Head of Operations & Strategy at Smart Partners

Role Purpose

• The Group Head of Operations will serve as the Founder’s primary partner in translating group strategy into executable operational plans.
• This role combines strategic thinking with hands-on operational leadership, ensuring that growth strategies are practical, well-structured, and successfully implemented across all businesses in the group.
• This will rest on the ability to build operational structure, discipline, and scalability across brands and manufacturing — ensuring consistency, efficiency, and execution excellence as the group grows.

Key Responsibilities
Strategy & Leadership:

• Work closely with the Founder & Group CEO to develop and refine group-level growth strategies
• Translate strategic priorities into clear operational roadmaps, milestones, and execution plans
• Provide strategic input on scaling brands, manufacturing capacity, and operational structure
• Act as a thought partner in decision-making across growth, efficiency, and risk

Group Operations:

• Own group-wide operations across all brands and the manufacturing business
• Oversee production planning, manufacturing, timelines, and quality control
• Establish and lead group-level operational systems, workflows, and reporting
• Drive cost control, efficiency, and margin discipline across entities
• Coordinate execution across design, production, finance, and commercial functions
• Identify operational bottlenecks early and implement corrective action

Scale & Execution:

• Lead the transition from founder-led execution to structured, scalable operations
• Build operational foundations that support future growth, new brands, and increased complexity

Profile & Experience

• Strong background in manufacturing-led or production-driven organisations
• Experience operating at multi-brand or group level
• Demonstrated ability to operate at both strategic and execution levels
• Understanding of operating in Nigeria/Africa or similar developing markets
• Highly structured, commercially minded and solutions-oriented
• Particular experience in fashion, apparel, or manufacturing is strongly preferred.

Compensations and Benefits

• Competitive compensation aligned with experience and capability
• Performance-linked bonus structure
• Leadership growth pathway within a scaling organisation
• Employee HMO scheme.

Why this role

• Strategic partnership with the Founder at group level
• Opportunity to shape and execute growth at a group and systems level across multiple businesses
• Significant autonomy and strategic influence
• Direct impact on scaling multiple brands and a manufacturing business
• Long-term leadership growth potential