Description:
We're hiring an Operations Manager to be the backbone of a small, growing brand consultancy in Spitalfields, London – making our studio run smoothly so we can focus on great work.
About Simple Truth
Simple Truth is a brand consultancy in our seventh year, based in Spitalfields, London. We create brands and digital experiences across multiple sectors, including property, social housing, travel, leisure and the not‑for‑profit sector, as well as established and emerging consumer organisations.
We started with a clear purpose: do great work that makes an impact, help businesses properly, and build an agency that isn't about ego. We're at a point where our existing tools (Monday, Harvest, Xero, Slack) need to actually work instead of just existing.
The Role
You'll be the operational backbone of a 6-person team. You'll ensure our existing systems work properly, get the team to use them consistently, and give the founder breathing room to focus on strategy and client relationships.
This isn't about introducing new systems or corporate processes. It's about making our existing tools (Monday for project management, Harvest for time tracking and invoicing) actually deliver the discipline and insights they should.
What You'll Actually Do
Get Our Systems Working (40%)
We use Monday, Harvest, Xero, and Slack. Your first job is to assess if they're fit for purpose and get the team actually using them consistently.
- Audit what we have: do Monday, Harvest and Xero work well together, or do we need tweaks?
- Fix time tracking: everyone (including contractors) logs time in Harvest accurately so we know project profitability.
- Make Monday work: it should show our timelines, tasks and resource planning – not just be used by the founder.
- Extract profitability, we should know which projects made money and which didn't, using Harvest and Xero.
- Create briefing discipline: projects start with a proper written brief so everyone is aligned.
- Make it stick: help the team use these systems consistently and positively so they become a natural part of how we work.
Note: We really don't want to introduce new systems. We need to use what we have properly first.
Project & Client Operations (40%)
- Own day-to-day project delivery and client relationships on most projects, working closely with our designers and freelancers.
- Run projects in Monday: timelines, deliverables, team assignments and status are always clear and current.
- Take a detailed brief from Mark at the start of a project and turn it into a clear written brief for the team.
- Co‑write scopes of work with Mark so everyone is aligned on deliverables, effort and fees.
- Schedule team capacity effectively across projects and flag clashes early.
- Lead weekly project reviews: what's on track, what's at risk, what needs a decision.
- Track scope and time so projects stay within budget and are profitable.
Team & Financial (20%)
- Run weekly team check-ins and hold people accountable for agreed actions.
- Make sure everyone (including contractors) tracks time accurately in Harvest.
- Set up and maintain sensible day rates/cost rates in Harvest so project profitability is visible.
- Log project expenses and supplier costs so we have a true view of margins.
- Run simple monthly profitability reviews: which projects made money, which didn't, and why.
- Flag capacity issues before they become problems.
- Support hiring and onboarding, and handle day-to-day performance conversations where needed.
What We Need From You
Essential Experience
- A minimum of 5 years in agency or consultancy operations (or project management stepping into broader operations).
- Small business experience (under 20 people) where you've worn multiple hats.
- You've made teams actually use project management and time tracking tools they were ignoring – by showing value and creating accountability, not just nagging.
- You can assess existing systems and optimise them rather than automatically recommending replacements.
- You understand agency workflow: brief → delivery → invoicing → profitability tracking.
- Exposure to diverse services: strategy, design, development, content (not just one specialism).