operational delivery and support its next stage of growth. The studio is known for its work in high-end visualisation, animation, and immersive content across luxury real estate, hospitality, and cultural sectors.

This role is suited to someone with strong operational leadership experience in creative, technical, or hybrid production environments. The business is entering a period of international expansion and revenue growth, with targets to scale from £6m to £10–12m and prepare structurally for IPO.

You will report directly to the CEO and play a key part in aligning day-to-day operations with broader strategic goals.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day studio operations, including resource planning, scheduling, and quality control
• Lead process improvements across production, delivery, and creative departments
• Support and monitor project delivery across local and international teams
• Collaborate with the CEO and departmental heads to ensure alignment across creative, operational, and commercial functions
• Drive KPI reporting and budgeting in conjunction with finance leadership
• Prepare the organisation for international scaling, including operational infrastructure and team structure
• Support global expansion initiatives across North America and the Middle East
• Contribute to investor readiness and long-term structural growth planning

Required Experience

• Proven background in a senior operational or production role within a creative or semi-technical business
• Strong understanding of delivery pipelines, resource management, and cross-functional collaboration
• Experience working with teams involved in 3D visualisation, immersive content, or design/animation-led projects
• Commercial awareness and confidence working in a business with significant growth targets
• Comfortable leading from an office-based environment and working closely with multidisciplinary teams

Preferred Profile

• Background in architecture, visualisation, games, VFX, post-production, or related industries
• Familiarity with tools such as 3ds Max, Unreal Engine, V-Ray, or similar
• Experience managing global teams or working within international delivery models
• Exposure to investor communications or IPO-preparatory work is beneficial

The Opportunity

• Key leadership role in a business entering a high-growth phase
• Long-term opportunity to move into a Managing Director position
• Equity participation available for senior hires
• Work closely with creative, technical, and commercial stakeholders at group level

If you believe this position would be suitable and of interest, please send in your CV for review.