Location: Based in our Dalston office with flexibility to WFH

Reporting to: CEO

Contract: Permanent, full-time

About Fair Finance

Fair Finance mission is to revolutionise financial services to make it more inclusive and fair for everyone. We design and deliver financial services to improve the financial wellbeing and have a positive impact on our clients.

For nearly 20 years we have worked with hundreds of thousands of accesses affordable credit, manage their finances and avoid high-cost lenders. Our work has influenced Government policy, credit legislation and shown how Purpose and Profit can work together to change the financial system for the better.

We're an established organisation with a proven track record, now undergoing an ambitious digital and scale up transformation that will allow us to achieve scale and impact across the country.

We're at a defining moment:

- Moving from a retail-based model to a digitally enabled national lender, we're building the operational infrastructure to double our loan book annually - from £6M today to £30M+ within 30 months - while maintaining our commitment to financial inclusion and exceptional customer service.

- Working with national banks and key institutional stakeholders we will significantly increase our reach into communities and address parts of the UK Government’s National Strategy for Financial Inclusion.

This isn't just operational efficiency. It's about building the engine that will serve hundreds of thousands more people who are locked out of mainstream finance without losing the human touch.

About the role

We're seeking an exceptional Chief Operating Officer to build and scale the operational infrastructure for Fair Finance's next chapter. This is a rare opportunity to transform lending operations for a mission-driven organisation at a critical inflection point.

• Build the operational engine: You'll take committed but less experienced teams and proven but under-optimized systems, and transform them into a scalable, efficient, customer centric operation capable of supporting £30M+ loan book.

• Dramatic impact targets: Cut loan processing time by 50%, reduce cost-per-loan by 50%, and scale volume 5x - all while improving customer satisfaction. These aren't incremental improvements, they're transformation.

• Develop future leaders: Coach and develop a Head of Operations and Head of Technology who are ready to step up. You're building capability, not just managing delivery.

• Mission-critical execution: Partner with CEO to execute the digital transformation strategy. You're the person who makes strategy real through operational excellence.

• Own the customer experience: From application to final payment, you ensure every customer interaction reflects Fair Finance's commitment to treating people fairly and supporting their financial wellbeing.

This is a full-time operational leadership role for an experienced professional who wants to prove that inclusive lending can achieve both exceptional customer experience and operational efficiency at scale.

About you

We are looking for a strategic, results-driven and personable leader with a strong consumer credit and operations background.

You will have a genuine desire to work for a changemaking organisation, and someone who is comfortable leading teams through business transformation and change.

You must have excellent communication and management skills, as well as the ability to provide challenge and solutions.We are looking for someone who wants to grow with a company as it transitions in a key moment of scale and business transformation.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy and Performance Optimisation

• Develop and execute operational strategies aligned with business objectives and growth targets.

• Develop and manage budgets and resource requirements to deliver the operational strategy effectively.

• Create and implement operational policies and frameworks focussed on process improvement, scalability and efficiency.

• Monitor KPI’s and metrics to track operational performance and identify areas for improvement.

• Provide strategic guidance and recommendations to senior management and the Board on operational matters.

• Ensure that all initiatives contribute to the organisation's long-term goals and growth objectives.

Reporting and Governance

• Deliver regular reports and metrics on the performance of lending operations against budget, KPI’s and targets.

• Provide performance and progress updates to external committees and the Fair Finance Board.

• Ensure adherence to governance standards and compliance requirements across all operational areas.

• Identify and mitigate operational risks to safeguard the organisation’s reputation and assets.

• Embed robust governance and control frameworks to ensure effective oversight and accountability.

Skills and Experience

Lending Operations Expertise

• 10+ years in consumer lending operations, with at least 5 years in leadership roles

• Led operations through significant growth (3x-5x loan book scaling)

• Deep expertise across the full lending lifecycle: underwriting, servicing, collections, customer service

• Experience with digital transformation of lending operations - moving from manual to automated

• Understands the unique challenges of serving vulnerable customers and regulatory requirements (Consumer Duty, fair treatment, affordability)

Operational Excellence

• Track record of achieving dramatic efficiency improvements (not just incremental gains)

• Experience implementing automation and optimizing lending platforms/decisioning engines

• Strong analytical capability - uses data and KPIs to drive performance

• Knows how to balance speed, cost, quality, and risk in operational decisions

• Experience with technology vendors and implementations (even if not a technologist yourself)

People Development & Leadership

• Proven ability to coach and develop less experienced leaders to next level

• Built and led high-performing operations teams in growth environments

• Comfortable being hands-on when needed but delegates effectively

• Creates operational discipline without bureaucracy

• Builds capability sustainably, not just delivers short-term results

Execution Partner Mindset

• Comfortable executing strategy others define while bringing operational expertise to shape it

• Works effectively in CEO partnership model

• Brings solutions and options, not just problems

• Knows when to escalate vs solve independently

• Thrives on making things happen more than being the visionary

Mission Alignment

• Genuinely cares about financial inclusion - this isn't just another operations role

• Understands how operational excellence enables social impact at scale

• Committed to treating vulnerable customers with dignity and fairness

• Comfortable with the operational complexity of serving excluded populations responsibly