Operations Director

The Design Business Association (DBA)

The DBA was founded in 1986 to promote professional excellence within the design industry. We are the leading design association in the UK, with a steadily growing membership of over 500 design agencies and design-led businesses throughout the UK, including many of the brightest and most respected names.

For 30 years, the DBA has supported the design industry to solve some of the toughest problems and deliver strategic advantage. We’ve seen business performance transformed by design, jobs created, investment in smarter systems and processes and improved supply chains. We’ve seen brands power into our lives on the back of design and we’ve seen innovation in public services.

Currently, the DBA represents 9% of the market and we have a loyal and engaged membership – our oldest members have been with us for 30 years and the average length of membership is 6 years. Our main relationship with our member agencies is with the MD/Owner of the business and we talk to them regularly, with an average of 36 engagements with each member business each year.

Membership of the DBA represents a commitment to effective design, a belief in quality, of good working practices and of collegiate sharing of best practice. Through our programmes, services and activities, we train, educate, recognise and celebrate the power of effective design and professional practices in small and large organisations globally. We know that design is an economic force and source of global influence and we are working with our members, and the wider industry, to ensure that the challenges that lie ahead for the industry are opportunities to position design firmly as a strategic business competence.

We are now seeking an Operations Director who can join our small, busy team, to provide vital leadership and help evolve our organisation at this pivotal time.

The role and responsibilities

The Operations Director will be responsible for running the day-to-day operations of the DBA, overseeing revenue generation and budgeting, internal systems and processes, and HR. You will be an integral member of the organisation’s senior leadership team and will have a key role as part of this team in developing and cascading the organisation’s strategy and aligning the personnel with the business goals.

The successful candidate will combine a substantial track record of broad operational management experience, first-class interpersonal skills and significant business acumen. You will need to be a strategic thinker with a strong grasp of detail, able to put innovative ideas in motion within the organisation, and have good tactical and forward-thinking skills to assist with the implementation of the strategic vision. You will need a proven financial acumen and be able to balance the commercial aspect of managing a business with motivational team-building, team-management and team-empowering skills. You will have the ability to prioritise business, employee and organisational requirements; setting and implementing appropriate recognition and corrective practices to align personnel with company goals.

Key tasks

Finance and governance

• Oversee the day-to-day finance function, including budget preparation, exercising financial delegations, monitoring expenditure and income against budget and overseeing the annual audit and management reporting.
• Line manage and liaise with the Management Accountant for management reporting across the business.
• Prepare an annual operational budget for review and approval of the Senior Management Team and CEO, manage effectively within this budget and report accurately on progress made and challenges encountered.
• Support the CEO with governance activities as required.
• Ensure that DBA business operations are aligned to our corporate strategy.

Project delivery

• Ensure that there is a clear, well-communicated operational business plan in place – inclusive of processes and systems to monitor KPIs and key milestones across the organisation.
• Oversee the DBA’s administrative and project management capacity; ensuring the profitable delivery of existing and new products and services.
• Provide expertise and guidance across the delivery of all activities, advancing operational cohesion across teams, actively encouraging and facilitating collaboration and alignment in delivery and practices.
• Identify and solve problems, ensuring that teams are delivering the best solutions for the business and delivering profitability.
• Drive performance measures for the measurement of project delivery and consideration of efficiency versus effectiveness.

HR and technology

• Manage and oversee the HR function including employment policies and procedures, recruitment, professional development and performance management.
• Oversee the management of the DBA’s core infrastructure including IT, knowledge management and facilities management.

Key details

Salary: £50k per annum
Contract type: Full time, permanent.
Reporting to: Chief Executive
Based at: Design Business Association.
Holiday: 25 days per annum pro rata

Please email via the button below with a CV and cover letter detailing how you meet the requirements of the post.

CVs without a cover letter will not be reviewed.

Deadline for applications: Friday 2 October, 5pm