Head of Operations (UK)

Location: Glasgow, UK; hybrid with three days per week in the Glasgow office. Occasional international travel may be required.

Salary: £60,000–£70,000 per year, dependent on experience, plus bonus.

Company

hirify.global is a scaling adventure tour operator providing self-guided walking and cycling trips to customers worldwide.

What you will do

• Lead the Operations function through four Operations Managers and approximately 35 specialists, developing strong leaders and a culture of ownership, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Build the Operations operating system, including visibility, processes, performance measures, reporting, and management routines.
• Transform operational workflows by simplifying and standardising processes, reducing manual work, and applying technology and AI.
• Own booking fulfilment and operational performance, ensuring accommodation, luggage transfers, and other trip components are confirmed quickly, accurately, and reliably.
• Partner with Supplier Partnerships, Product, and Customer Service to improve bookability, remove friction, and ensure sold trips can be delivered.
• Contribute to Delivery strategy, business planning, and the evolution of the Tribes & Squads operating model.

Requirements

• Strong experience leading multi-team operations through managers in a fast-paced, customer-focused environment, ideally involving high volumes and time-critical delivery.
• Proven experience redesigning and improving operational processes with measurable gains in efficiency, productivity, speed, and quality while maintaining customer outcomes.
• Ability to create operational processes, performance measures, reporting, and management routines that provide clarity, control, and accountability.
• Technology and AI mindset, with the ability to identify opportunities to simplify and automate work and turn ideas into practical operational improvements.
• Strong operational and commercial judgement, including budget management, resource planning against fluctuating demand, operational risk management, and decision-making under pressure.
• Empowering and accountable people leadership, including developing managers, setting high standards, addressing performance challenges constructively, and leading teams through change.
• Collaborative, business-minded approach with the ability to work across functions, challenge existing practices, and influence decisions.

Nice to have

• Operations experience in a tour operator, DMC, or travel business, particularly booking accommodation or other travel components.
• Experience redesigning supply-chain or supplier processes in a multi-supplier environment.
• Hands-on experience implementing AI or automation tools in operations.
• Experience working in a matrix or cross-functional model, such as Tribes & Squads or another agile model.
• Operational experience in other industries and knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, or another continuous-improvement methodology.

Culture & Benefits

• Flexible working with home working alongside three weekly days in the Glasgow hub office.
• Annual leave of 33 days including eight public holidays, increasing to 35 days after five years, plus an additional birthday day off.
• Contributory pension scheme, worldwide annual travel insurance for the employee and eligible family, and discounts on hirify.global trips.
• Regular team, management, and leadership meetings and retreats, with an inclusive, international, innovative, and solution-focused culture.
• Support for self-guided learning, health and wellbeing, and work with positive impact on people and the planet.