Operations Manager – Operational & Enterprise Governance

At Valcon, we are a European powerhouse in data and AI-driven business transformation. We combine deep expertise in data and AI with our heritage in operational excellence, failsafe delivery, and organisational change. Trusted by Europe’s leading organisations, we don’t just advise – we implement and deliver sustainable business transformation. 
 
Backed by private equity, Valcon has brought together leading firms to form one of Europe’s fastest-growing consultancies. In the UK, we’re scaling quickly while maintaining a collaborative, hands-on, and down-to-earth culture. 

The Opportunity

Acting as the bridge between leadership, operations, delivery teams and enabling functions, you will play a pivotal role in driving governance maturity while ensuring it remains a practical enabler of business growth and supply chain management.

You will be responsible for providing visibility, assurance and control across our enterprise operations, supporting leadership in making informed decisions while reducing operational risk.

As our business continues to grow, you will have the opportunity to shape and develop our governance framework, strengthen operational processes and drive continuous improvement, ensuring our approach evolves alongside our ambitions.

Key Responsibilities
Enterprise Governance

• Develop, maintain and continuously improve the organisation’s enterprise governance framework.
• Define and document governance processes, decision-making frameworks, approval processes and escalation routes.
• Support leadership teams and governance boards with reporting, insights and recommendations.
• Ensure governance structures remain aligned with organisational strategy, growth plans and regulatory requirements.
• Facilitate governance forums, steering committees and operational review boards.

Operational Governance & Assurance

• Implement and maintain operational controls and assurance processes across all business functions.
• Monitor compliance with internal policies, standards and operating procedures.
• Conduct governance reviews and operational audits to identify areas for improvement.
• Track governance actions, findings and remedial activities through to completion.
• Establish and maintain a culture of accountability, transparency and operational discipline.

Risk Management

• Own and maintain the enterprise risk register, ensuring risks are identified, assessed and appropriately managed.
• Facilitate risk identification, assessment, mitigation and reporting activities across the organisation.
• Support leadership teams in managing strategic, operational, commercial, security and delivery risks.
• Monitor emerging risks and provide recommendations to mitigate potential business impact.
• Produce regular risk reports and dashboards to provide visibility to senior leadership.

Project, Portfolio & Change Governance

• Establish and maintain governance standards for projects, programmes and operational change initiatives.
• Oversee governance stage gates, approvals, RAID management and reporting standards.
• Support project and programme managers in applying governance requirements and best practices.
• Ensure effective change control processes are implemented and consistently followed.
• Consolidate portfolio-level reporting, providing visibility of delivery performance, dependencies and risks.

Compliance, Quality & Health and Safety Management

• Develop, implement and maintain compliance frameworks, policies and procedures across the organisation.
• Lead and support the implementation and ongoing management of relevant ISO standards and management systems.
• Ensure compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, including GDPR, IR35 and supplier due diligence.
• Coordinate internal and external audits, ensuring findings and corrective actions are addressed.
• Oversee the organisation’s health and safety management framework, ensuring appropriate policies, procedures and risk assessments are in place.
• Monitor health and safety compliance, including workplace safety, incident reporting and the implementation of corrective actions.
• Drive quality assurance and continuous improvement initiatives across operational and delivery functions.

Performance & Reporting

• Develop and maintain governance dashboards and operational KPI reporting.
• Monitor organisational performance against agreed operational and governance metrics.
• Provide leadership teams with meaningful operational insights, highlighting risks, trends and opportunities for improvement.
• Standardise governance reporting across business areas to ensure consistency and transparency.
• Support leadership decision-making through accurate, timely and relevant operational reporting.

Operational Improvement

• Identify opportunities to simplify processes, strengthen controls and improve operational effectiveness.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives across business operations and governance processes.
• Ensure operational governance frameworks and processes scale effectively as the organisation grows.
• Promote best practices across project delivery, business operations and corporate functions.
• Drive improvements in operational efficiency while maintaining appropriate governance and control.

Stakeholder Management

• Build trusted relationships with Partners, Capability Leads, Project Managers and Corporate Function Leads.
• Act as a governance and operational advisor to leadership, delivery teams and enabling functions.
• Influence stakeholders at all levels to adopt governance standards, policies and best practices.
• Work collaboratively across the business to embed a culture of accountability, transparency and operational excellence.
• Constructively challenge existing processes and practices to drive improvements and ensure effective governance.

Experience

Essential

• Proven experience in Operations Management, Governance, Risk, Compliance, PMO or Business Operations.
• Experience working within an IT consultancy, professional services organisation or technology-led business.
• Strong understanding of operational governance, enterprise risk management, compliance and quality assurance.
• Experience developing, implementing and maintaining governance frameworks, policies, processes and operational controls.
• Knowledge of ISO standards and experience supporting their implementation and ongoing management.
• Experience managing health and safety processes, including risk assessments, policies and compliance.
• Strong understanding of audit processes, regulatory requirements and operational risk management.
• Experience developing and implementing operational processes that support business growth and organisational efficiency.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to develop and interpret operational reports, KPIs and performance dashboards.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to influence and engage senior leadership.
• Ability to balance governance, compliance and operational control with a pragmatic, commercially focused approach.
• Highly organised, with strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities.

Desirable

• Experience implementing and maintaining ISO management systems.
• Knowledge of governance frameworks such as COBIT, ITIL, PRINCE2, MSP or PMO methodologies.
• Experience with project management, reporting and governance tools such as Jira, Confluence, Power BI or GRC platforms.
• Experience supporting organisational growth, business transformation or operational change initiatives.
• Experience managing supplier governance, procurement processes and third-party risk.
• Relevant professional qualifications in Operations Management, Governance, Risk, Compliance, Health & Safety or Project Management.