Operations Manager & Chief of Staff | Start-Up to Scale, Systems & Governance | Sydney-based

A highly capable and commercially grounded Operations Manager and Chief of Staff with eight years of transformative experience building and running the operational backbone of a founder-led start-up — joining as employee number two and growing the business from the ground up. This is a candidate who has done it all: designing the operating model, standing up systems and processes, building a team, and holding accountability for the full breadth of finance, governance, and compliance functions simultaneously.

Equally comfortable partnering closely with a founder-CEO at the strategic level and rolling up her sleeves to solve operational problems at the detail level, she brings the rare combination of big-picture thinking and hands-on execution that fast-moving organisations depend on. A builder by nature — and someone who has already proven she can create order, capability, and efficiency where none previously existed.

Key Strengths & Experience:

• Chief of Staff & Founder Partnership: Eight years as a trusted right hand to a founder-CEO, operating across the full scope of business operations - from strategic planning and prioritisation through to day-to-day execution - with the discretion, judgement, and adaptability that close founder partnerships demand
• Operating Model Design & Build: Joined as employee number two and built the organisation’s operating model, systems, and team from scratch - bringing the rare experience of having designed and implemented operational infrastructure in a genuine start-up environment
• Finance, Governance & Compliance: End-to-end ownership of finance operations alongside governance and compliance responsibilities spanning insurance, WHS, and privacy - a breadth of accountability that speaks to both capability and trustworthiness
• Process Automation & Efficiency: Delivered a 20% reduction in manual workload through targeted automation initiatives, demonstrating a systems-thinking mindset and a proactive approach to continuous improvement
• Team Building & Leadership: Built and led a team from the ground up, developing the people, culture, and processes that allowed a start-up to scale with confidence and consistency

A Sydney-based operations leader of genuine calibre - available for full-time or part-time permanent roles and ready to bring her start-up experience and builder’s mindset to an organisation that values operational excellence.

Additional Information:

• Permanent opportunity - open to full-time or part-time
• Salary expectation: $160k + super
• Sydney-based
• Australian Citizen

Want to meet this candidate? Contact Sophie Kelly on 02 9220 3400 / 0474 735 116 or email sophiek@coxpurtell.com.au