Business Operations Lead / Operational Excellence and Automation, Riverlane

• Strong diagnostic and conceptual thinking: you can take a messy, ambiguous operation and find the structural fix
• A track record of building and shipping solutions that others actually used (scripts, no-code or low-code workflows, LLM or AI-enabled tools, or comparable)
• Genuine affinity for AI and automation, with the appetite and ability to go deep fast
• Experience driving cross-functional improvement, whether from operations, consulting, chief-of-staff, or a hands-on technical-meets-business background
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to translate complexity into clear narratives
• Comfort working hands-on: you prototype and implement, you do not just advise
• Women and other underrepresented groups may be less likely to apply for a role unless they meet all or nearly all of the requirements. If this applies to you, we still encourage you to apply - you may be a great fit, even if you don't meet every single qualification. We'd love to hear from you

Desirable

• Riverlane is growing fast. The support functions that keep the company running (Finance, IT, People, Talent Acquisition, Legal) need to absorb that growth without scaling headcount one-for-one
• Today's way of working grew out of the company's earlier, research-intensive phases and may not hold as Riverlane moves to a larger scale with a stronger commercial and engineering focus
• This role owns that mandate. Reporting to the CFO, you will diagnose where the organisation runs inefficiently, design better ways of working, and implement them, often by replacing manual, repetitive work (the copy-paste spreadsheet grind) with automated and AI-enabled workflows
• You will work hands-on across every support function to make Riverlane run smoothly as it scales
• This is an individual contributor role (with potential to grow into a team) for someone who is equal parts diagnostician and builder: conceptual enough to spot the structural fix, hands-on enough to ship it.
• The role sees AI and automation as central tools to sustain growth and building better operating systems – from process redesign to clear communication and cross-functional delivery. No experience in quantum computing is required
• Diagnose and prioritise
• Map how work actually flows across Finance, IT, People, TA, and PMO, and find where time, effort, and errors concentrate
• Build a prioritised roadmap of efficiency opportunities, sized by impact and effort
• Make pragmatic buy, build, or redesign calls for each opportunity
• Build and implement
• Design and ship solutions, from process redesign to automations and AI-enabled workflows, that remove manual, repetitive work
• Prototype quickly yourself, then scale solutions with IT, vendors, or function owners as needed
• Drive adoption: make sure the people doing the work actually use what you build
• Work cross-functionally
• Partner with function leads to scope needs, agree priorities, and embed new ways of working
• Communicate clearly across technical and non-technical audiences, turning ambiguity into a plan others can follow
• Proactively remove blockers and take on operational tasks as needed to keep delivery moving
• Embed operational excellence
• Establish lightweight standards, tooling, and cadences that keep improvements durable
• Champion continuous improvement across the CFO organisation and beyond

• Please upload a CV and covering letter by clicking 'Apply Now'. Your covering letter should explain why you are applying for the job and what skills and experience you can bring to the role
• We review CVs as we receive them and interview as soon as we have applications that look like a good match. We do not use closing dates. So, please apply as soon as possible to avoid missing out on this role