Chief Operating Officer / Managing Director

at  Ear to the Ground

ABOUT US

We are a multi-award winning global creative agency based in Manchester that specialises in the dynamic world of sport, gaming and entertainment. We work with some of the world’s leading brands from PlayStation to Coca-Cola and New Balance through our Fan Intelligence® and AI platform which helps build culturally impactful brands by understanding the passion of fans. Our focus on creativity, technology, and impact allows us to deliver cutting-edge solutions for our clients, pushing boundaries and setting new standards in the industry.
Reports to: CEO & Shareholder Board
Direct Reports: Managing Partner - Finance, Managing Partner - People & Culture, Director of Operations
Hours: Full time
Location: Manchester (Hybrid Working, min 3 days per week in the office)

Skills & Experience

• Must have held a similar role in a 50+ people business
• Significant commercial experience in driving substantial EBITDA and turnover growth in previous leadership roles.
• Proven track record of success in leading businesses to achieve ambitious new business revenue targets.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire and motivate teams towards achieving common goals.
• Excellent business acumen with a commercial and strategic mindset and the ability to make sound decisions in complex situations.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build rapport and influence stakeholders at all levels.
• M&A experience and understandin

We are seeking an experienced, commercial and strategic COO / MD to play a transformative role in taking us on the next stage of our growth journey. This is a non-client facing internal role that requires significant commercial experience in leading services businesses to substantial growth, demonstrating a proven track record of success. Marketing agency experience is advantageous, but we are primarily seeking a candidate with a strong commercial acumen and leadership capability. The primary role is to develop and execute comprehensive business plans and strategies to achieve revenue targets and profitability goals.
The successful candidate will be outcome-focused, with a strong finance pedigree, able to interpret commercial data easily and act quickly and decisively on the insights they provide. This role requires a fast-paced, direct approach, able to spot potential issues before they arise and come up with pragmatic, proactive and creative solutions to support the business. Crucially, the successful candidate will be a mentor and role model for the team at all levels of the organisation, helping cultivate a commercial mindset across the entire business.

Main Responsibilities and Activities

• Work alongside the external facing CEO to provide strategic leadership to the business, inspiring and motivating the team and ensuring business goals are front and centre of everything we do
• Provide operational oversight to ensure the agency achieves its goals and objectives, working with the team to act as the engine room for growth
• Develop and implement operational strategies, policies, and procedures to drive efficiency, resilience, scalability and effectiveness across all business functions.
• Oversee marketing and business development strategy and implementation, ensuring lead gen targets are met and the company executes on an effective marketing plan to drive leads
• Collaborate with the executive team to set strategic priorities, quantify progress against key metrics and drive the execution of key initiatives
• Lead and mentor a high-performing management team, fostering a culture of commercial awareness, collaboration, innovation, and excellence against clear targets
• Oversee financial management, budgeting, and forecasting processes to ensure the agency’s financial health and sustainability
• Ensure compliance and best practice standards are maintained across all commercial arrangements
• Ensure the business is built on a scalable model, capable of sustainable and consistent growth

Skills & Experience

• Must have held a similar role in a 50+ people business
• Significant commercial experience in driving substantial EBITDA and turnover growth in previous leadership roles.
• Proven track record of success in leading businesses to achieve ambitious new business revenue targets.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire and motivate teams towards achieving common goals.
• Excellent business acumen with a commercial and strategic mindset and the ability to make sound decisions in complex situations.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build rapport and influence stakeholders at all levels.
• M&A experience and understanding