Vice President of Operations, Whalar
Office located in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY or Venice Beach, CA
Creator talent & brand partnerships agency
Be an early applicant
Creator talent & brand partnerships agency
201-500 employees
Be an early applicant
Office located in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY or Venice Beach, CA
201-500 employees
Company mission
To harness the power of the creator community by encouraging positive social change through strategic partnerships with world-class creators, brands, and leading social platforms.
Role
Who you are
- If you love building businesses, thrive in fast-moving environments, and believe great operations should accelerate creativity—not constrain it—we'd love to hear from you
- 10+ years of leadership experience scaling complex, multi-disciplinary businesses
- Experience leading large cross-functional teams across operations, hospitality, finance, people, or commercial functions
- A proven ability to build systems, processes, and operational infrastructure inside fast-growing, entrepreneurial organizations
- Strong commercial acumen with experience improving revenue, profitability, operational performance, and customer experience simultaneously
- Experience partnering directly with CEOs or executive leadership teams to shape business strategy and organizational growth
- Exceptional leadership skills with a track record of coaching senior leaders and building high-performing teams
- Confidence making decisions in fast-moving environments where ambiguity is the norm
- A balance of strategic thinking and hands-on execution—you enjoy building businesses, not simply managing them
- A passion for hospitality, creativity, and building experiences that people genuinely love
- Experience within hospitality, premium consumer brands, media, entertainment, creative industries, experiential businesses, or other high-growth environments is highly valued
What the job involves
- The Lighthouse exists to serve the Creator Generation, bringing together creators, entrepreneurs, artists, innovators, and cultural leaders through world-class spaces, experiences, and community
- We're looking for a Vice President of Operations to help build the operating engine behind that vision
- Reporting directly to the CEO, you'll be responsible for translating ambitious ideas into operational excellence. You'll lead the strategy, systems, and teams that power every Lighthouse campus while ensuring we continue to grow without losing what makes us special
- You'll be an executive partner to the CEO, helping shape company strategy, improve commercial performance, and build the infrastructure that allows The Lighthouse to scale globally. From hospitality and member experience to finance, technology, and business operations, you'll ensure every part of the business works together to deliver exceptional experiences and sustainable growth
- Lead operational performance across every Lighthouse campus, creating consistency while preserving the unique character of each location
- Partner closely with the CEO to execute company strategy, scale the business, and unlock new commercial opportunities
- Build the operating systems, playbooks, and processes that support both today's business and future global expansion
- Lead and develop General Managers, creating a culture of ownership, hospitality, accountability, and commercial thinking
- Drive operational excellence across memberships, events, partnerships, hospitality, studio productions, food & beverage, content, and emerging revenue streams
- Partner with business leaders to improve financial performance through forecasting, KPI reporting, operational planning, and data-driven decision-making
- Provide executive leadership across Finance, HR & People, Technology, Facilities, Business Operations, Hospitality, Vendor Management, and Compliance
- Evaluate and implement technology, systems, and workflows that improve efficiency while enhancing the member experience
- Build repeatable operating models that allow The Lighthouse to expand without sacrificing creativity, culture, or hospitality
- Serve as a key member of the executive leadership team, helping solve complex business challenges, shape long-term strategy, and guide the company's next stage of growth
- Travel regularly across existing and future Lighthouse locations, partnering with campus leadership, supporting new openings, and ensuring every location delivers a consistently exceptional member experience
Our take
The creator economy is worth billions, but in many ways it is still in its infancy. There are few clear paths to connect brands, content creators, and social platforms in a holistic way. Whalar, however, is challenging this notion by directly managing creator talent and brand partnerships.
Whalar delivers complimentary services encompassing talent management and brand partnerships, as well as proprietary technology platforms to power campaigns at scale. Though founded as a simple influencer marketing agency, the company has been astute in its hiring to build up its expertise, bringing on board executives with experience across the social media, consumer goods and advertising industries.
The company’s client list tells its own story – with notable names including Google, TikTok, McDonalds and Spotify. Operating in such lucrative circles has allowed Whalar to expand internationally. The company has also begun bolstering its standing through the acquisitions of C Talent (a consultancy that represents high-profile Deaf and Disabled talent) and creator management company Sixteenth. 2025 funding raised Whalar's valuation to $400 million and will be used to accelerate its already comfortable growth trajectory.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
15% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (2 rounds)
Sep 2017
$3m
SEED
Mar 2016
$0.6m
SEED
Total funding: $3.6m
Company benefits
- Remote/flexible work with offices in NY, London, LA and Malaga
- 25 working days of paid vacation each year, with office closure between Christmas and New Year's Day
- Up to four months of fully paid parental leave
- Charity volunteer days
- Home office stipend
- Professional development stipend
- Company-wide yearly bonus
- Private medical insurance
- Health cash plan
- Private pension scheme
- Monthly phone/internet reimbursement
- Calm App subscription (Add up to 4 dependents)
- Fwrd personal development App subscription
Company HQ
Fulton Ferry District, NY
Leadership
James Street
(Co-Founder)Co-CEO at Whalar Group and Member of the Advisory Board at Cerqular. Co-founded and is still active at clothing brand Old Harry, and wristwatch brand Shore Projects.
Neil Waller
(Co-Founder)AAF Hall of Achievement Inductee. Also co-founded Shore Projects and Old Harry. Is a founding investor in a number of startups including EnviroBuild, Project Blu and Gratsy.
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