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Zest4Talent is recruiting on behalf of a high-growth, mission-led financial services business that is now looking for a Chief Operating Officer (COO) to partner closely with the Founder & CEO and help lead the organisation through its next phase of growth — strengthening operations, scaling performance, and preparing for a significant step-change in 2026 and beyond.This is a rare opportunity to step into a true second-in-command role within a fast-growing fintech, with real ownership, influence, and upside.

The role

As COO, you’ll be the engine of execution across the business — turning strategy into action, ambition into outcomes, and growth into a scalable, well-run operation.

You’ll take full ownership of day-to-day operations, ensuring high standards are maintained while building the systems, processes, and leadership capability required for scale. You’ll be equally comfortable shaping strategy at the top table and rolling up your sleeves when needed.

Your remit spans Operations, Credit Risk, Underwriting, Product, Customer Service, People, Finance operations, and Regulatory delivery.

You’ll also play a key role externally, working closely with investors, regulators, debt partners, and professional advisors.

What you’ll be doing day-to-day

* Partnering with the Founder & CEO to translate vision and commercial ambition into executable plans, priorities, and measurable outcomes

* Owning operational performance across Credit Risk, Customer Service and Growth, with senior leaders reporting into you

* Scaling the lending operation and platform to support rapid growth of the loan book while maintaining strong customer outcomes

* Acting as the internal driver of execution, performance management, and continuous improvement

* Leading and evolving the People & Culture function, including:

* Ownership of core people operations (onboarding, offboarding, holidays and absence management)

* Building a culture of ownership, accountability, and high performance

* Developing teams and leaders with the structure, training, and support needed to scale

* Defining hiring plans and performance frameworks

* Overseeing internal finance operations in partnership with the CFO and external finance team, ensuring:

* Robust forecasting, reporting, and data flow

* Smooth daily reconciliations and cash management

* Ensuring ongoing compliance with FCA regulation, Consumer Duty, and GDPR alongside the Compliance Officer

* Building trusted relationships with investors, regulators, legal advisors, and funding partners

What we’re looking for

Essential

* 10+ years’ professional experience, ideally within financial services

* Previous COO experience or a senior VP / Head of Operations ready to step into a COO role

* Proven experience scaling teams, processes, and operations in a high-growth environment

* Strong leadership capability with experience managing senior leaders and cross-functional teams

* A blend of strategic thinking and hands-on execution — comfortable getting into the detail

* Experience working in a start-up or scale-up environment

Nice to have

* Experience in regulated lending or consumer credit

If you don’t tick every box but feel excited by the challenge, we’d still love to hear from you. Ambition, judgement, and a bias for action matter just as much as experience.

What’s on offer

* Competitive salary (£90k–£120k) plus meaningful equity

* A senior leadership role in a high-growth, purpose-driven fintech

* The opportunity to help take a business from scale-up through profitability and into international expansion

* Hybrid working (London office) with a minimum of 2 days per week in-office

* 40 days total annual leave plus your birthday off ?

* Regular team socials and events

* The chance to make a real impact in a business that’s changing how credit works

This role is being managed by Zest4Talent who are a specialist recruitment agency.

If this sounds like your kind of challenge and you’re excited by ownership, pace, and building something that matters, we’d love to hear from you

UK-based role. Right to work in the UK required